Torrance Beach ‘better than Pipeline’ for 13th Annual Ratopia Surf Classic
Top two women finishers Savannah Scriven, Jenna Newburn. Photo by Emily Collins The annual Ratopia Surf Classic was founded in 2005 to raise funds for 22-year-old local surfer Denny Bales was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Over the ensuing decade, the contest has raised $127,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, which has recognized contest organizer Nick Weber with its de Villiers Society Award. The contest includes longboard and shortboard divisions, body surfing, a one-mile run and a costume, pie eating and pushup contest. Leonardo Montiel races into first place in the longboard division. Photo by Emily Collins Torrance Beach, where this year’s contest was held last Saturday, has not been good hadn’t had good waves since last spring. But it did for Ratopia. Pro Surfer and Ratopia veteran Alex Grey said, “Hawaii’s North Shore is blown out almost every day with too much sand covering the Pipeline Reef. I come down here and it’s perfect 3-foot, offshore tubes.” As he spoke, he pointed to Ron Sannes getting a long zipper all the way down the beach. The surf got peaker and more hollow as the tide went out. Lucas Baroha and Danny Crawford came out of the gate and the tube…
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