Rip
Curl GromSearch New Smyrna Beach Winners Get Set For November’s National Final In
Northern California By Ryan Marks; Photos by Duce Smith
TURF: Rip Curl Grom Search
2011 Presented By H2O Overdrive Stop #3; New Smyrna Beach Inlet, New Smyrna
Beach, FL; Saturday, August 13th, 2011.
ENERGY: A little bigger on Saturday than Ponce
was on Friday for the Arnette Cash Pot Series — inconsistent two- to three-foot
mixed ground/windswell. Being August in Florida, it was still blisteringly
hot, with a slight seabreeze blowing. But as usual, Smyrna delivered rippable
surf for the groms, with peaks and wedges all around.
FIRST
TIME AT FIGHT CLUB: Rip
Curl’s search for the best groms in the world is well known to the masses, and
most of the competitors were seasoned GromSearch vets. As such, this article is
about the four winners whose travels will lead to San Francisco for the Rip
Curl GromSearch National Final at the Rip Curl Pro Search Somewhere in
November. For the others, the search will continue to be stoked elsewhere.
Searching ain’t easy, but the payoffs are huge.
SLIDE: Luke Marks perfectly
personifies the 12 & Under searcher. A personality that could light up any
trip, Luke’s a hellion cut from Evil Knievel’s robe. The way he attacks lips, dude
could be a stand-in for Ice Road Truckers,
blaring Eric Clapton without even seeing over the steering wheel. And he’ll
need that energy. Ocean Beach in November? I guarantee that if you Luke can
scratch his way into a heaving San Francisco barrel, his smile will be wider
than the fan of $20s he received for winning this contest and he’ll be charging
heavier than the cornucopia of gear unloaded by the sponsors of this contest. Seriously
grom, what are you going to do with a Kicker home audio system? And dinner’s on
you!
Rip Curl may not have been searching for rising
star Daniel Glenn, but if you’re scouting waves and go a little further around the
bend, I’m sure you’ll find DG sitting there already welcoming you to his
playground. A double-finalist in this year’s event, placing 2nd in 16 &
Under and winning 14 & Under, now that The Search has found him can Daniel
take advantage? You gotta be confident going to new places, throwing all your chips
on the table, and seeing who will ante up. With Daniel’s impressive 2011
performances, it seems he’s all in and on the boat now, so it’s time for him to
motor on to bigger success. This is what DG has been searching for, and he’s scout-ready.
4,192. That’s the amount of miles Chelsea
Tuach will have to travel in her search from Barbados to San Francisco if she
flies direct. And rest assured, she’ll be styling the whole way dreaming about
needing larger luggage for her return trip. Think Kelly will offer some words
of advice for the girl from the land of Soupbowl? For a girl who wears her
sunglasses virtually everywhere, even up until the heat horn, let’s hope the
bright lights of San Francisco shine on a new star from an island four times
larger than the city by the bay, but with one-third the population. Just bring
me back some dancing bear hippy shades, please.
This is not Searching For Tom Curren, but Noah Schweizer is about as humble,
quiet, and unassuming as it gets. Then he’s standing next to you with a jersey
on and you’re searching for someone else to be in your heat. Going to the home
of San Francisco Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval, AKA The Panda, the
location seems fitting. Quiet but voracious in appetite, Noah’s going to have
to be hungry for this one. And with the possibility of Ocean Beach big and
firing, something tells me this is going to be older brother Nils’ chance to
show Noah the forests he’s going to encounter on his search through Pro-Land.
THE
PAIN: No doubt losing is
a hard pill to swallow — especially when a free trip out west is on the
line. It’s kinda like the boat leaving without you. But it will come back and hopefully
it may just have another spot for you. Until then, keep searching, and love
every minute of it!
THE
MAN: In addition to our
four aforementioned winners, Bajan boy Josh Burke copped $50 for the Dragon
High Heat Total, a 17.3. And Ormond Beach’s Eros Exarhou doubled that for the
H20 Overdrive Maneuver of the Event with a crafty superman. It’s no surprise
that both of these up-and-coming groms were featured in ESM’s last Who Da Guy issue.
YOU
DO NOT TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB: “I’ve never been to San Francisco. Heard it’s a pretty cool city.”
–Girls 16 & Under winner and smooth operator Chelsea Tuach
“The more I can win, the more I get to
travel. I think I can handle that.” –Boys 14 & Under champ Daniel Glenn on
venturing to new locations
“I’ve surfed in these conditions so many
times I guess I just know what to do. I’m excited to get the win and the opportunity
to compete in San Francisco for the National Final.” –Boys
16 & Under victor Noah Schweizer
FINAL RESULTS OF THE RIP CURL GROM SEARCH 2011 PRESENTED BY H2O
OVERDRIVE STOP #3:
BOYS
12 & UNDER 1. Luke Marks, $100
2. Robbie McCormick
3. Matthew Glenn
4. Jaric Fink
BOYS
14 & UNDER 1. Daniel Glenn, $100
2. Colin Deveze
3. Joshua Burke
4. Luke Marks
GIRLS
16 & UNDER 1. Chelsea Tuach, $100
2. Emily Ruppert
3. Cierra Cunningham
4. Piper Austin
BOYS 16
& UNDER 1. Noah Schweizer, $100
2. Daniel Glenn
3. Tanner Strohmenger
4. Eros Exarhou
H2O OVERDRIVE MANEUVER OF THE EVENT Eros Exarhou, $100
DRAGON HIGH HEAT TOTAL Joshua Burke (17.3), $50
: 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
