Volcom VQS Mid-Atlantic Leg Lucks Into Solid Swell By Daniel Terry
TURF: Volcom
VQS Totally Crustaceous Cooterfish Surf Series; C Street, Wrightsville Beach,
NC, and 5th Street, Kill Devil Hills, NC; September 20th and
27th, 2009
ENERGY: For
the last couple of years, the Cooterfish Surf Series has had its shining moments…
and its not-so-shining moments. Multiple canceled events due to lack of surf;
the staff going way too big the night before an event; the Volcom van breaking
down on the long drive from Florida to North Carolina; losing a trailer at 70
mph on I-95. With all of the speed bumps and derailments over the years, the
Cooterfish has somehow stood the test of time, and each year it seems that
something magical happens. 2009 was one of those magic years. In Wrightsville
Beach, super fun chunky peaks kept the day alive, while in Kill Devil Hills, a
massive nor’easter blew all the way up until the night before the contest,
delivering flawless 5th Street tubes.
FIRST TIME AT FIGHT CLUB: Ocean Isle Beach, NC, up-and-comer Knox Harris
knocked out his first VQS win in Wrightsville Beach, defeating South Carolina
standout Cam Richards in the Groms division, while WB homey Nick Bland also
took home a big first-time VQS victory in Pro/Am. And in Kill Devil Hills I got
the chance to watch 2nd-place Groms finisher Daniel Glenn surf for the first
time. I’m sure he’s going to make our events fun to watch in the future.
SLIDE: Let’s
start off in Wrightsville Beach. If you’ve ever had the chance to spend time in
WB, then you know the surf community’s hospitality is over the top. The support
from local families like the Kowalskis, the Bartons, and the Barnes is what
makes this event so special, as well as the help from Surf City Surf Shop and
Sweetwater Surf Shop. Neptune’s has rained down a ton of beer to my staff, and
Tower 7 has filled our bellies with good food. The kids once again made a
complete mess of themselves in order to win tons of prizes, but the surfing
from Knox Harris in Groms, Nick Rupp in Juniors, Maria Kuzmovich in Ladies, and
Nick Bland in Pro/Am was the highlight of the day.
Each year we set up the
Cooterfish Surf Series so that the events fall right before and after the ESA
Easterns down in Buxton, because I love the Outer Banks. My dad brought me
there when I was a grom, and I’ve been back so many times now that it honestly
feels like a second home. I can’t wait until mini-me Graham Terry gets a little
older and starts making the trek each year — I have a feeling I’ll be
spending many more mid-Septembers searching for sandbars and biting nails while
watching his heats. In between Cooterfish events, I think I ate at Hot Tuna at
least 10 times, and we had a really fun crew of people staying at the Volcom
house in Mirlo Beach. Blake Jones came up and got shacked, Patrick Ruddy shot
about 10,000 photos, Kyle Garson and Billy Hume spent some quality time in the
tube, and Easterns title winner Nick Rupp made multiple stops by the house with
his dad. Jonathan Mincher and Evan Barton were both on dish duty, while Jeff
“Wildcard” Myers kept our minds filled with YouTube clips and jokes for days.
Once the Kill Devil Hills
Cooterfish stop got going, I realized it’s tough having to sit back and watch
your friends getting shacked all day. But where else than the Outer Banks can
you have a laid-back gathering like the Cooterfish and still not get jealous
enough to want to quit your job and just surf? Again this event is only
possible because of the phenomenal local support. In the last couple of years,
I’ve seen some of these kids grow from little groms to really good surfers, and
it’s always good to see familiar faces each year. In flawless four-foot
barrels, Maria Kuzmovich (Ladies) and Nick Rupp (Juniors) repeated their
Wrightsville Beach Cooterfish wins, while Cam Richards avenged his Groms loss
in WB to Knox Harris. But the Pro/Am featured the most heated battle, with Noah
Snyder and Michael Powell going tit for tat. Snides opened the exchange with a
solid tube to tailslide combo, before Powell nailed an 8.5 and then double pits
for a perfect 10 to take the title. Thanks to everyone for all of the support,
and I hope to see all of you again at the Cooterfish events next season.
THE PAIN: Noah
Snyder did walk away with the $50 Electric Volt Thrower award in Kill Devil
Hills, but he still must have been bummed to lose to fellow Hurley teammate
Michael Powell.
THE MAN: Nick
Rupp and Maria Kuzmovich both deserve props for their dual Wrightsville
Beach/Kill Devil Hills wins. Rupp also squeezed an ESA Easterns Junior Men’s
title in between his two VQS victories for good measure.
YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB: “That’s the best week of waves I’ve ever seen on the
East Coast.”
–Longtime Volcom teamer Blake Jones, after getting shacked silly in the
freesurf zone surrounding the KDH Cooterfish stop
FINAL RESULTS OF THE VOLCOM VQS TOTALLY CRUSTACEOUS
COOTERFISH SURF SERIES
WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC, 9/20/09
PRO/AM
1. Nick Bland, $500
2. Ben Powell
3. Slater Powell
4. Ross Stevens
5. Mark Hunt
6. Travis Ajay
JUNIORS
1. Nick Rupp
2. Evan Barton
3. Dylan Kowalski
4. Josh Torres
5. Nick Hobbs
6. Shane Burn
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
