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Archive for the 'Competitions' Category

Sign ups start for Ultimate Boarder contest

November 6th, 2009, 1:49 pm by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

Were you born with a board on your feet?

If you can rip on any kind of board  - whether it be in the water, on the slopes, or up a ramp - then the Ultimate Boarder contest is made for you.  

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Last year's winner, OC's Chad Shetler

In what is being called “the triathlon of a new generation,” the Ultimate Boarder contest tests out surfing, snowboarding, and skating skills.

Now in its third year, the skate/surf portion has been moved from Ventura to a closer San Diego, with the snowboard segment staying up at Lake Tahoe.

There’s a bit of time to brush up your skills, with the contest running March 13-21. The overall purse is $50,000, with $30,000 going to the winner. 

 
The contest has become so popular, that organizers have to limit the number of people allowed to enter - so a group of judges will determine whether you have what it takes to compete. There will be 50 people allowed to compete in the solo competitions, as well as about 50 more in the team segment (where each rider competes in his specialty sport).

“It used to be open registration, but this year we’ve really tried to streamline it to have quality verses quantity,” said  Tim Hoover, founder and CEO.
“I love it when we get unknown people – I never wanted to make it where it was a celebrity selection process,” Hoover said. “Most of these guys know each other. We find out pretty quickly if someone is legit or not.”

Famous skater Omar Hassan, on a snowboard

Famous skater Omar Hassan took second place in the competition

 There are plenty of potential winners here in Orange County - just look at last year’s winner Chad Shetler, of Dana Point. Shetler is team manager for the Lost skate team. Huntington Beach’s Omar Hassan got the bronze medal. Pro skater Tosh Townend also did really well, placing in the top 10.

Here’s more detail on the contest:

 

The snow leg in Lake Tahoe at Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort, Saturday-Sunday, March 13-14; the surf competition at Seaside Reef in Cardiff-by-the-Sea (San Diego County), Tuesday-Friday, March 16-19; and skateboarding contest at Del Mar Fairgrounds in Del Mar (San Diego County), Saturday-Sunday, March 20-21. 

A concert will be tied to the skate event on Saturday, March 20, and Ski Dazzle will produce a consumer trade show focused on surf-skate-snow tied to the Del Mar event.
 
“A growing increase in action sports popularity has been phenomenal at both the participant and fan levels,” said Tim Hoover, Founder & CEO of Ultimate Boarder.  “We are proud that Ultimate Boarder continues to grow year-over-year which has inspired our move to locations that opens up the event to a broader audience…”
 
After the inaugural Ultimate Boarder event in 2008, the event was named the “Best New Sports Event of the Year” by SportsTravel Magazine and heralded by media such as the New York Times.  To sign up, go to ultimateboarder.com.

(Photos courtesy of UB Entertainment)

OC surfers going strong at O’Neill Cold Water Classic

November 4th, 2009, 2:58 pm by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

UPDATE: WQS contest is on hold Thursday; Juniors up at 1 p.m.  

From Wednesday: OC surfers are coming through strong during this week’s O’Neill Cold Water Classic and Oakley Pro Junior up in Santa Cruz.

PHOTO BY SERGIO VILLABA

The Cold Water Classic – a WQS 6-star prime event – kicked off on Monday with solid surf conditions, but was put on hold today. Some of the best surfers in the world – including many from Orange County – are up north for the prestigious event.

A call is made at 7:30 each morning to determine whether the WQS or Junior event will be held.

The juniors went at it today, with Newport local and one of OC’s top young surfers Andrew Doheny winning his heat with a score of 13.37.

In the first round of junior’s events, Newport’s Chase Wilson advanced with a score of 12.00, but in that same heat Taylor Thorne, of Newport, was knocked out after coming in 4th place.

Capo Beach’s Luke Davis and San Clemente’s Kolohe Andino both placed first in their heats to advance.

In the pro event, several World Tour surfers are taking on the World Qualifying Series surfers, making the competition tough.

World Tour surfer Timmy Reyes, of Huntington Beach, had a great showing Tuesday with the heat of the day, finishing with scores of 9.33 and 8.50. 

“I knew where to sit out there,” he said in a statement. “I’ve been back and forth here my entire life. It makes it easy when you come to a place that you really like. I feel really good here.”

