ENDLESS WINTER
Snow Flurries, Solid Swell, And Sizzling Performances Spice Up 42nd Annual New England
Mid-Winter Surfing Championships By Ray Jarvis
In 1968, history was being made
almost on a daily basis. But in a small corner of the Northeast, a core group
of New England surfers began a tradition that’s outlasted all the groovy
haircuts, spaced-out clothes, and radical politics. The Iceberg Open, as the
New England Mid-Winter Surfing Championships were formally named back in ‘68, took
place at a time when surfing was still young in the Northern Atlantic, and in a
place with the most extreme conditions one could possibly surf in. Wetsuits
were primitive — glorified dive suits at best — and there was no
such thing as a fluid taped seam, leaving your extremities well exposed to water
temperatures that regularly fell into the low 30s.
42 years later, on Saturday,
February 27th in Narragansett, RI, the Mid-Winter Championships carried on that
early tradition, as the oldest winter surf competition in the world got busy in
nasty, storm-generated four- to six-foot surf. A crowd of eager surfers showed
up to take part in the first sanctioned ESA-Southern New England District contest of the
2010 season, even after the original run date of February 20th was scrapped.
That was a good call on Contest Director and Rhode Island legend Peter Pan’s
part, as waiting another week landed the contest right in the midst of a
nasty nor’easter. For most of New England, this storm
brought heavy snow, hurricane-force winds, and widespread power outages. As for
the sea, there were buoy readings of over 30 feet with double-digit periods
— not exactly your typical East Coast swell.
But the surf improved
throughout the day as winds shifted with the passing storm and the waves at
sheltered Rhodey break Narragansett Town Beach improved. Even still, the frigid
water temps remained, and several surfers felt the effects, with some even
opting out of their finals because of a lack of energy and warmth. “This is one
contest on the East Coast that you want to avoid duck-diving in,” said Pan. “Just
ask those who could not make it out for their last heat.”
The easy standout in this
year’s event was hometown hero James Pilkington, who won both the Junior Men’s
and Open Shortboard divisions. James consistently caught the most solid of set
waves, even snagging a few hefty against-the-grain lefts to secure his wins. Narragansett
is a tricky beach to get wired, and James’ local knowledge paid off in every
heat he surfed. “It was easy to get stuck inside as sets came through”, said Massachusetts’
Joe Booth, who won Men’s Shortboard but finished in 4th-place behind Pilkington
in Open Shortboard. “Knowing where to sit in the lineup was essential in these
conditions.”
A couple of core ladies also
made an appearance at the Mid-Winter Champs and had some nice waves to show for
their efforts. 73-year-old Kitty Pechet and relative youngster Sara Parker
cleaned up all the ladies’ divisions, and received the praise of several stoked
onlookers. Even for all the cold weather, the crowd turnout was great, with
many people on the beach taking photos of the core winter warriors and ogling
over the action-packed heats.
In the Men’s Longboard
division, Naoto Ohashi easily had the most stylish approach of the day,
making his graceful logging look easy in the tricky surf. Other longboard
winners included Andy Ragosta, ESA-SNE District Co-Director Ron Belanger, and
Peter Pan, who was of the few competitors present who participated in the very
first New England Mid-Winter Championships back in ’68. Changing weather
conditions from sun in the morning to clouds and even a little snow in the
afternoon only stopped a few surfers and spectators, and luckily Surfrider
Rhode Island Chapter was on hand to supply hot chocolate, coffee, water, and
energy bars to keep the athletes going.
At the end of the day, “Everyone
was a winner,” according to Belanger, due in large part to ESA sponsor Hyperflex
Wetsuits handing out nice 6-mil Oven Mitt gloves to keep everyone toasty
through the remaining winter months. “That was way better than a trophy,” said Junior
Longboard champion Andy Ragosta. “In this weather, we need warm mitts instead
of a plastic trophy.”
And even though the New
England Mid-Winter Championships featured heated competition, the event is more
of a group gathering, with everyone psyched to be together enjoying the waves,
weather, and camaraderie. There was little jostling for position in the lineup,
and in between heats several competitors were spotted grilling up food to keep
the stoke level high. All in all, it was impossible to find anyone who had
anything but a good time at this year’s event. As it has for the past 42 years,
you can expect the 43rd Annual New England Mid-Winter Surfing Championships to go
off in 2011 in the solid surf and icy conditions that New England winters are
so famous for.
FINAL RESULTS OF THE 42nd ANNUAL NEW ENGLAND
MID-WINTER SURFING CHAMPIONSHIPS
JUNIOR MENS 1.James Pilkington
2. Pat Brown
3. Cob Ingalls
4. Andy Ragosta
MENS 1. Joe Booth
MASTERS 1. Ray Jarvis
2. Jarrett Parker
3. Ryan Lawhorne
4. Nick Carter
5. Nick Parker
SENIOR MENS 1. Jose Galvez
2. Ron Belanger
LEGENDS 1. Peter Pan
2. Tim Brooks
GRAND LEGENDS 1. Kitty Pechet
WOMENS 1. Sara Parker
JUNIOR LONGBOARD 1. Andy Ragosta
MENS LONGBOARD 1. Naoto Ohashi
2. Jarrett Parker
3. Nick Carter
4. Nick Parker
5. Jeff Gillespie
MASTERS LONGBOARD 1. Ron Belanger
LEGENDS LONGBOARD 1. Peter Pan
2. Tim Brooks
WOMENS LONGBOARD 1. Sara Parker
SENIOR WOMENS LONGBOARD 1. Kitty Pechet
OPEN BODYBOARD 1. Peter Pan
OPEN SHORTBOARD 1. James Pilkington
2. Ray Jarvis
3. Jose Galvez
4. Joe Booth
5. Jeff Gillespie
6. Pat Brown
7. Cob Ingalls
8. Jarrett Parker
9. Sara Parker
10. Ron Belanger
11. Nick Parker
12. Andy Ragosta
THE OLD IN-OUT
The 2009 WRV Outer Banks Pro Presented By Hurley Is Moving Ahead Like Clockwork
Along The Graveyard Of The Atlantic... Let's Hope Hurricane Season Doesn’t Dish
Out A Bit Of The Old Ultraviolence
BILL OF SALE Surf Expo Comes To Town Early With Lower-Than-Usual
Attendance Rumors And Category 4 Hurricane Bill Zooming In. Will You Blow Town To
Bro Down Or Sit Tight And Get Right?
