TURF: South End Surf Contest To Benefit To Write Love On Her Arms Hosted By Bare Wires Surf & Skate; South End Surfer’s Beach, Spring Lake, NJ; June 2nd, 2012.

ENERGY: Three- to six-foot, with offshore winds on this perfect, sunny summer day with water temps hovering at about 65 degrees — pretty much heaven in New Jersey in early June.

FIRST TIME AT FIGHT CLUB: This was the first contest Bare Wires Surf & Skate has ever put on. Our main goal was to focus on area kids and provide a fun, positive atmosphere. We chose non-profit To Write Love On Her Arms as the beneficiary of the contest because their new “Hope Goes Surfing” campaign. Our area has been devastated over the last couple of years by several teens taking their own lives on area commuter train tracks. So we just wanted to spread awareness to the teens that they have other options when facing depression and suicidal thoughts. Most importantly, they are not alone.

SLIDE: Even though the South End Surf Contest was a competitive affair, fun was the priority and everything else took a back seat. We wanted to make sure the groms saw that the older guys supported the event, so we made an Open Division with the winner taking home $200. That let some of our area’s older locals, and anyone else out of high school, get involved. Best of all, the waves were firing, and we were blessed with offshore winds and perfect weather from start to finish. We were stoked on the feedback we received during and after the event. Parents, kids, and contestants let us know that the whole event was a blast. So we couldn’t have asked for a better event.

THE PAIN: The Open Division saw some drama when Spring Lake local surfer/shaper/college teacher Charles Mencel took out Manasquan superstar Pat Schmidt. They were both ripping, but Charles’ barrel riding and full rail turns earned him the win over Pat’s aerial assault. In the 16-18 Shortboard division, Liam Mahoney earned some redemption over Alex Brooks. It turns out these two have battled before in ESA and NSSA contests, where Alex has often been the victor. But not this time. Liam and Alex had to fend off hard-charging wahine Jessica Kwiecinski in that division, though, as she humbled a few dudes with her 3rd-place finish. In 14-15 Shortboard, another up-and-coming Garden State grom, Andrew Rooney, took the win, while JP Merkler won 12-13 Shortboard and Keaton Fortney won 11 & Under.

THE MAN: Speaking of Fortney, the guys over at Chemistry Surfboards gave us a free custom shape for the competitor we deemed “Most Inspirational Surfer.” And what is more inspirational than 11-year-old and younger groms battling it out in solid conditions that made them a wee bit nervous? Fortney, Jude Clark, and Logan Kaman charged out there after being told of the possible grand prize, and the three of them didn’t hold anything back, paddling and scratching into waves that were way over their heads. In the end, Keaton Fortney was the victor, though, walking away with a brand new custom Chemistry shape he’ll surely cherish for years to come.

YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB: “The waves were awesome, the people were awesome, and I had a great time. I just want to thank Bare Wires for running such a great event, and for giving such a meaningful reason to our community.” –16-18 Shortboard winner Liam Mahoney

FINAL RESULTS OF THE SOUTH END SURF CONTEST TO BENEFIT TO WRITE LOVE ON HER ARMS HOSTED BY BARE WIRES SURF & SKATE: