“We’re one big family. There’s so much love and kinship up here in the Northeast.” So says ESA Executive Director Debbie Hodges. Looking around at the groms of all sizes and gender, and the overabundance of super hot talent in the Junior Men’s and Women’s divisions, to the older surfers of varying ages and levels of wisdom all funneling up and down the stairs at The Wall in Hampton, NH, on May 21st-23rd, it was hard to argue that point. The 2010 ESA Northeast Regional Surfing Championships looked and felt like a family to me.

Anyone not privy to the contest scene would gather that same sentiment. At times, it looked like a cross between a weekend youth soccer camp and a large company picnic. But let’s not make any more comparisons. The ESA Northeast Regionals was a surf contest through and through. The blaring horns and constant banter from the MCs, the yelling parent/coaches, and the streaming sights and sounds of the contest machine were undeniably evident.

To be honest, it was run pretty damn smoothly. From the sturdy scaffolding that ESA-Northern New England Director Lenny Nichols and company built the day before, to the running of dozens of heats, it was a non-stop mobile ESA operation that seemed to flow without a hitch. And the bonus of actually having waves to ride was a plus, because we all know that without that little thing called surf, any contest is a drag. Nobody likes to grovel, unless you’re a five-year-old termite or an 80-year-old Legend. Most surfers need something to push them, and the surf in New Hampshire last weekend was, according to 90% of the crew present, “contestable.”

Everyone’s heard the oldest saying in surf history: “You should have been here yesterday.” That held true this year, because the surf on Thursday, May 20th — the day before the ESA Northeast Regionals started — was a bit more than contestable. It was rippable. It was shootable. It was the kind of surf that most East Coast pros would have died for. It was going off, head-high and hollow. The early bird contestants that showed up a day early truly scored some fine New Hampshire waves. Dalton Johnson, Tyler Redy, JJ Eagan, the Fawess family, Chuck and Ana Barend — they all got into town early and got the goods.

Having traveled to a few surf contests myself when my son Max was competing, it’s always nice to show up a day or two early to get acclimated to the surf. We got some good waves over the years doing that. New Jersey’s Tom O’Brien surfed on Thursday and said, “That session made my whole trip.”

The last time the ESA Northeast Regional Surfing Championships were held in Hampton, NH, was 2007. And boy did they get skunked, with dribbly grovel waves the whole time. It’s hard to show the judges what you’ve honed at your homebreak in junk surf, and the irony of that last visit to Hampton was the surf came up the day after the competitors left. We thought the same thing was going to happen this year.

Granted, the surf was better on Thursday, but there were thigh- to waist-high leftovers on Friday and Saturday, and there was still “contestable surf” (depending on your definition) on Sunday. So the competitors had the waves to ride. And if they lost, they lost on performance, not because there was no surf.

“Our kids from the ESA-Southern New Jersey District love coming up here,” District Director Lisa Roselli told me. Her husband and Co-Director Joe Grottola added, “The ESA-Northern New England District surfers are the perfect hosts.” That made me smile. I was happy for ESA-NNE Directors Lenny and Arlene Nichols and Bob McNeil, who busted their asses making this event happen. They actually book these events in September, hoping that there will be surf in New Hampshire in May.

But the ESA-NNE got lucky. The week before was totally flat. Thank God that latent spring mini-nor’easter spawned off the New Jersey coast the Monday before the contest, and then tracked north Wednesday and Thursday before sitting there for an extra day. That was key; the stalling of the storm in the Gulf of Maine sent those continued thigh-high and bigger lines for three days.

Watching the heats go down, I was impressed with some of the local and visiting talent. Hitting vertical lip smacks in thigh-high surf has to be hard to do. But these kids were smacking waves all three days. I used to tell my kid before each heat, ”Think Kelly.” Kelly Slater was an ESA competitor, and we all know that, coming from Florida, he surfed in less-than-desirable conditions. Yet he was able to kill it in small, gutless waves.

Watching the first Men’s quarterfinal on Day One provided evidence that there was plenty of contemporary surfing still going down. Dalton Johnson from New Jersey was connecting the dots on clean little green gems and milking the life out of each wave. Same with Lincoln, NJ’s, Shane Matthews, who won Men's Longboard.  It was hard not to notice Shane with his shock of pink hair. But pink hair or not, he could surf. And Southern New Jersey’s Chris Mansor walked away with the coveted Men’s and Open Shortboard titles, relying on a methodical, radical style.

The Junior Men’s final was intense. The Santiago brothers, Sean and Ryan, were the obvious duo to beat. And according to one senior photographer, these two brothers really shine in big surf. Sean, who ended up talking 1st-place, is one of the most aggressive and competitive young surfers I have ever witnessed. Sean played the game according to the rules. In other words, he did things that might on the surface seem slightly unsportsmanlike. Blocking others from taking off. Going left on an obvious right. Stuff like that. Legitimate and completely legal surf contest maneuvers. The rules are the rules, so who the hell am I to question his tactics?

