SCHOLASTIC SHAKE-UP Upsets Abound, Underdogs Prevail, Rivalries Heat Up At 2010 NSSA East Coast Championships By Nick McGregor
Finding a good angle year in and year out for the
NSSA East Coast Championships can be difficult. Without fail, NSSA Executive Director
Janice Aragon will drive cross-country from Southern California in her
tricked-out Ford F250 Super Duty rig with the entire contest setup in tow; fun,
contestable waves will appear at Sebastian Inlet no matter how bleak the swell
forecast or how hard the winds blow; and multiple titleholders like Evan
Geiselman, Cam Richards, and Quincy Davis will continue to add to their
record-breaking regional tallies (Evan’s up to 15, Cam six, and Quincy eight).
But forget those tired tropes — this is 2010, after
all, a new year and a fresh decade serving as the perfect benchmark of a
changing NSSA guard. Gone are the Dunphys and Stacks and Thompsons of finals
past, those three names accounting for 10 high-visibility titles over the last
three years. Gone are the Southeast and Southeast/North Conference’s Sunshine
State strangleholds on 1st-place. And gone are the assumptions that vanilla
matchups and predetermined champions make this behemoth of a competitive
gathering another snooze-fest for Rightside surf fans.
As if to keep everyone on their toes, the last wave
tabulated at the 2010 NSSA East Coast Championships was also the most pivotal,
as Garden City Beach, SC’s, Cole Richards shocked himself and everyone on the
beach by pulling off a massive upset of NSSA golden boy Evan Geiselman in the
marquee Open Men’s final. Evan, who had already cruised to convincing Explorer Juniors
and Airshow victories, was the heavy favorite in Open Men’s as well, going up
against the powerful attack of Richards, the spot-on fundamentals of Southern
North Carolina’s Nick Rupp, and the snappy grom maneuvering of fellow Smyrnan
Noah Schweizer.
Geiselman jumped out to a quick lead with three
frontside smacks for a 7.33 and a buttery frontside air reverse for a 6.23, and
although Schweizer sat too far to the south, perhaps deferring to his hometown
friend, Rupp and Richards kept battling back with technically sound bottom
turns, critical pocket snaps, and a workman-like approach overshadowed by
Evan’s above-the-lip finesse. With five minutes remaining in the final,
Richards needed a 6.40 and Rupp a 6.99 to unseat Geiselman, but the wily ASP
Pro Junior veteran shadowed Cole and Nick around the lineup, preventing either
of them from catching a scoreable wave. As a rainstorm loomed offshore and the
beach cleared out in anticipation of the awards ceremony, Richards finally
scratched into an unimpeded right with 10 seconds left in the heat, bashing
three of his trademark frontside power hacks to secure the first NSSA title of
his career, in the most cherished division of the contest, against the East
Coast’s best under-18 surfer.
“I spent a long hour waiting for this result,”
Richards laughed in between huge grins after the awards ceremony. “It could
have gone either way, because Evan and I went back and forth all comp. I won a
heat, he won a heat, we tied for a heat. But this win is huge for me. It’s my
first title in my last NSSA East Coast Champs ever. What could be better?”
For Geiselman, even a division win in Explorer
Juniors and $500 for acing the NSSA Airshow couldn’t make up for a painful
last-minute loss in Open Men’s. “I’ve got 15 [regional NSSA titles] now, and it
felt good to get two more today, but I’m disappointed, too,” he said. “I really
don’t have much else to say.”
Another fresh rivalry flared between dominant New
York wahine Quincy Davis and fast-rising Central Florida surfer Nikki Viesins.
Quincy’s no stranger to the NSSA winner’s podium, but Nikki has steadily worked
her way up from the bottom of the Explorer Girls heat sheet and gave Davis all
she could handle in three divisions this year. Quincy won Explorer Girls 12.97
– 12.67 over Nikki, Viesins flipped the script to win 15.00 – 13.46
in Explorer Women’s, and in deteriorating conditions for the Open Women’s
final, the two wahine wonders went back and forth until the final buzzer, with
Quincy coming out on top 12.57 – 11.4. The two 14-year-olds have
undergone recent growth spurts, but both showed added power and increased
commitment on a wide variety of turns — and with four-plus years of NSSA
eligibility left, expect a long-running relationship to form between these two
female leading lights.
Other big 2010 storylines included a surprising Open
Juniors win for 14-year-old New Smyrna Beach grom Noah Schweizer. Noah barely
bested South Carolina standout Cam Richards in the nail-biting heat, sticking a
small but fluid frontside air reverse on his last wave to earn a 7.67 and
defeat Cam 12.84 – 12.67. After the decisive ride, Matty Lopez and Keto
Burns chaired Schweizer up the beach, adding significance to the grom’s first
NSSA title and also amusing Noah, who’s more used to seeing guys like Cormican,
Johnston, and big brother Nils being carried out of the water hefting $5000
checks in the air. “That win felt pretty good,” Noah said in typical
understated Schweizer fashion. “It was weird to get carried up the beach,
though, because I didn’t win a pro event or anything.” Smiling, Noah added, “But
it did feel awesome.”
