East Coast Scholastics Offer Up A Crash Course In
Competition By Ryan Marks; Photos and video by Tom
Dugan
TURF: 2010
East Coast Scholastic Surfing Championships Presented By Eastern Surfing Association
& Texas Gulf Surfing Association; New Smyrna Inlet, New Smyrna Beach, FL; March
26-28, 2010
ENERGY: Friday
and Saturday were beautiful Florida days with building swell leading to windy
but rippable finals on Sunday. The East Coast Scholastics started Friday with
peaky one- to three-foot swell, before Saturday offered up classic Inlet glass in
the two- to three-foot range. Sunday was overcast and hazy, with three- to
four-foot-plus mixed groundswell/windswell chop in the water. The Inlet showed
her many faces, and competitors hailing from Delmarva to Texas fell in love
with all of them.
FIRST TIME
AT FIGHT CLUB: Bringing back the Tag Team concept, this year’s 2010
ECSSC featured some macking talent, all of which hustled through the rip
currents and closeouts, running up and down the beach in between actually
having to surf in a combined four-man, 50-minute heat. And while local Volusia County
surfers were well represented in the semis and finals, the out-of-towners combined
to win every division except Collegiate Women’s and Open Shortboard.
SLIDE: Cars
on the beach, beautiful people, and shredding as far as the eye could see from
the scaffolding… After last year’s hiatus, the East Coast Scholastics came
together with combined support from the Eastern Surfing Association and the
Texas Gulf Surfing Association. The Texas contingent definitely turned some
heads, with Shane Wiggins and Wes Beck making it to the Collegiate Men’s finals;
Brittany Tupaj and Nicole Hagopian making it to the Collegiate Women’s finals;
and Corey Williams making the Open Longboard final.
But it was the North
Carolina brigade who really did some damage — not only did UNC Wilmington
take the Tag Team event, but the brothers Powell seemed to land in every heat
possible, with Ben and Michael finishing in 1st and 2nd-place respectively in
Collegiate Men’s, while Michael also earned 3rd-place in the stacked Open
Shortboard final.
The Open Longboard division
served as the proverbial melting pot, with each competitor adding a dash of traditional
style and high performance maneuvers in the tough logging conditions. Jacksonville’s
Justin Quintal proved to be the most polished surfer in Sunday’s unpolished
surf, and came away with the cash and the win.
THE PAIN: The
only pain experienced was the Monday trip to the chiropractor’s office for a
sore neck inflicted from heavy people watching. New Smyrna Inlet was stacked,
so if by “The Pain” you mean “Comfortably Numb,” then you’re welcome. Smile
through the pain.
THE MAN: In-form
all event, local boy Jeremy Johnston was on a mission to take home the Open
Shortboard division and the $1250 1st-place prize. Linking vertical surfing with
powerful rail gouges and a tuned-up aerial assault, JJ played the professor,
dropping some knowledge on all the kids. Fellow NSB local Liam Michelbrink, Virginia
Beach, VA’s, Sebastian Moreno, and NC’s Michael Powell all got passing grades throughout
the contest, but couldn’t beat Smyrna’s competitive surfing valedictorian.
YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB: “With my sights set on this year’s competitive
season, leading off with a big win at home is huge! The finals were stacked
with battle-tested surfers, so to come through with a win feels pretty sweet.” –Open
Shortboard winner and competitive ace Jeremy Johnston, stoked to gain momentum
for his yearly contest run
“Winning at home, adding
some loot to pay for college, and sharing my homebreak with some great surfers
was awesome. I hope they bring this event back to Smyrna next year so I can
defend my title!” –Collegiate Women’s champion Amy Nicholl,
excited for her hometown win
FINAL RESULTS OF THE 2010 EAST COAST SCHOLASTIC SURFING
CHAMPIONSHIPS PRESENTED BY EASTERN SURFING ASSOCIATION & TEXAS GULF SURFING
ASSOCATION
BOYS 1. Sam Duggan, $175 Scholarship
2. Noah Schweizer, $150
3. Daniel Glenn, $125
4. Eros Exarhou, $100
Sweetwater Leaves It Up To The Grom At Oakley Surf Shop Challenge Mid-Atlantic Regional Qualifier; “Uncle” Andrew Gesler Drives Heritage Win Home In Northeast
By Matt Pruett and Nick McGregor;
Photos by Matt Lusk