On the first day of the event, San Clemente’s Mike Losness was knocked out. HB’s  Micah Byrne had a great showing, with a score of 11.84 in heat 4 of round 128. He competed again Tuesday and made it through with a 10.03. 

Seal Beach’s Chris Waring also came in first during his heat, scoring a 13.33.

If the pros compete on Thursday, Huntington surfers Brett Simpson and Brad Ettinger will be going up against each other early in the day. Simpson is the top point holder in North America in the WQS rankings.

HB’s Shaun Ward will be going up against some tough competition, as he goes up against Jordy Smith and three-time world champ Tom Curren.
 
The pro competitors are battling it out in 13 degree waters to see if they can nab a piece of the $145,000 in prize money. The juniors are surfing for $10,000.

See it all  live at www.oneill.com/cwc/california

Professional Longboard Championships

November 3rd, 2009, 7:29 am by Jeff Malanca, contributing writer

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If you want to watch the best men and women surfers in the business walking the nose and hanging ten, then this is an event you won’t want to miss.

The 2009 Professional Longboard Association is holding the PLA Pro Championships in a little more than a week from now. 

The ASP sanctioned  Longboard Qualifying Series contest is the final event of the five stop tour.

Some of the top talent competing from Orange County includes: San Clemente’s Josh Baxter who’s the current points leader in the North America longboard tour ratings andColin McPhillips who’s also from San Clemente.

Some of the notable names taking part in the women’s division include: Cardiff’s Cori Schumacher and Pacific Beach’s Jennifer Smith

The 2009 PLA Championships will also host a division for the best amateur longboarders and a stand up paddle board race.  For more info. check out surfpla.com.

When: Friday, November 13th, Saturday, November 14th and Sunday, November 15th

Where: Oceanside Pier

Mavericks Surf Contest opening ceremony

November 2nd, 2009, 7:13 am by Jeff Malanca, contributing writer

 

mavericks-gatheringSeveral of the world’s best big wave surfers gathered at one of the West Coast’s most popular big wave surf spots last weekend. 

The Mavericks Surf Contest held its opening ceremony for the 2009/2010 winter season.

Mother nature didn’t provide any surf for this yearly ritual, but a couple dozen big wave chargers gathered on the beach and in the water to bless the official waiting period of the prestigious event.

Some of the big wave surfers that took part in the festivities included: Santa Cruz’s Peter Mel, San Clemente’s Greg Long and Evan Slater.  Some of the other invited surfers that will be competing include: South Africa’s Grant “Twiggy” Baker, San Clemente’s Nathan Fletcher, Brock Little and Jamie Sterling.  

The official Mavericks Contest season opened on Sunday, November 1st and runs through March 31st 2010.  The 24 competing surfers will be given a 24-hour notice once the call has been made to start the event.  For more info. and contest alerts, go to maverickssurf.com.

O’neill Coldwater Classic Santa Cruz

October 30th, 2009, 6:56 pm by Jeff Malanca, contributing writer

 

steamer-laneOne of North America’s most prestigious surf contests is just a couple days away from starting.  The 2009 O’neill Coldwater Classic will attract some of the world’s best surfers.

The 6-Star Prime ASP World Qualifying Series event happens at Santa Cruz’s most famous surf spot…Steamer Lane

Some of the notable names from Orange County competing in the big event include: Huntington Beach’s Brett Simpson and San Clemente’s Nate Yeomans.

There are also a handful of Dream Tour surfers such as Jordy Smith, Adriano De Souza, Nathaniel Curran, Roy Powers and Huntington Beach’s Timmy Reyes taking part in the contest. 

19-year old Nat Young took home the win at last years prestigious event.  So we’ll have to wait and see if the Santa Cruz local boy can do it again.  For more info. or to watch the live action, go to oneillcwc.com.

When: Monday, November 2nd through Sunday, November 8th

Where: Steamer Lane, Santa Cruz

Xcel Pro about to begin

October 29th, 2009, 7:20 am by Jeff Malanca, contributing writer

 

xcel-proThe North Shore of Oahu is about to kick into high gear in the next few weeks.  The first contest of the winter season is about to start at Sunset Beach which is one of the top spots on the famous seven mile stretch of coast.

The 2009 Xcel Pro is a 2-star ASP World Qualifying Series event with several notable big wave chargers competing.   They include: 3-time World Champion Andy Irons, Derek Ho, Sunny Garcia and Pancho Sullivan.  

Surfline forecasters are calling for a good northwest, north-northwest swell to start showing on Friday, which means the event could take to the water on the first day of the holding period.

The events official waiting period begins on Friday, October 30th and runs through Tuesday, November 10th. To watch the live action, check out xcelpro.xcelwetsuits.com. 

Blackie’s Classics Halloween surf event

October 26th, 2009, 5:41 pm by Jeff Malanca, contributing writer

 

halloween-photoIf you surf Blackie’s in Newport Beach then this is an event you won’t want to miss.  The Blackie’s Classics Longboard Association is holding its 6th annual Halloween Costume contest this weekend.

This isn’t a typical surf competition where judges are only looking for the best ride, but also the best costume.  

About three dozen surfers showed up in costumes last year, including one surfer who came dressed as Laker superstar Kobe Bryant.

The event will start about 7 a.m and wrap up about 10 a.m.  So if you can surf and you think you have a really cool costume this year, come down just north of the Newport Beach Pier on Halloween morning.

When: Saturday, October 31st 7 a.m

Where: Blackie’s, Newport Beach

WSA contest this weekend

October 23rd, 2009, 11:27 am by Jeff Malanca, contributing writer

 

wsa-surfIf you happen to be heading down south for a surf this weekend and you’re going to be near Carlsbad, stop by and check out the Western Surfing Association surf contest.

The third stop of the 2009/2010 WSA Surf Series takes place at Ponto in South Carlsbad.  Several amateur surfers from the southland will be competing in the two-day event.

The divisions include:Legends, Senior Men’s, Men’s, Masters, Women’s, Longboard, Micro Grom, Boys and Girls

The surfers hit the water each day at 7 a.m with the event wrapping up about 5 p.m.  For more info. and heat times, check out surfwsa.org.

When: Saturday, October 24th and Sunday October 25th

Where: South Carlsbad Ponto

NSSA contest heads down south

October 20th, 2009, 6:19 am by Jeff Malanca, contributing writer

 

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The National Scholastic Surfing Association NSSA is heading down south this weekend for the fourth stop of the 2009/2010 Southwest Conference Open Season event.

Some of the best 18 and under amateurs from up and down the California coast will be battling it out at the Oceanside Pier

Some of the top talent from Orange County includes: Huntington Beach’s Christian Saenz and Kanoa Igarashi, Costa Mesa’s Colin Moran and Kaleigh Gilchrist from Newport Beach.

The event is made up of several divsions including: Mens, Juniors, Boys, Mini-groms, Women and Longboard.  Meanwhile, Surfline forecasters are calling for a fair to good mix of west northwest swell and southwesterly energy for the coming weekend.  For more info. check out nssa.org.

Where: Oceanside Pier

When: Saturday, October 24th and Sunday October 25th

Rip Curl Pro Search waiting period begins

October 19th, 2009, 6:02 am by Jeff Malanca, contributing writer

 

rip-curl-search-posterThe second to last stop of the ASP World Championship Tour official waiting period kicked off today, but contest officials opted not to start the 2009 Rip Curl Pro Search in Portugal due to the lack of surf.

Surfline forecasters are calling for a pretty solid northwest swell to begin filling in on Tuesday afternoon and into Wednesday and Thursday.

Meanwhile, the title race continues with Mick Fanning holding down the lead with fellow Aussie Joel Parkinson trailing behind in second and Brazilian Adriano de Souza in third.

Contest organizers will reconvene Tuesday morning at 8 a.m for a possible 8:30 a.m start.  The official waiting period runs until Wednesday, October 28th.  To watch the live action, check out www.live.ripcurl.com.

Skimboard contest coming to Newport Beach

October 14th, 2009, 4:50 pm by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

If you’re a skimboard fan, head down to Balboa Pier to check out the 5th annual Oktoberfest
Pro/Am Skimboarding contest this Saturday and Sunday.

There will be about 75 local ameteurs and 40 of the world top-ranked pros competing for cash and prizes. This a non-profit contest to promote the sport of skimboarding and the local peninsula community.

The predicted swell should make for good conditions for the contest. Check out this video of last year’s event:

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Billabong Pro Mundaka wrap-up

October 14th, 2009, 6:17 am by Jeff Malanca, contributing writer

 

adriano-de-souzaThe eighth stop of the ASP World Championship Tour wrapped up yesterday in Spain. 

