Engstrom Blasts Off In Small Conditions To Slay
Quiksilver Empire State Surfing Championships By Casey Butler
TURF:Quiksilver
Empire State Surfing Championships; National Boulevard, Long Beach, NY; July
17th, 2011
ENERGY: All
weekend, the swell in New York was nearly nonexistent — one foot at ten
seconds. But Sunday marked the definitive end of the Quiksilver Empire State Surfing
Championships’ three-day waiting period, and hell, New York wants a wildcard.
Bad. So 16 local chargers rallied at 6:00 a.m. to make the most of the tides.
National Boulevard in Long Beach offered the customary doughnuts and coffee,
but, as anticipated, little in the way of waves. Not anticipated: that the
knee-high shorebreak would prove useful in the launch pad department.
FIRST
TIME AT FIGHT CLUB: Trials are nothing new for ASP World Tour events. But
trials for the trials? Nearly everybody was left scratching their heads over
this unprecedented event. Except, of course, the 16 local New Yorkers who got a
chance to get a chance to get into the main event, September’s much-heralded $1
million Quiksilver Pro New York. Confused yet?
SLIDE: “We
wanted to give the New Yorkers a platform and a shot at getting into the main
contest,” explained Quiksilver Pro New York Event Director Andy Ryan, who also
happens to hail from Westchester. He added that surfers in the trials for the trials,
which will be sponsored by Unsound Surf and Vitamin Water, had to also hail
from New York. So did you need to present a New York license or something? “No,
it’s not that strict,” he said. “It’s [more] like, ‘Hey, this guy grew up here
and has been surfing Long Beach for 10 years, 20 years.’”
As such, standout performers
included Long Beach boys TJ Gumiela, Chris Martin, and Richie Bogart, who made
the finals along with Montauk-bred Leif Engstrom. Another local favorite,
Babylon’s Alex Fawess, was knocked out in the semis despite a knack for
catching everything and carving up speedy lefts. Demonstrating the value of
local knowledge, competitors often foresaw rides on what initially appeared to
be unyielding duds, and in the absence of a wave face, they took to the air. 360
reverses and supermans were alarmingly common. What’s that saying again —
if you can surf here, you can surf anywhere? Maybe it should be amended to “if
you can surf here, you can surf anywhere and on anything.” “They’re making it
look a lot better out there than it is,” said commentator Tyler Breuer.
With his lemonade-out-of-lemons
performance at the Empire State Surfing Championships, though, 22-year-old Leif
Engstrom scored a pass into the Quiksilver Pro New York ASP Trials, where a main-event
wildcard to joust with the Top 36 will be on the line.
THE PAIN: Never
has 2nd- or 3rd-place hurt so bad. Surely local heroes Gumiela, Martin, and
Bogart were a little peeved to see their hometown chance stolen by an East
Ender. And many were surely left wondering if the outcome would have been
different had the waves been four- to six-foot and barreling. Which is a damn
fine question that every East Coaster will be asking come September when the
whole world is watching.
THE MAN: In
2010, ESM Editor At Large Matt Pruett
called Engstrom, who splits his year between Long Island and Puerto Rico, “one
of New York's most legit surfers, ever.” And judging by Leif’s ability to do a whole
lot with nothing, he should have a fair shot at the wildcard.
“I really appreciate
everyone doing this and having this event,” Engstrom said. “I wish there were a
few more kids, because there are definitely others from New York that deserve
to be in it. I can’t want for September. I’m probably going to try to travel
around a bit and, hopefully, get a little practice in before I go for this. [To
get the wildcard] would be a dream come true.” Engstrom will face a mix of 15 regional,
national, and international surfers at the Quiksilver Pro New York ASP Trials,
which will be held September 1st-3rd. Only one of them will be awarded a wildcard
and the opportunity to compete for the richest purse in surfing history.
YOU DO
NOT TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB: “This is the best — a big opportunity… I’ve
always wanted to compete in a World Tour contest. It’s a challenge, but if I do
it, it would be one of the greatest things ever for me.” –Empire
State Surfing Champs winner Leif Engstrom on his shot at the big time in
September
FINAL RESULTS OF THE QUIKSILVER EMPIRE STATE SURFING
CHAMPIONSHIPS:
1. Leif Engstrom
2. TJ Gumiela
3. Chris Martin
4. Richie Bogart
5. Jeff Anthony, Alex Fawess
7. Chris Tomlin, Chris Rempe
: ADVERTISMENT :
: ADVERTISMENT :
IN LOVING MEMORY Flagler Beach, FL’s, Haley Watson Honors Her Mother At May Day Memorial Surf Classic
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
