Anzivino is surprise winner at SB Boardriders awards party
If anyone deserved to win two tickets toFiji aboard Air Pacific, presented Friday night at American Junkie during the South Bay Boardriders awards party, it was Natalie Anzivino. After a fourth place finish at a Pipeline pro contest early in the year, Anzivino returned to the South Bay to dominate the Boardriders open women’s division, winning five of the series’ six contests.
But instead, theFiji tickets – the Boardriders series’ top prize — were awarded to Kelly Zaun, winner of the open men’s division series. Zaun’s best finishes were two second places, but his consistent surfing entitled him to the tickets. At the start of the season it was determined that only the men’s division winner would be awarded tickets to Fiji.
Nonetheless, justice was served, if only by a chance drawing for a second pair of Fiji tickets donated by Air Pacific
“Mike [club president Mike Balzer] shook up the basket full of names,” recalled contest marshal Wright Adaza. “Then Bob [Air Pacific representative Bob Parra] reached in and grabbed a raffle ticket and handed it to me. I almost fell over when I saw the name. I was jokingly going to announce [men’s runner-up] Shaun Burrell the winner, but when I went to the microphone with all eyes on me in anticipation, I said, ‘This is great. No one in this room deserves this more. The winner is, Natalie Anzivino.’
“I had chills going down my spine. The place erupted. Her friends were in tears, along with Natalie. She gave me a huge hug when she climbed up on stage to accept her award. She kept saying, ‘I can’t believe it.’
“Afterwards, I had to ask Balzer in confidence, ‘Was that legit?’ I knew it was, but a higher power had to have had His hand on that ticket.”
“No B.S. It was all legit. Sometimes things are just meant to be,” Balzer said.
Over 200 surfers competed in the second annual South Bay Boardriders Contest Series. In the tightly contested open men’s division, not only did winner Zaun not win a single contest, but no one else won more than one contest. Shaun Burrell and Derek Brewer, who each won one contest, finished second and third, respectively.
Like Anzivino, Zaun dominated the junior men’s division, with five first place finishes.
Mira Costa freshmen Rachel Tominaga andSara Kohrogi placed second and third in the open women’s division, behind Anzivino, who also won her division during last year’s inaugural season.
Following are the top five finishers in the 10 divisions of the 2012 South Bay Boardriders Contest Series:
Open men: Kelly Zaun, Derek Brewer, Shaun Burrell, Ted Robinson, Matt Pagan.
Open women: Natalie Anzivino, Rachel Tominaga, Becca Rosen, Tamara Lentz, Sara Kohrogi.
Junior boys: Kelly Zaun, Jordan Robinson, Kent Nishiva, Noah Collins, Cody Stamis.
Junior women: Rachel Tominaga, Jessie Rowan,Sara Kohrogi, Ailidh Sheldon, Sarlyn Troeger.
Longboard: Dave Schaefer,Hudson Ritchie, Brent Bland, Jiro Iked, Dylan St. Germain.
Masters: Ted Robinson, Warren Kushner, Donny Wilson, Chris Wells, Matt Walls.
Legends: Scott Daley, Nick Christensen, Mike Purpus, Mark Theodore, Derek Levy.
Boys: Jack Rowan, Kyle Beatty, Chris Stimiphi, Peter Healey, Will Reid.
Groms: Dylan Hord, Sam Reichel, Shane Moseley, Ben Seaberry, Ethan Ward.
Micro groms: Shane Mosley, Noah Steinmetz, Luke Synder, Finn Bertino, Kelly Murphy. DZ