Asher Runs All-Sunrise
Surf Shop Final; Jax Rules 7th Annual Surfing The Blues By Nick McGregor; Photos by Paul West
TURF: 7th Annual Salt Life Food Shack Surfing The
Blues Presented By CityCliq.com; Jacksonville Beach Pier, Jacksonville Beach,
FL; April 10th-11th, 2010
ENERGY: Yeah, Jax Beach Pier can sometimes resemble a
three-ring circus, with fishermen chucking sinkers at surfers, hundreds of
people in the water, and a veritable freak show on the beach. But this North
Florida hotspot can also turn mushy knee-high slop into bowly two- to
three-foot peaks, ensuring that every contest that runs here will be blessed
with contestable surf. And hey, with 70,000 music fans packing the Seawalk
Pavilion in Jax Beach for the attendant George’s Music Springing The Blues
Festival, you know this event is gonna be a good time. The Duval crew wouldn’t
have it any other way.
FIRST TIME
AT FIGHT CLUB: A host of new sponsors,
including hometown companies Salt Life Food Shack and CityCliq.com, gave
Surfing The Blues an extra oomph this year, especially with the all-new Salt
Life Model Search spicing up the weekend festivities.
SLIDE: The Jax Beach crew always dominates Surfing The
Blues, and a fortuitous bit of scheduling led four of the area’s best
surfers into the star-studded 2010 final. Ryan Briggs, Cody and Evan Thompson,
and Asher Nolan could easily fill out a Best of Duval scorecard, but in the
end, Hurley's East Coast Sports Marketing Manager came away with the
win. “I’ve never really done well in smaller waves,” Nolan said.
“But I know those [other] guys surf really good in little waves, so I just had
to step my game up today.” Before the
final, other local and transplant talent like Wayne Thompson, Wayne
Satterwhite, Garrett Johnson, Marshall Alberga, 2009 Surfing The Blues winner
Eric Rheaume, and Jeff Crego turned the event’s earlier rounds into a
mind-blowing demonstration of progressive 21st-century surfing.
In Pro Women’s, Flagler Beach’s Haley Watson was the only non-Duval
winner of the entire event, holding off local girl Teale Beckenbach. But then
again, Watson did score the first pro win of her life at Jax Beach Pier, in
2009’s WaveMasters Surf Contest. “I don’t know the pier quite as well as
the local girls,” Watson said. “But I just got lucky. There were some
good lefts coming in, and I’m a goofyfoot, so that helped.” In addition to
surfing smooth through shortboard competition, Atlantic Beach logger Justin
Quintal slayed the Pro Longboard division, nailing his third pro win in three
weekends. And Duval up-and-comer Daniel Callaway aced the Pro Juniors division,
joining other top finishers Allissa Franklin, Kaleb Kirshenbaum, Jake McGuire,
Maddy Gregory, Logan Raulerson, Wesley Stewart, and John Massey.
THE PAIN: Cody Thompson did win the Surfing The Blues Airshow, but
finished a close 2nd to Nolan in Pro Men’s competition. Other than that,
watching the best talent Duval has to offer shredding hometown waves didn’t
inflict a single ounce of pain on anyone. “It’s very rare to have all the top guys in
North Florida on the beach at the same event,” said contest organizer and
Florida Surfing Association President Paul West. “These guys basically grew up
together, and seeing the camaraderie and energy in the water
and at the throwdown party at Salt Life Food Shack made this one of the most
memorable and special events I have ever organized.”
THE MAN: Easily one of the East Coast’s most accomplished and talented surfers,
Asher Nolan deserves all the credit he can get, not only for winning but also
for serving as a prime motivator to Duval County groms. But let’s award The Man
honors to Sunrise Surf Shop, who sponsor all four Pro Men’s finalists in
addition to the Pro Longboard champion. Area shops take note — that’s
what we call well-rounded domination.
YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB: “These guys are all incredible surfers, but I
was still blown away by the level of surfing in junky two- to three-foot
Florida waves. Any heat from the semifinals on could have been a final at any
other pro contest.” –Competitive veteran/ Florida Surfing
Association President Paul West, stoked on the action-packed Surfing The Blues
final
FINAL
RESULTS OF THE 7th ANNUAL SALT LIFE FOOD SHACK
SURFING THE BLUES PRESENTED BY CITYCLIQ.COM:
PRO MENS
1. Asher Nolan
2. Cody
Thompson
3. Evan
Thompson
4. Ryan Briggs
PRO JUNIORS 1. Daniel
Callaway
2. Trevor Challenor
3. Jake McGuire
4. Josh Motes
PRO LONGBOARD
1. Justin Quintal
2. Ty Miller
3. Dylan Andrews
4. Ralph
Nuamez
South Carolina’s Cam Richards Steals 12th Annual
Tommy Tant Memorial Classic Men’s Pro Title From Florida Vets; Cody Thompson, Amy Nicholl,
Noah Schweizer, And Dan Worley Also Win Big
VQS
HITS THE JACKPOT AT CASINO PIER Jellyfish Surf Series Winners Include Local Boys
Hammer, Schmidt, Vanaman, And Siganos, Along With Florida Girl Emily Ruppert
DUBIOUS RECORD The WRV
Outer Banks Pro Presented By Hurley Offers Locals Genuine Perspective & More
Money Per Square Foot Of Wave Than Any Surf Contest In History
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