The 2009 Billabong Pro Mundaka event looked more like a World Qualifying Series contest due to the less than favorable conditions throughout most of eight days.

Adriano de Souzaclaimed his first ASP Dream Tour win in the marginal two to three foot waves at the events backup surf spot, Sopelana.  The 22-year old Brazilian took down Aussie Chris Davidson 16.40 to 11.83.

Unfortunately, Mundaka, the world famous left hand point break never really came to life for the world’s top 45 surfers except on day one of the competition. De Souza now jumps up to number three in the WCT ratings, while Chris Davidson moves up to 20th. 

Next stop on the Dream Tour will be the Rip Curl Pro Search in Peniche, Portugal.  The official waiting period runs Monday, October 19th through Wednesday, October 28th.  For all the latest, go to aspworldtour.com.

California’s best college surfers compete

October 13th, 2009, 7:23 am by Jeff Malanca, contributing writer

 

nssaSeveral colleges from up and down the California Coast will be battling it out this weekend to see which university has the best team of surfers.

The first stop of the National Scholastic Surfing Association, 2009/2010 NSSA Southwest College Team Season event takes place in San Diego at the world famous Blacks Beach.

Some of the top universities competing in the first of the four stop tour include:UC Santa Cruz, UC Santa Barbara, Pepperdine, Long Beach State, UC San Diego and San Diego State.  For more info. check out nssa.org.

Where: Blacks Beach, San Diego

When: Saturday, October 17th and Sunday, October 18th

Billabong Pro Mundaka finally back on!

October 12th, 2009, 6:49 am by Jeff Malanca, contributing writer

billabong-pro1The 2009 Billabong Pro Mundaka event is finally back on today after a week without waves. 

The 8th stop of the ASP World Championship Tour started back up Monday morning to finish the final eight heats of Round 1 and move onto the Round of 2.

The surf finally picked up a bit, but unfortunately the world’s best surfers had compete in fairly chewed up two to three foot waves at a spot called Sopelana before moving back to Mundaka for the start of Round 2. 

Some of the competitors going home early after losing in Round 1 included: Huntington Beach’s Timmy Reyes, Oxnard’s Nathaniel Curran, Aussies Josh Kerr and Jay “Bottle” Thompson and Hawaii’s Dustin Barca.

Moving on to Round 2 is San Clemente’s Chris Ward and Aussies Dean Morrison and Mick CampbellThe 2009 Billabong Pro Mundaka official waiting period wraps up on Saturday, October 17th.  For the latest on the event or to watch the live webcast, check out billabongpro.com.

Paralyzed boy and dog team up for tandem surf

October 11th, 2009, 4:59 pm by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

dsc_1135When Patrick Ivison first heard of the fundraising idea to raise money to help him walk again, his first thought was “there’s no way.”

The 15-year-old - who is paralyzed and has little use of his arms - has a hard enough staying on board on his own. But with a dog on his back?

Ivison teamed up for the tandem surf session on Sunday during the Surf City Surf Dog contest at Dog Beach, wowing a crowd on the beach who cheered the duo on during their exhibition.

See a slideshow from the event here.

The day was filled with surfing dog contests, a costume contest, and the fundraising portion that raised funds to help Patrick’s journey to walk.

Ivison, who is on his high school’s surf team in San Diego, has been making extraordinary progress recently, taking his first steps with the help of therapy. An accident when he was a toddler took away his ability to walk.

“That went really well,” Ivison said after the surf. “That was a lot of fun.”

Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this Brightcove video.

Billabong Pro Mundaka gets underway

October 5th, 2009, 5:27 pm by Jeff Malanca, contributing writer

 

billabong-proThe eighth stop of the ASP World Championship Tour got underway today in Europe. 

The 2009 Billabong Pro Mundaka completed the first eight heats of Round 1 on Monday in clean three to four foot surf at the famous lefthand point break.

ASP officials opted to run the man-on-man elimination format at this event, so basically it’s do or die for some competitors. 

Advancing on day one included: 2009 ASP WCT Rookie Kekoa Bacalso from Hawaii who had the highest heat score of the day.  Also, moving on to the next round is South Africa’s David Weare and Aussies Kai Otton and Ben Dunn

Some of the early Round 1 upsets who will be going home early include: Hawaii’s Roy Powers, France’s Tim Boal and Aussies Phillip MacDonald and Drew Courtney.

Some of the standout heats coming up in the remainder of Round 1 include: H.B local boy Timmy Reyes and Michael Picon in heat 12, Josh Kerr and Nic Muscroft in heat 13 and San Clemente’s Chris Ward and Dayyan Neve in heat 15.

The Billabong Pro Mundaka official waiting period runs until Saturday, October 17th.  To watch the live action or see the heats on demand, check out billabongpro.com.

Billabong’s Cosmic Creek snapshots

October 5th, 2009, 11:54 am by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

If you didn’t get a chance to make it down to the Cosmic Creek contest down at Salt Creek, check out some snapshots below. The event held over the weekend transported surfers back in time, bringing back some old school boards to the water.

Check out slideshow here.

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Also, there was an after party at 7 Degrees in Laguna Beach that featured Donavon Frankenreiter, Titus, and an appearance by Rob Machado. Check that out here.

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Events this weekend on OC’s beaches

October 1st, 2009, 1:30 pm by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

The heat may back off a bit this weekend, but it could be another nice few days to ignore fall and hit the coast. Here’s a few happenings to keep you entertained if you head down to the beach:

 Battle of the Paddle coming up

standup-paddlers1The second annual Rainbow Sandals Gerry Lopez Battle of the Paddle will be held at Doheny State Beach on Oct. 3 and 4.

Anyone out near the water knows that Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUPs) has taken off, and this event is one of the premiere events along the coast to celebrate and highlight the sport.

The stand-up paddle festival and exposition has a series of races and demonstrations that offer ocean athletes of all ages and skill levels the chance to experience SUPs.

When: Saturday and Sunday

Where: Doheny State Beach  

NSSA contest coming to HB

 It’s time for another amateur surf contest in Surf City.  Several surfers from across the southland will be gathering in Huntington Beach this weekend.   

It’s the second stop of the National Scholastic Surfing Association NSSA Southwest Conference Explorer Season.

Where: Goldenwest Street, Huntington Beach

When: Saturday, Oct. 3 and Sunday, Oct. 4

Surfing America Prime Series coming to Churchessurfingamerica

The prestigious Surfing America Prime Surf Series is making a stop at Churches in San Onofre this coming weekend. 

What was formerly the PacSun WSA Prime Surf Series is an invite-only competition with the best 18 and under amateur guy and girl surfers from across the country.

For more info. check out surfingamerica.org.

Where: Churches, San Onofre State Beach

When: Saturday, Oct. 3

10th Annual Cosmic Creek Surf Festival

If you’re a fan of those 1970s and ’80s retro surfboards then this is an event you’ll definitely want to take part in.  The 10th Annual Cosmic Creek Surf Festival presented by Billabong is happening next weekend. 

This event is open to all levels of surfing with several divisions including the Children or Push-In division which is FREE if mom or Read the rest of this entry »

Surfing America Prime Series coming to Churches

September 30th, 2009, 4:02 pm by Jeff Malanca, contributing writer

The prestigious Surfing America Prime Surf Series is making surfingamericaa stop at Churches in San Onofre this coming weekend. 

What was formerly the PacSun WSA Prime Surf Series is an invite-only competition with the best 18 and under amateur guy and girl surfers from across the country.

This is the second stop of the ten event 2009/2010 schedule.  There are five divisions including: Boys under 18, Boys under 16, Boys under 14, Girls under 18 and Girls under 16.

The Surfing America Prime Surf Series events are run just like an ASPJunior Pro event with 4-man/20 minute heats, ASP judges, computer scoring, live webcasts and high profile media support. 

For more info. check out surfingamerica.org.

Where: Churches, San Onofre State Beach

When: Saturday, October 3rd

Miss the Dale Velzy surf contest? Check out pics from Doho

September 28th, 2009, 8:14 am by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

I was down at Doheny State Beach on Saturday, where there was some excellent longboarding and tandem surfing happening at the 20th annual Dale Velzy Surf Classic.

The waves were typical mellow at Boneyards, allowing for some fun rides for competitors. As always, the tandem session was a crowd pleaser. Check out some of our snapshots here or click on one of the photos below.

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