Small Waves, Delayed Run Date No Obstacle For 2nd Annual Daytona Longboard Classic By Allison Arteaga; Photos by Duce Smith
TURF: 2nd
Annual Medical Exercise Associates Daytona Longboard Classic; The Ocean Deck Restaurant
& Beach Club (south side of the Main Street Pier), Daytona Beach, FL; Saturday,
April 24th, 2010
ENERGY: As
Daytona Beach recovered from its yearly assault by spring breakers, the Daytona
Longboard Classic packed the sand behind The Ocean Deck with some of the Right
Coast’s best log riders. Wave conditions were meager at best, but the one- to
two-foot choppy surf was contestable and the weather was picture perfect, in
stark contrast to the event’s original date in February, when freezing
temperatures and a dead-flat ocean forced the contest’s delay.
FIRST TIME AT FIGHT CLUB: The 2010 Daytona Longboard Classic expanded on the
popularity of last year’s inaugural event by tripling the number of contest
divisions — including women’s competition for the first time —
and putting more than twice the amount of prize money up for grabs. This year’s
$5,000 purse was divided among three pro divisions, with six amateur divisions
and a Specialty Noserider contest also keeping competitors busy.
Also, the contest was held
as a stand-alone event for the first time this year. Usually scheduled in
February as part of the four-day Daytona WinterJam festival, event organizers
were forced to reschedule the contest for April 24th after dealing with a full
slate of other spring events.
SLIDE: Saturday’s
miniscule waves were a bit of a buzz kill, but there was still plenty of great
longboarding competition thanks to East Coast staples like Justin Quintal, Tony
Silvagni, and Mikey DeTemple, along with East Coast Surfing Hall Of Fame member
and longtime legend Mimi Munro.
“Any time you can gather the
group of talent that we had, then you know it’ll be a good event,” said Will
Gresham, an announcer for the contest. “We really had some of the brightest stars
on the East Coast.”
In the finals of the Women’s
Pro division, Munro used her experience to take out a heat full of younger
challengers and was happy to end the day with a 1st-place finish and an extra
$500 in her bank account. But she said that the main reason she entered the
contest was to support women’s longboarding on the East Coast. “Good
longboarding contests are really hard to find,” Munro said. “And I really
enjoyed seeing all that longboarding going on in one place.”
On the men’s side, wave
conditions proved to be the great equalizer during the finals of the Men’s Pro
division, and patience and strategic wave selection became key. It was a battle
all the way through the heat, and even after the final horn blew, Justin Quintal
and Tony Silvagni were left in a tie for 1st-place.
The judges resorted to a
countback in order to declare a winner, and when the highest wave scores of
both surfers were compared, Quintal emerged victorious with an 8.5 to top Silvagni’s
8.0. “It was pretty nerve racking right until the very end,” said Quintal.
Quintal picked up the $1,500
win, his fourth in as many events, while Silvagni took 2nd-place and a $750
check. But Silvagni also won 1st-place in the Specialty Noserider division, and
was much happier with his surfing in that part of the contest. “I felt like
that was one of my best heats of the event,” he said.
Up-and-coming South Florida longboard
star Patrick Nichols captured the $500 1st-place prize for the Junior Pro
division, and earned a spot in the finals of the Men’s Pro as well, where he
snagged 3rd-place and another $450.
In the amateur events, Volusia
County legend Les Carrithers won the Masters Longboard division, James Whitney
took top honors in Men’s Longboard, and Crystal Cooper finished 1st in Women’s
Longboard. Steve McLean, who won $250 for finishing 2nd in Junior Pro, also
took 1st in Junior Men’s Longboard, while New Smyrna Beach heavy Bill Whatley
came out on top in the Senior Longboard division. “It always feels good to win,
even if you’re surfing in the old farts’ division,” Whatley laughed.
THE PAIN: No
one likes to lose, especially when it’s by half a point in a tiebreaker after a
30-minute heat of crappy waves. So, without a doubt, the martyr of the day was
Tony Silvagni, who narrowly missed the $1,500 Men’s Pro 1st-place prize.
Although he was disappointed, Silvagni still picked up a bit of prize money and
managed to walk away with warm, fuzzy feelings about the contest. “I think events
like this one are what we need to get longboarding to the next level,” he said.
THE MAN: This
honor goes out to the king and queen of this year’s Daytona Longboard Classic:
Justin Quintal and Mimi Munro. Quintal managed to fend off Silvagni, defending his
2009 Men’s Pro win, while Munro, always a force to be reckoned with, inspired
all the girls and reminded everyone that the East Coast has some seriously
talented lady longboarders.
YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB: “Mimi Munro still kicks all the girls’ butts. Not
only is she a talented surfer, but she’s also one of the sweetest people you’ll
ever meet. She’s an excellent role model for all the girls out there.” –Event
announcer Will Gresham
“I was stoked to see Pat
Nichols make it to the finals. He’s been surfing well, and he’s definitely one
of the better upcoming longboarders.” –Men’s Pro champion Justin Quintal
“I was standing with Justin Quintal's
father during the awards ceremony, and after they announced his win, I said,
‘You must be so proud of him. He's such an incredible surfer.’ And he replied,
‘I’m so proud of the person that he is. His ethics and morals are what I'm
proud of. The surfing is just extra.’ I thought that was such a great way to
think.” –3rd-place Women’s Pro finisher and fellow parent Crystal Cooper
FINAL RESULTS OF THE 2ND
ANNUAL MEDICAL EXERCISE ASSOCIATES DAYTONA LONGBOARD CLASSIC:
MENS PRO 1. Justin Quintal, $1500
2. Tony Silvagni, $750
3. Pat Nichols, $450
4. Mike DeTemple, $300
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By Matt Pruett and Nick McGregor;
Photos by Matt Lusk