South Florida sultan of style Patrick Nichols
maintained his lock on NSSA longboard competition, defending 2009’s Open
Longboard title and also winning Explorers Longboard with ridiculously high
heat totals of 16.83 and 15.07, respectively — the two highest heat
scores of the entire NSSA East Coast Champs. And Luke Gordon of Pawleys Island,
SC, a relative newcomer to top-tier Right Coast competition, bagged another
huge upset when he unseated Sebastian Inlet local and next generation superstar
Luke Marks in Open Boys, avenging his runner-up finish to Marks earlier in the
day in Explorer Menehune. Gordon may have learned a thing or two from Palmetto
State role model Cole Richards, as he waited patiently until the end of the
heat to come from behind with two solid frontside hits that put the kibosh on
Marks’ own burgeoning NSSA title count.
In adult competition, Daytona Beach’s Darlan Lopes
defended his 2009 Explorer Masters title — last year he dedicated the win
to his soon-to-be born baby, and this year he gave a moving speech while watching
his wife hold their eight-month-old child. Sebastian Inlet local Randy Sanders
was humble as ever in accepting his Explorer Seniors award, and North Florida
legend “Gnarly” Charley Hajek toasted the NSSA’s impact and the efforts of
Executive Director Janice Aragon after winning Explorer Super Seniors. “The
NSSA has been a huge part of my life for the last 25 years, so I just want to
say thank you, Janice,” Hajek said. “And in case any of you didn’t know, Janice
won a world title herself back in the day, so she’s a champion too!”
Although they only prevailed in one of the marquee
Open divisions, North Carolina surfers did inflict severe damage on their
heatmates, tying North Florida for the highest number of 2010 titles with five.
Newport grom Stevie Pittman proved that hard work and fortitude do pay off,
following up two straight runner-up finishes in Open Mini Groms with a
much-deserved victory this year. Hawaii/Tar Heel half-timer Dylan Kowalski
defeated a stacked field of teenage rippers in Explorer Men’s, and UNC
Wilmington followed up 2009’s near-win against Cal State University San Marcos
at NSSA Nationals with two individual titles here, from Mike Powell and Drake
Courie in College Men’s and College Longboard, respectively, along with a
devastating 118 – 68 victory over upstart FIT in team competition.
“We’ve got a good crew of good surfers who are
exceptional scholar-athletes,” said professional and eloquent UNCW Coach Dylan
McNamara after the awards. “They exemplify the spirit of NSSA: successful in
contests, but equally committed to school. I think we’re representing the East
Coast well, with solid help from UNCW, Quiksilver, Tower 7, and Surf City
Surf Shop.”
The lone Sunshine State college champion was UCF’s
Amy Nicholl, who won the only Nationals title for the East Coast in 2009. She
defeated upstart FAU surfer Gabriela Betancourt 13.10 – 6.74 in College
Women’s, but NSSA Executive Director Janice Aragon was stoked not only on Nicholl
and UNCW’s performance, but also on the new push from schools like FAU and FIT.
“We were thrilled with UNCW last year at Nationals,” Aragon said. “They would
have been the first East Coast team to win the College title, so I’m sure
they’ll come back fired up and ready to go in 2010. But I was super impressed
with FIT, FAU, and the other Florida schools. With Fox Sports televising our
collegiate surfing the last three years, the schools are providing backing now.
We’ve really seen the college side pick up recently.”
From last-minute upsets to unexpected standouts to
entrenched stars, the 2010 NSSA East Coast Championships provided just the plot
twists necessary to keep the ever-changing contest captivating. And after
enduring three days of near-flat conditions that preceded a final day of
unexpectedly fun wedges, Aragon was sincere in her joy over returning to
Sebastian Inlet for the last 18 years. “When I come to Sebastian Inlet, the
glass is always half-full for me,” she said. “Somehow, it always brings us
waves every year, it’s a superb venue, I love the arena and the whole vibe when
it gets good… I’ve said it before — if this wave were more consistent,
I’d bring the Nationals here in a heartbeat. It’s that great of a place.”
FINAL RESULTS OF THE 2010 NSSA EAST COAST CHAMPIONSHIPS
OPEN MENS
1. Cole Richards
2. Evan Geiselman
3. Nick Rupp
4. Noah Schweizer
OPEN WOMENS
1. Quincy Davis
2. Nikki Viesins
3. Kayla Durden
4. Jasset Umbel
OPEN LONGBOARD
1. Patrick Nichols
2. Steve McLean
3. Josh Richardson
4. Fisher Grant
5. Chelsea Gresham
OPEN JUNIORS
1. Noah Schweizer
2. Cam Richards
3. Corey Howell
4. Pat Schmidt
OPEN BOYS
1. Luke Gordon
2. Luke Marks
3. Stevie Pittman
4. Chris O’Donnell
5. Jack Umbel
6. Cobie Gittner
OPEN MINI GROMS
1. Stevie Pittman
2. Luke Gordon
3. Noah Dovin
4. Nash Conner
5. Noah Conner
6. Mike Vanaman
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