My favorite heats in the past were always the Menehune and Boys. There’s something about watching these mini-surfers in their oversized contest jerseys battling it out in the water that I find particularly amusing. The look in their eyes says it all. If the surf is bigger than head-high, it’s typically a struggle for most of them. But like any sport, it’s all about the kids. And the ESA really emphasizes that fact.

Southern New Jersey’s Michael Vanaman captured the Menehune title, and watching his heat was like looking into the future. This little grom can surf; he’s got the look and attitude of someone who’s been surfing twice as long as he’s been alive. Spencer Bridges from ESA-CNJ placed 2nd, with Jared Bono from New York taking 3rd, and local NNE boys Kai Nichols and Thomas Haut coming in 5th and 6th, respectively.  Kai was on fire in the semis, picking off wave after wave and showcasing his local 12-year-old knowledge. He just couldn’t find the right waves in the finals. But all six finalists will head to Cape Hatteras in September, so we’ll see what happens there.

The Boys division was equally exciting. Central New Jersey stylemaster Pat Schmidt took 1st-place, with SNJ’s Luke Kelly taking 2nd.  It’s amazing to watch these kids in small surf, and it’s easy to see how good they would be in real swell. These boys are the Junior Men’s champions of tomorrow, and the future is in the palm of their hands. My advice would be to stay focused in school and at home, and surf as much as you possibly can. Who knows where you kids will end up?

The Girls and Junior Women’s heats looked like fun for all the girls involved. Imagine that — having fun in a surf contest? What the hell were they thinking? I saw all the girls smiling while sharing waves, and I realized that when you travel six hours to New England, you make new friends. You take in the sights, you surf new breaks, and you take that experience back home with you. And some of you get a trophy to keep in your room.

Cassidy McClain from Southern New Jersey took 1st in Girls, while in Junior Women’s it was Jessica Kwiecinski winning 1st-place. Another New Jersey wahine, Sarah Parker, claimed 1st in Women’s, while Jill Kepich won Women’s Longboard. And Rhode Island ripper Ana Barend won in Ladies and Ladies Longboard. In other longboard competition, Southern New Jersey dominated, with Jack Denis winning Menehune Longboard, Teddy Lyons taking Junior Longboard, and Shane Matthews claiming Men’s Longboard. And New York represented well in several divisions, with Alex Fawess winning Masters, Zack Raffin winning Menehune Bodyboard, and John Heyman winning Open Bodyboard.

In the older divisions, watching more mature surfers still compete against each other, there’s a true sense of camaraderie that’s genuine and heartfelt with these longtime friends and competitors. When legends like Ed Fawess and Peter Pan paddle out and do their thing, it’s strangely refreshing. There was a time when I would sit in the background and shake my head at the older surfers still chasing the hardware. But the older I got, the more I could appreciate what they do. If older golfers can still compete, why can’t older surfers? If they’re having fun and they are part of the big ESA picture, why the hell not?

And when I see surfers like Mike “Zappy” Paugh in the Grandmasters division, I chuckle to myself, because I know with 100% conviction that Zappy can still surf as good as anyone out there on any given day. The same goes for Joe Grottola, who won Grandmasters and Legends Longboard; Chuck Barend, who won Senior Men’s and Masters Longboard; Tom McClaren, who won Grand Legends; Peter Pan, who won Legends; ESA Allstar Coach Pat Emery, who won the Iron Man award; and local New Hampshire surfers Lenny Nichols and Kevin Grondin.

Put it this way: if there was a decent swell running, and those guys were out, I’d grab my camera and start shooting. Because I know those guys can surf, and I know I will get good footage. No question.

The local Hampton community really stepped up to make this event something to remember. Zapstix, Cinnamon Rainbows, Las Olas, Surf Free Or Die, Ralph’s Pic Of The Week, and Back To Health Chiropractic all chipped in, but none more so than Flatbread Company. Jay Gould and The Mobile Flatbread Launcher were on hand all three days giving out free flatbreads. If you’ve never experienced a flatbread pizza, you have not lived.

The afterparty/awards banquet for the ESA Northeast Regionals was capped off with a rocking jam from Big Handsome Daddy, a three-piece blues/rock band featuring yours truly on guitar. At one point in the night, ESA-Great Lakes District Director Lester Priday got up and played his harp as the band did a special tribute to Magilla Schaus. Magilla passed away last November from cancer, and he was a big player in the ESA, especially in the Great Lakes region. Magilla will be sorely missed but not forgotten, and he was there in spirit, loving the blues music and the song I wrote about him. As I always say, surfing heals all wounds. It sure did that night as we toasted Magilla.

So the 2010 ESA Northeast Regional Surfing Championships came to town, and everyone from Lenny Nichols, Pat Emery, Lester Priday, and Debbie Hodges agreed: it felt like a family gathering out there. Lots of noise. Lots of laughs. Only a little bit of bickering. But everyone left New Hampshire with a smile on their face and a desire to come back and surf our waves. After Thursday’s surf, who could blame them?

And really, isn’t that what family gatherings are all about?

FINAL RESULTS OF THE 2010 ESA NORTHEAST REGIONAL SURFING CHAMPIONSHIPS: