Ultra
Rippable New Smyrna Inlet Blesses Final Rip Curl GromSearch Stop
By Nick McGregor; Photos by Duce Smith
TURF: 2009 Rip Curl GromSearch Fueled By H20 Overdrive Stop
#4; New Smyrna Inlet, New Smyrna Beach, FL; August 16th, 2009
ENERGY: Rip Curl Team Manager Nick Greeninger and GromSearch organizer
Darren “Brillo” Brillhart made the right call by running the New Smyrna stop on
the second day of the waiting period, as the ESE windswell trended from weak
and mushy on Saturday to consistent and punchy on Sunday. By the
mid-afternoon’s incoming tide — which coincided perfectly with all four
finals — a cornucopia of flawless A-frame peaks were detonating up and
down the beach. Factor in a lightening wind that died around 3:00 PM, providing
semi-glassy conditions, and summertime Smyrna was a far cry from the rest of
Florida’s onshore junk.
FIRST TIME AT FIGHT
CLUB: The usual cast of
Sunshine State characters populated the three different Boys divisions, but in
Girls 16/Under, a trio of ripping wahines from Barbados (Chelsea Roett, Chelsea
Tuach, and Ametza Nicholls) muscled their way to the top of the podium. Another
Bajan, smooth grom operator Dane Mackie, finished 2nd in Boys 12/Under,
signaling a new movement of Lesser Antilles surfers making a push onto the East
Coast competitive stage.
SLIDE: The Boys 12/Under final ran first, with Mackie, Ponce
Inlet local Cobie Gittner, Vero Beach star Logan Hayes, and Hobe Sound ripper
Justin Croteau trading off long rights to the beach. Hayes pleased the crowd by
stalling on the inside and scoring a miniature cover-up, while Gittner
displayed smooth rail-to-rail surfing through the flat sections, but Croteau’s vertical
approach earned him the win and $250.
In Boys 14/Under, local grom sensation Noah Schweizer
looked to have the win with a backside blast tagged by contest announcer Travis
Ajay as “probably the biggest turn I’ve seen all day.” Minutes later,
Melbourne’s Corey Howell stuck a fins-out sliding reverse, which not only
cemented the division win over other finalists Eros Exarhou and Daniel Calloway
but took the H20 Overdrive Maneuver of the Event award, as well. That one turn
earned Howell $350 total: $250 for the division win, and $100 for Maneuver of
the Event. When asked by Greeninger what he thought about unleashing such a
risky turn, Howell said, “I just wanted to go all or nothing.”
Next up came the ladies in Girls 16/Under, with the
aforementioned Bajan wahines taking control of the heat from the opening turn.
The lone East Coaster in the final, Jacksonville’s Kayla Durden, went for broke
on a big closeout, but came unglued at the last second. Nicholls put in several
good under-the-lip snaps, but in the end, Roett’s solid carves won the
1st-place trophy and the $250.
By the time the premier Boys 16/Under division hit
the water, the tide had increased so much the Volusia County Beach Patrol had
to shut the Inlet down to vehicular traffic. The dead high tide also decreased
the amount of inside reforms on offer, so Howell, Schweizer, Lantana’s
Christian Miller, and local boy-done good Evan Geiselman were all forced to
wait on only the biggest sets. Howell looked hungry for a double win, throwing
his tail out and smacking several vertical snaps, while Schweizer linked into the
longest rights and smoothest carves. Miller’s explosive technique found him
smashing closeouts and going for last-ditch aerial efforts, but in the end,
Geiselman’s stylish, unforced turns earned him the win, $250, and a trip to the
Rip Curl GromSearch National Finals.
THE PAIN: If Corey Howell had only duplicated his fins-out
slash to reverse in the Boys 16/Under final, he may have walked away with two
division wins, in addition to the H20 Overdrive Maneuver of the Event award.
THE MAN: In one week, Evan Geiselman has earned $1100 in
contest proceeds — $850 for winning the Quiksilver King Of The Groms on
Wednesday, and $250 for winning the Rip Curl GromSearch on Sunday. He probably
doesn’t need the money, what with his lucrative Hurley contract and other
high-profile endorsements, but the kid’s repertoire is so clean and polished,
and he’s so patient, it’s no wonder he’s earned Golden Child status that rivals
the hype of even his big bro Eric. His fellow finalists may breathe a huge sigh
of relief once Evan finally turns 17 and has to turn in his grom learner’s
permit, but until then, Geiselman will keep his eye on the prize... which now
includes the Quiksilver KOG World Championships in France this September and the Rip Curl GromSearch National
Finals in California come November.
YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT
FIGHT CLUB: “I don’t get
to compete too much at home, so this win feels extra good.” –Boys
16/Under champion Evan Geiselman, relishing the rare feeling of dominating on his
local turf
“I’m stoked to be in Florida for the fourth and final
stop of the Rip Curl USA GromSearch Series. Some of the best talent I’ve seen
in the 11-year GromSearch history showed up here today.” –Rip
Curl Team Manager Nick Greeninger, stoked on the current level of East Coast
talent
FINAL
RESULTS OF THE 2009 RIP CURL GROMSEARCH FUELED BY H20 OVERDRIVE STOP #3
BOYS
16/UNDER
1. Evan Geiselman, $250
2. Christian Miller
3. Corey Howell
4. Noah Schweizer
GIRLS
16/UNDER
1. Chelsea Roett, $250
2. Chelsea Tuach
3. Ametza Nicholls
4. Kayla Durden
BOYS
14/UNDER
1. Corey Howell, $250
2. Noah Schweizer
3. Eros Exarhou
4. Daniel Calloway
BOYS
12/UNDER
1. Justin Croteau, $250
2. Dane Mackie
3. Logan Hayes
4. Cobie Gittner
H20
OVERDRIVE MANEUVER OF THE EVENT
Corey Howell, $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
