ESM

1. ESM COVERSHOT OF THE YEAR:

CARL WALLIN BY DJ STRUNTZ/ SURFING MAGAZINE (MARCH 2005, VOL.14, #103)

Deep, up-close and personal point-of-view fisheye water shots are almost becoming a dime-a-dozen commodity these days--with so many skilled shooters and well-trained subjects to hook up with and dozens of machine-like reef and pointbreak barrels available worldwide. Factor in that most of these sessions usually take place in warmer water locales and, well, it almost becomes boring to look at after awhile. We'd like to drop some of those pistol grip housing hotshots into 36-degree water for three hours (where they'd look like charcoal-colored Pillsbury Doughboys wearing 5-mil wetsuits) and arm them with a single-shot, film-loaded flash camera. Then we'll see if they have the same heart, desire, determination, endurance and, OK, lunacy to snag ESM's "Covershot Of The Year" like surfer Carl Wallin and photog DJ "The Photo Nazi" Struntz did in '05. Truly a frozen moment to remember and some icing (or would that be icicles?) on their career cakes.

2. THIS WOMAN IS DEFINITELY NOT FROM VENUS--ESM GIRL OF THE YEAR:

ANAHI BY AJ NESTE

When Flagler Beach, FL, photographer AJ Neste said he was going down to Miami to visit his sister Jesica, who models for Wilhelmina Agency, ESM immediately put him on the job to shoot all the girls he could get his lens in front of. For the viewing pleasure of ESM readers, he brought back a batch of photos of his friend Anahi to be featured in our May issue (Vol.14, #104). It was the first time in ESM's history where we didn't use a full body shot for our super popular ESM Girl (we actually only showed from her folded arms up). But the beautiful face, smoldering brown eyes and sexy smirk were enough to get her voted as this year's ESM Girl Of The Year.

3. BREAKUP OF THE YEAR:

MARK WILLIS AND SURFLINE

Some breakups are tougher to forecast than others. After running an extensive ESM Interview on Surfline's former Head East Coast Forecaster Mark Willis in August, we were oblivious to any change on the horizon between the quintessential surf website and "one of just a handful of full-time surf weathermen on the planet," as Assignment Writer Matt Walker wrote in the story. Mark's name had become synonymous with East Coast surf forecasting for his efforts with Surfline, as well as outside educational endeavors like Red Bull's Project Swell. But just as soon as our interview hit the pavement, Willis announced in early fall that he was leaving Surfline--where he'd worked for five years--to take a position with the National Weather Service in Eureka, CA. Ending a relationship is seldom easy, but Mark made a gracious exit, and pro weather and wave tracker Mike Watson quickly consummated a new one as Surfline's Lead Eastern Forecaster and East Coast Manager.

4. REUNITED AWARD:

CJ AND DAMIEN HOBGOOD REUNITED UNDER GLOBE

For the better part of the first decade of their illustrious careers, Damien and CJ Hobgood had adorned their boards and bodies with the same brand, Rusty, bewildering most of the surf world as to which twin was which. Dam eventually dropped the R-Dot for the Big O, signing with Oakley's new upgraded clothing company, while CJ stayed behind with Mr. Preisendorfer. But as of 2005, the Goods were reunited under the same label once again, this time splitting marquee duty for Globe. But don't worry, the Hobgoods are easier than ever to tell apart now that they're swimming through adulthood's development stream. And if you're still stymied, CJ has his pop's nose.

5. BIG BALLS TO BIG WALLS AWARD:

WILL SKUDIN

What do you get when you mate two champion swimmers, nurture their male offspring in frigid New York waters, raise him to be a lifeguard, introduce him to Maverick's as a teenager, relocate the whole family to the Outer Banks--where he enjoys more tube time than the Michelin Man, not to mention access to exposure and sponsors--and then look on in glee/ terror as he runs down his checklist of behemoths conquered--Waimea, Cortes Bank, Todos Santos...? You get Will Skudin, an ultra fit, 20-year-old maniac who's almost single-handedly changing peoples' perspectives on the big-wave talent breathing on the Right Coast.

6. WORD OF MOUTH AWARD:

KELLY SLATER'S QUOTE FROM ESM'S JANUARY 2005 ISSUE (VOL.14, #102)

"Hmmm... A.I. I'll just delete that one and put your number there instead."

Yeah, The Champ was joking when he said those words to ESM Publisher Tom Dugan during a Sebastian tow-at session last winter, while looking for a place for Doogs' digits in his packed cell phone. Perhaps there was probably a little truth to the animosity, as Slates had lost the title to Andy Irons earlier that winter. Now a year later, as Kelly reigns as World Champ once again, we can only wonder whether or not his number is still in A.I.'s cell.

7. WELL, SHUT OUR MOUTHS--BEST EAST COAST COVERAGE BY A WEST COAST MAG:

SURFING MAGAZINE'S 2005 ESA EASTERN SURFING CHAMPIONSHIPS PROGRAM

It was yet another anemic year for core Right Coast coverage in our favorite Cali-mags. This was magnified by one large faux pas committed by Surfer, whose "Pride And Prejudice" story, subtitled "Twenty Years After Slater's Arrival, The East Coast Has More Reason To Walk Tall" and penned by former ESM contributor Jason Borte, ran a whopping 16 pages, but six of the spreads were shot in Puerto Rico with roughly only a quarter of the page space actually photographed along the Eastern Seaboard. While those Caribbean spread pics were worthy, and the story well-written, like horseshoes and hand grenades, close doesn't count. And while most pubs put forth some amazing images of Eastern 'CT personalities (such as Cory Lopez's cutting edge dual covershots on Surfing and Transworld Surf plus ...Ing's vertigo-inspiring helicopter cover image of Kelly Slater), there was little watering at the grassroots level with one shining exception: Surfing Magazine's 75-page special color insert devoted entirely to the world's largest amateur organization's big championship week in Hatteras. Crammed with a ton of great photos (mostly snapped on our shores), plus accurate, in-depth text--including nuggety facts, interesting stats, pertinent info of all kinds and profiles of key competitors--this beautiful, high-quality print production headed up by Surfing Senior Editor Matt Walker not only shut our mouths but dropped our jaws, as well.

8. INDUSTRY INFILTRATION:

LISA ANDERSEN

We know what you're thinking: how does one of the most influential female surfers of all time--who's won four World Titles and broken down countless gender boundaries in terms of competition, performance and market acceptance--infiltrate the surf industry any more than she already has? Well, in Lisa Andersen's case, she packed up her house and family in Ormond Beach, FL, and moved to Cali-for-ni-ay to take a new corporate job as Global Brand Ambassador with wahine mega brand and Quiksilver sister company Roxy. In her new role, she'll act as a liaison to the teamriders, consult and manage events such as the Roxy Pro Fiji and the Roxy Pro Hawaii--and will most likely be as influential and revolutionary in the boardroom as she is on a board.

9. PHOTO SLORE OF THE YEAR:

WILL TANT

After his older brother Tommy passed away in the late '90s, Flagler Beach, FL's, Will Tant took a step back from the pro surfing scene to reevaluate his life and attend college at the University of Florida. Thinking the extraordinarily promising goofyfooted dynamo had left us for good, Will proved us wrong in the most glaring way possible. Erupting a half-decade later as the star team player of a growing new company, Aaron Chang Clothing, Tant wasn't just "on it" in 2005--he was on it, over it, under it, and deep inside wavescapes the world over, representing his sponsors, his coast and his faith in epitomical fashion: disaster relief trip to Sri Lanka, Christian fellowship mission to Australia, Always Right video assignment to Puerto Escondido, photo shoot in New Zealand, Baja... White-hot shots of Tant soon began popping up in ads everywhere, as well as extensive editorial in Water, Surfer's Path, Surfing, and of course, Eastern Surf. He naturally earned a starring role in our Always Right video, too, one more item that signaled Will Tant's fitting into his old pro britches and ripping like never before. But the kicker for this award was when the Tant-alizing 26-year-old agreed to model as our ESM Guy for October 2005's 3rd annual Wahine Edition (Vol.14, #108). Will, let us be the first to say you put the "hot" in "Photo Slore."

