ESA Mid-Atlantic Regionals Find Small But Fun Surf At
First Street Jetty By Allison Arteaga; Photos by Nancy
Hussey
Despite unimpressive waves
and temperatures that dipped into the chilly mid-60s, the 2010 ESA Mid-Atlantic
Regional Surfing Championships went off from May 13th-16th and brought all their
usual competitive energy and state rivalries to a new location at First Street
Jetty in Virginia Beach, VA.
The championships pitted 450
of the region’s most talented amateur surfers against each other in a fight for
coveted invitations to the 2010 ESA Easterns, the traditional proving grounds
for the best-of-the-best in Right Coast amateur surfing.
This year, the winner’s
circle represented a more geographically diverse collection of homebreaks than
in past years, and while some of the faces were unexpected ones, others were reigning
regional forces. But across each division, there was plenty of top-notch
competition on hand.
In the Menehune division, North
Carolina’s pint-sized phenom Stevie Pittman, who is no stranger to Easterns, won
all his heats and took the 1st-place title. But nipping at his heels was last year’s Easterns champ,
Luke Gordon of Murrells Inlet, SC, who claimed 2nd-place. Gordon may not have
taken home the Menehune title, but he did claim 1st-place in the Menehune
Longboard division, while his sister, Kate Gordon, also placed well in several
divisions. Kate came in 6th-place in Menehune and took 2nd in the Girls
division, between fellow South Carolina rippers Emory and Leldon McClary, who
picked up 1st and 3rd, respectively. Gordon also placed 4th in Women’s
Longboard, behind champion Kate Easton of Virginia.
Cam Richards, also of South
Carolina and a Garden City Pier local, won the Boys division at last year’s
Easterns and may be poised to repeat this year after he took 1st in the Boys
division. But 3rd, 4th, and 6th went to the ESA-Delmarva District, which also
took home a win in the Junior Women’s division, when Rachel Harrell grabbed the
title, and in the Women’s division, where Kelsey Willison took down a field of
South Carolina surfers.
The Junior Men’s final, on
the other hand, was heavy on North Carolina surfers. Evan Barton, a native of Wrightsville
Beach, posted solid 2nd-place finishes in his earlier heats and then stepped up
his game to take 1st in the finals. That left Julian Payne, of Kitty Hawk, NC, with
2nd-place and Mason Barnes, also of Wrightsville Beach, with 3rd.
Outer Banks, NC, legend/former
pro Reese Patterson and his wife Cayce cleaned up in all their divisions, with
Reese picking up a win in Grandmasters and a 4th-place finish in Masters
Longboard, behind former ESA Allstar Coach Kai Dilling, Joe Gillen, and Dave
Mello, while Cayce claimed double titles in the Ladies and Ladies Longboard
divisions.
Daniel Sacchi of Southern
North Carolina placed 3rd in the Senior Men’s division at Easterns last year
and is looking for a second chance. His odds seem pretty good, seeing as he
took down Jason Breiholz and Kai Dilling, both of whom are also ESA veterans,
to earn himself a 1st-place finish in this year’s qualifiers.
Meanwhile, in the Men’s
division, Travis Knight, 2007 Maryland state surfing champ and Ocean City resident,
pulled off a surprising upset of Garden City Beach, SC’s, Cole Richards.
Richards recently proved himself by overthrowing reigning phenom Evan Geiselman
of New Smyrna Beach in the Open Men’s division of the 2010 NSSA East Coast
Championships. But in the ESA Mid-Atlantic Regionals, Cole could only pull out
a 2nd-place finish in the Men’s division and a 3rd in Open Shortboard, behind North
Carolina’s Dylan Kowalski and Nick Rupp.
Although the Men’s division
was disappointing for Richards, it was a big step forward for Virginia surfers,
who took home 3rd, 5th, and 6th place. Other Virginia riders Noah Fiedler and
Forrest Roberts also grabbed the Menehune Bodyboard and Open Bodyboard titles, respectively,
and the state was well represented in the finals of the Junior Longboard
division, although North Carolina heavy-hitter Bradley Rose dominated his heats
and took the win.
Steven Mangiacapre and his
fellow North Carolina surfers also manhandled the Men’s Longboard division,
while South Carolina’s Rick Anson, always a force to be reckoned with,
dispatched his competitors in the Legends Longboard division. And predictably,
North Carolina phenom Slater Powell took the win in the Masters division, while
Virginia Beach native and East Coast surfing pioneer Bobby Holland claimed the
Legends title.
By all accounts, the level
of competition at the 2010 ESA Mid-Atlantic Regionals easily lived up to the
event’s high standards, and many, especially those from districts that did
well this year, left the beach that weekend with a feeling of accomplishment.
“We had more people from my
district in the finals than we’ve ever had and that makes us stoked,” said
Denny Green, director of the ESA-Northern South Carolina District. “We definitely
came home happy.”
FINAL RESULTS OF THE 2010 ESA MID-ATLANTIC REGIONAL SURFING CHAMPIONSHIPS:
THE OLD IN-OUT
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