10. IRONMAN AWARD:

SHEA LOPEZ

Shea Lopez had a hell of a year in 2005, his tenth on tour. Sitting out the 2004 WCT season with an injury wildcard (due to the buckled knee he sustained at the previous year's Pipe Masters), his '05 seeding was screwed from the start. Failing to make the quarters in a single event, Shea Lopez suffered another blow of bad luck, literally, re-injuring the same knee in Fiji. Turned away from Brazil due to visa problems, Shea was officially nixed from the '06 roster--his faint glimmer of hope for an injury wildcard snuffed when Mick Lowe failed to make the semis at Pipe. Nevertheless, standing the test of time to last a decade on the WCT is a splendiferous achievement that very few pros can claim. And with a new baby on the way, and a chance to rest and get circulation into his knee, Shea could indeed bounce back on tour via the 'QS, even with today's young guns getting more lethal and numerous. Shea's won at Huntington, made finals in flawless Fiji, earned perfect 10's at J-Bay, rides big, rides small, and crushes opponents with a stylish versatility and savvy ruthlessness few can match. If anyone can adapt to a less-than-ideal situation, in or out of the water, it's this resilient Gulf Coaster who knows how to create big things from next to nothing.

11. BEST NEW CONTEST:

GLOBE SEBASTIAN INLET PRO

There were undoubtedly a few kickass new contests instituted this year thanks to Right-minded companies looking outside the box--the No Fear/ Aqua East Pro, the Planet Reef/ Sweetwater Pro/Am... But with a $50,000 purse, Slater and the Hobgoods on board as liaisons, strategic calendar positioning just prior to the January Orlando Surf Expo, an exciting Red Bull RB5X tow-at exhibition, decent surf for the duration of the five-day event, and an all-star, all-East Coast final (Cory Lopez, Ben Bourgeois, Kelly Slater and Aaron Cormican), few could argue that the Globe Sebastian Inlet Pro was the most monumental in bringing pro surfing back to the Sunshine State--evident by the record number of attendees (15,188 people total) packing the beach that week. Need further proof that this was hands down the Best New Contest of 2005? The Globe Sebastian Inlet Pro has been officially upgraded to a 4-star for '06. How many East Coast comps have ever been able to claim that? We'll tell you how many. None.

12. SIGN THE APOCALYPSE IS HERE:

CLARK FOAM CLOSES!

December 5th became known in the surf industry as "Black Monday." That was the day that Gordon "Grubby" Clark, owner of the nation's leading surfboard blank manufacturer and supplier, California-based Clark Foam, sent out a fax to major media outlets detailing the circumstances surrounding the company's closure. In his seven-page letter, addressing issues from environmental problems to business glitches, Clark stated the following in his first lines: "For owning and operating Clark Foam I may be looking at very large fines, civil lawsuits, and even time in prison... Effective immediately Clark Foam is ceasing production and sales of surfboard blanks." But biblically speaking, the apocalypse is often predicted to be followed by a period of ultimate renewal. In this case, that revival might be the end of West Coast industry domination and a new, Eastside-owned and operated U.S. blank manufacturer and supplier. Hey, we got a lock on pro dominance, so why not on the materials that got them there, too?

13. LEGENDARY SESSION:

PUMPHOUSE IN APRIL

It was the Monster From The North Atlantic. A counterclockwise, swirling beast of a springtime low pressure system that pummeled an ocean liner with a recorded 70-foot open ocean rogue wave. This April surprise aimed its tightly packed isobars--and its 15 to 18-foot wave faces--in a perfectly angled trajectory between the western side of the Bahama Islands and the East Coast of the Sunshine State at the eastern most tip of Palm Beach County--right smack dab onto the kisser of the infamous Pumphouse. And baby, the Pumphouse did indeed freakin' pump this day, as evidenced by this photo of tow teamers Bryan Kobosco (driving) and George Williams (surfing). Though far from perfect conditions prevailed, with northerly cold front winds maligning the wave surfaces, the key factor to this now Legendary Session in Gator surfing history (where some excitable types renamed the break, possibly in the lingering glow of a post-surf, endorphin rush that those not there didn't have the pleasure of partaking in) was the sandbar that had formed in platform-like fashion around the tip of the north side of Palm Beach Inlet Jetty. There, the movable aqueous force met the immovable objects and all hell broke loose in the shape, form and fear factor of a suck-out left few in this part of the world have ever seen the sights of, resulting in the most memorable session of the year--and possibly ever--in the state of Florida.

14. THE "HOLY CRAP WHERE'S THAT PLACE?" SECRET SPOT AWARD

WOULDN'T YOU LIKE TO KNOW POINT

We know where it is... well, we almost know where it is. And once we beat it out of Mike Nelson, we sure as hell ain't gonna tell you. Don't look for a feature on this place anytime soon. We're booking tickets for the first flight to north of nowhere as soon as the spring thaw hits the Northeast. Holy crap indeed!

15. LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT:

MATT KECHELE

He's affectionately known as the "world's oldest grom" around the ESM office and, at only 43 years young, he's accomplished more in half a surfing lifetime than most ever will: He was among the earliest aeronauts to take a surfboard into flight above the wave face and make it a functional maneuver; he was as fierce a pro to ever come from any coast, spending five years on the elite ASP World Tour in the '80s while terrorizing East Coast events, including a victory at the '81 Stubbies Pro over an on-fire Pat Mulhern and a phenomenal five-event winning streak in '83 against some of the world's heaviest, visiting pros at the time; he's been a topflight shaper for over 20 years who's now the owner/ operator of one of the most respected surfboard labels on the coast; He's a friend/ mentor/ former shaper of 7X World Champ Kelly Slater, as well as countless groms and grommettes who've gone on to bigger things in the industry and the pro ranks; he's the contest director and co-creator of the Quiksilver King Of The Peak skins event, one of the Right Coast's most unique contests for 11 years running; he's a pioneer of the increasingly popular tow-at phenomenon; he's a 2006 inductee into the East Coast Surfing Legends Hall Of Fame; and last, but not least, he's the fearless head coach of the ESPN X Games East Coast squad-- which won its third consecutive "clash of the coasts" against Team west, making it as easy as one, two, three gold medals to bestow upon Matthew Thomas Kechele our Lifetime Achievement award. All of the above have more than earned him this very special act of recognition for his accomplishments past, present and still yet to come.

16. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN EAST COAST SURFER (HOME):

ASHER NOLAN'S INCREDIBLE WINNING STREAK

In his first full year back home after a stint in Southern California, Atlantic Beach, FL, pro Asher Nolan won five East Coast contests in a row--the Mainframe Media March Madness Pro/Am, a Volcom Seacow Series Contest, the Aqua East/ FSA/ Coggin Nissan Surfing The Blues Pro/Am, the Smith Optics High Roller and the No Fear/ Aqua East Pro. A few months later, he punctuated his run-on with a victory at the 'QS-rated Oakley Unsound Pro (while still managing to make the finals of two other 'QS comps, the Rusty Belmar Pro and the WRV Outer Banks Pro). If that weren't enough, A-Tray handily took the highly prestigious Macy California Trifecta following a perfect-10-laced 3rd-place at the OP Newport Classic! Not to mention, he managed to do all of this while still going on more ESM trips than anyone for our first-ever video, Always Right, making him a no-brainer for the DVD's cover. With a lovely wife and new baby keeping him back East, Asher Nolan may just have diaper money on the brain, and is merely trying to maintain a secure financial environment for his family. Or maybe his current surfing wrath is the result of a more diabolical plan. Either way, one thing is abundantly clear: if Nolan decides to give the entire WQS a shot next year, there are gonna be some soiled baggies and crushed dreams. This guy's scary.

17. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN EAST COAST SURFER (AWAY):

KELLY SLATER IN WCT SOUTH PACIFIC LEG

Facing fellow Brevardian Damien Hobgood in the final of the Billabong Pro Teahupo'o, Kelly Slater saved his best for last: earning two 10's (the highest two-wave finals score ever), plus a 9.4, a 9.5 and a 9.8 to finish the day with seven of the ten highest wave scores and five of the ten highest heat scores! A couple weeks later, Slates grabbed his 28th career victory at the Globe WCT Fiji ahead of yet another Hobgood, CJ, to put him in the WCT ratings lead for the first time since 2003. That one leg turned the tide for Slater, propelling him toward two more victories before he ultimately ran away with the title in Brazil.

18. BIGGEST SHOT FOR EAST COAST SURFING:

THE 2005 ESPN SUMMER X GAMES

The third time wasn't only a charm, it was a good old-fashioned ass-whipping as Team East Coast three-peated in August 2006 against yet another hapless west coast squad in the surfing discipline of ESPN's wildly popular, globally televised Summer X Games--held in thumping, four to six-foot barrels at the legendary Mexican Pipeline, Puerto Escondido. We think National Surfing League-formatted "The Game" Creator and Contest Director Brad Gerlach summed it up best when he stated the East Coast "is about preparation... they want to win a year beforehand." It's obvious to us that Gerr, and the rest of the international surfing community, realizes what the west coast is still in denial about: the Right Coast is where the United States pro surfing power base really resides. And it has for some time, quite frankly.

19. DIRTIEST MANEUVER:

BARON KNOWLTON'S FRONTSIDE 180 UNDER-THE-LIP POWER SNAP TAILSLIDE TO... AH, HELL, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT TO CALL IT EXCEPT "PURE FILTH"

How dirty was it? ESM Co-owner and Photo Editor Dick Meseroll--who shot both the 40-frame still sequence and the clip which graced Eastern Surf's just-released video--was overheard commenting after the Red Baron's gravity-defying psycho gash, "Anybody got a bar of soap? I need to take a friggin' shower after that!" To see the full maneuver in all its still photo glory, check-out September '05's (Vol.14, #107) Motordrive sequence (or the online version at www.easternsurf.com). Or relive it in all its 3-chip digital video glory in the Always Right DVD. And don't forget the soap.

20. EPIC EVENT:

RED BULL ICE BREAK

After four years of exposing the hardcore attributes of the Northeast's toughest winter warriors, the Red Bull Ice Break sang its swan song in early April, ending in a truly spectacular fashion at an undisclosed lefthand pointbreak in the Canadian Maritimes. With a solid, glassy four to six-foot swell reeling along the rocky, frost-covered coastline, subzero air and water temps, a jet-ski, a helicopter filming in high def and five of New Jersey's best surfers--Sam Hammer, Matt Keenan, Dean Randazzo, Frank Walsh and Andrew Gesler--facing off against a lone Outer Banker, Jesse Hines, Red Bull indeed had reason to smile. Despite the logistical nightmares and organizational barriers, they had pulled it off once again--many of the attendees even calling it the most exciting East Coast final they ever witnessed. In the end, Hines cold-cocked his Garden State adversaries for his first pro victory. Then Red Bull packed up to focus on another yet-to-be-named project. And if that venture is even half as successful as the Ice Break's been, expect the second half of the 00's to be worth its weight in Red Bullion.

21. JOHN HOPE SWELL OF THE YEAR:

THE ENTIRE 2005 HURRICANE SEASON FROM A to Z

Typically, this award goes to a single, memorable hurricane swell in honor of the late, great Weather Channel guru John Hope. But this year, it only seemed proper to give a vigorous nod to the freakish season as a whole--seeing that Mr. Hope would've certainly been amazed by the record-smashing 27 named tropical systems (which beat the 1933 season's 21 systems and exhausted our English alphabet, forcing meteorologists to turn to the Greek one) which sent heaping amounts of both surf and devastation to our coasts. In fact, as of this issue's press time in early January, Tropical Storm Zeta was still kicking around in the Atlantic, marking this year's Atlantic Basin Season one of both epic, and historic, proportions.

22. WHAT PENMANSHIP! ASSIGNMENT WRITER OF THE YEAR:

MATT WALKER

For being a free newsprint rag, one thing we pride ourselves on is the quality and content of our writing contributions. Over the last 15 years, ESM has built a topnotch army of skilled wordsmiths who've proven to be reliable, consistent and diversified in their talents--from music reviews to contest reports to engaging interviews to character sketches. This behooved us to reevaluate our year-end awards and institute this new ESeMMY award to give credit to the best of these scribes. Taking the honor this year is one of our most prized writers and dearest friends, Surfing Magazine Senior Editor Matt Walker. The former (and first in-house) editor of ESM, Walker is as familiar with our code of ethics (and sense of humor) as anyone, and his years at Surfing have allowed him to explain the ASP stratagem from a uniquely knowledgeable perspective. His 2005 regular column, "ASP Behind The Heat Sheet" highlighted some of the misunderstood nuances of WCT/ WQS competition, and naturally included some of our favorite Walkerisms:

"Whether you have a math degree from MIT or a meth degree from the OC, you'll still never get the full story from a bunch of heat scores and a two-page press release"... "With the race this close, nobody's going to take their eyes off the water anytime these two have a heat. Hell, the mighty Duke could resurrect himself right there on the beach and no one would notice except to yell, "Down in front!"... "Some guys go to Hawaii to get 'leied.' This year, however, the East Coast went to Hawaii and got screwed."

Need we say more? Of course not. Matt Walker will say it for us. Right on buddy, and write on buddy!

23. PHOTOGRAPHERS OF THE YEAR:

TOM DUGAN AND DICK MESEROLL

What can you write about veteran surf lensmen and publishing icons Tom Dugan and Dick Meseroll as the duel recipients for this year's Photographers Of The Year ESeMMY? Hmmm... You could note that between the two of them, they've logged more than 60 years of surf shooting experience on the Eastern Seaboard and around the globe. You might address the fact that they founded and grew the only legitimate all-East Coast surf magazine, which is now 15 years old, as well as co-produced that mag's debut film, Always Right. And you'd certainly need to bring to attention that because of their dedication, hard work and never-ending stoke, they were recently inducted into the East Coast Surfing Legends Hall Of Fame in January of 2006. There's so much you can write about Mez and Doogs. But since they're our bosses, coworkers, dear friends and heroes here at Eastern Surf Magazine--it'd better be something nice. We can hear them now: "15 Years, and all we got was this lousy ESeMMY!"

24. WAHINE OF THE YEAR:

CHRISTA ALVES

For three years straight--the only person, place or thing to bag an ESeMMY hat trick--Karina Petroni has taken this highly coveted award for her unquestionable amateur dominance and her heavy impact on the pro leagues. While Karina's surely still got the afterburners on, another young surfer has risen like a phoenix to earn her own time in the light as ESM's "Wahine Of The Year." If you don't believe Cocoa Beach, FL's, Christa Alves earned this, just check out her '05 dossier: 1st-place finishes at the Jupiter Pro-Am Fall Classic (twice), the Jacksonville Wavemasters, the NSSA East Coast Champs, the ESA Southeast Regionals, the Globe Scholastics, the ECSC and the ESA Easterns. She was the only East Coaster to win a division at the Surfing America U.S.A. Champs, shot more sessions with ESM Photographers Tom Dugan and Mark Hill than any other girl for October's Wahine edition (Vol.14, #109), picked up a new deal with Mitch Varnes' Board Sports Management (who also handles such Right Coast mega talents as the Hobgoods, Ben Bourgeois and Adam Wickwire) and then beat former 4-time ASP World Champ Frieda Zamba on her home turf at Flagler Beach's Tommy Tant Memorial Classic. As of press time, the 16-year-old was taking full advantage of her wildcard slot into the WQS 4-star Gallaz Surf Jam at Sebastian Inlet, reveling the first lap of her ride toward Proland's pearly gates.

25. SURFER OF THE YEAR:

KELLY SLATER

This ESeMMY was a no-brainer. Cocoa Beach, FL's, Kelly Slater won his seventh World Title in December of 2005, making him the oldest surfer to become World Champ (33 years old) as well as the youngest (20 years old). He's been king of the competitive surfing world more times than anyone and is universally regarded as the greatest waverider on the planet. We could certainly write for pages describing all of Slates' attributes, achievements and contributions to our sport. But it's not necessary; Kelly is one surfer who writes himself into the history books. And we know he will continue to do so.

THE 4TH ANNUAL ESeMMY VIDEO AWARDS

MOST UNIQUE PRESENTATION:
UNSALTED: A GREAT LAKES EXPERIENCE

After nearly dying in a storm-driven rip current at Lake Michigan's Whitefish Point, obsessive filmmaker Vince Deur set out on a 15-year-long quest to expose the Great Lakes' stoked surfing culture and harsh environment in all its freezing, fickle, sedimentary glory. What resulted was his (finally) completed opus, Unsalted: A Great Lakes Experience, the only film of its kind, ever--unique enough to drive OP's top pros to the Lakes to put their final, ripping brush strokes on the project. And groundbreaking enough to earn an eight-page feature in Surfer Magazine with a cover blurb reading "Must-See Minnesota."

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN EASTSIDER:
KELLY SLATER IN CAMPAIGN 2

Video god Taylor Steele's got the most popular waveriders in the world on speed dial, and his influence on filmmaking is so prevalent, they named an entire group of surfers after his introductory project ("The Momentum Generation"). In fact, the best of those same surfers are quick to admit they're constantly competing for the coveted final segment of Taylor's newest release. In Campaign 2, Kelly Slater was an obvious pick for that slot, due in part to a particularly devastating performance at Barbados' Soupbowl (what The Champ called one of his best days of surfing ever). Upon viewing the competition's clips, Slater deferred to pal Shane Dorian for the climactic section, but still earned top billing in our eyes for this ESeMMY Award.

BIGGEST TEASER:
EMERALD DREAMS

Panhandle videographer Jon Gilmore's virgin effort at making a surf video resulted in a lot of head dips, pearling surfboard noses, flyaway airs, blown lippers... and one of the coolest homegrown projects to surface in 2005. But more than anything else, Emerald Dreams opened our eyes to the untapped, world-class surf potential Panhandlers claim once hurricane swells blow them a kiss. Though a very noble effort, this video leaves us yearning to see top talents blowing up these formerly anonymous spots.

BIGGEST TEASER:
EMERALD DREAMS

BEST RECORDED MANEUVER:
RYAN CARLSON IN WHAT'S NEXT

Ryan Carlson's surfing is so gnarly, he scares zombies back into their graves. In Jessie Marley's latest vid, What's Next, the only thing missing from Carlson's schtick is a rashguard that says "Punt Till You Puke." For this ESeMMY award... aw fuck, take your pick: frontside three, backside three, superman varial, alley-oop mute grab, alley-oop sex change, or any of six rodeo flips. Uh, yeah... get the point? Like we said, this stuff is just too much for the human eye to process, and it scares zombies back to death.

MOST UNUSUAL EAST COAST FOOTAGE:
IT WAS... BETTER BACK THEN

"Yeah, man, we had it all: great waves, no crowds, little pollution and development, a different stage of surfboard evolution every month, a nonexistent DEA, no disease--and we left your generation with this wasteland. Merry Christmas!" Though narrator Pete Dooley's title sounds a bit pompous to the post-baby boomer doom generation, It Was... Better Back Then features Jerry Law's never-before-seen archival footage of Greg Loehr, Mike Tabeling, Jeff Crawford, Regis Jupinko, Gary Propper, Mike Tabeling, Claude Codgen, Richard Munson and more reaping an era that defined surfer cool--the '70s. The thing that pisses us off the most is that Dooley, no matter his intention, is kinda right. It was better back then.

CAJONES GRANDES AWARD:
CJ HOBGOOD IN BLACKWATER

By now, "the wave" has been seen in at least half a dozen videos--CJ Hobgood's sketchy Tahitian leap of faith, what's being called the biggest, heaviest wave ever paddled into at Teahupo'o. That ride isn't shown in its entirety in Blackwater, but the complete story of The End Of The Road is, as well as every Rightsider's depth charge in the last seven years--from Cory's suicidal plunge into oblivion to Kelly's perfect-20-earning Billabong Pro dominance. Historical local perspectives combined with contemporary interviews and, obviously, epic footage give Tim Bonython's video a very special, very terrifying feel. And besides CJ's wave of a lifetime, two of the three nominations this film received for the 2005 Surfer Poll Video Awards went to Eastsiders: "Best Tuberide" to Kelly Slater and "Worst Wipeout" to Damien Hobgood.

TIGHTEST EDITING:
GET IN THE VAN

New Hampshire videographer Joe Carter did a fine job of making subzero temps look appealing, ridiculous circumstances seem necessary, sub-par sessions appear classic, and unearthly talents come off as human. Isn't that what good editing's all about? In the end, we all feel like we're right there in the van with Joe and his crew.

SICKEST EAST COAST FOOTAGE:
NRG CRISIS

The '04 Gulf stuff seen here was most definitely good, but not all-time. Ditto for the Outer Banks. But the clips of the record-breaking northeast swell at Pumphouse this April... Holy shit! Videographer Kevin Welsh was almost sucked off the jetty from which he filmed while, in post surf interviews, CJ Hobgood and Matt Kechele claimed this session as being the heaviest surf they'd ever seen on the East Coast. Care to argue with these guys, who are two of the most experienced Rightside watermen ever? Didn't think so.

COOLEST MESSAGE:
CAMP HOBGOOD 2005

Most surfing ideals are best portrayed through the overall feel of the completed product. But In Camp Hobgood 2005's case, the end product was merely the result of the Hobgood twins' goal: to advance the competitive maturity of America's best surfers through an intensive, summer camp-style surfing regimen complete with heat drills, team exhibitions, tow-ats, relentless ball-busting... and lots and lots of fun. Not being a pro never felt so good.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
UNSALTED

From super 8 to modern, high-def digital, water footy to mountainside angles, carefully scripted interviews to the most eye-opening peripheral images we've seen in any production this year, Unsalted provides you with that cold, isolated experience you've been missing out on in your quest to find a surf video with a distinctly different feel.

BEST CONTEST FOOTAGE:
NRG CRISIS

Granted, most of the 2004-05 East Coast comp footage was featured in NRG Crisis only as a bonus extra (save the Unsound Pro), but during his annual, autumnal trek up the Eastern Seaboard last year, Kevin Welsh was smart to capture action from both the Heritage Pro and Belmar Pro. He also threw in Florida's best heat-seekers doing battle at the Smith High Roller for good measure, and was among the first to give proper exposure to the widely popular Globe Sebastian Inlet Pro. Basically, if you're a Right Coast ripper looking to make one of Pooch's SurfNRG vids, you could do much worse than simply paying the entry fee into your neighborhood pro/am.

VIDEO OF THE YEAR:
GET IN THE VAN

Let's just say this: Joe Carter has arrived. And the Northeastern United States is so, so much better for it. Cast, editing, choreography, lifestyle, humor... Get In The Van is absolutely splendid. Let's hope Mr. Carter never pulls over.

Editor's Notes:

We could only review videos that were made available to us at the Eastern Surf Magazine office. If you have a release you'd like us to check out for possible review in our Peepshow column or to be considered for future ESeMMY Video Awards, mail a copy with cover art and the following information--running time, cost, and contact info--to the address below: ESM Editorial Department; 321 Ocean Avenue, Suite 7; Melbourne Beach, FL 32951.