Local Surfers Stand Out on Busy Weekend

Tri-city area surfers are making the most out of this year’s early, and very busy, contest season

By Andrea Swayne

With two under-18 events and the 28th Annual Southern California Japanese Surf Contest in San Clemente surfing fans had plenty of action to watch and plenty of locals to cheer on last weekend.

Small 1- to 3-foot surf at Church Beach Saturday set the stage for the younger three of five divisions to strut their stuff at Surfing America Prime event No. 2.

Originally scheduled as a two-area event, the weakening swell failed to deliver waves sufficient for two separate competition zones, prompting event organizers to postpone the Boys U18 and Girls U18 divisions to Prime event No. 3 in December at Salt Creek.

The three younger divisions, Boys U14, Boys U16 and Girls U16 delivered plenty of high performance surfing as the small surf was surprisingly rippable and got better throughout the afternoon.

San Clemente-based surfers claimed five of the 12 possible finalist spots. Samantha Sibley and Kirra Pinkerton came in second and fourth in Girls U16, respectively, Pinkerton surfing well all day despite having lost a patch of skin to the rocks in a pre-contest practice session. Kade Matson and Taj Lindblad battled in Boys U14. With Lindblad in the lead throughout the heat, Matson pulled ahead with a last-minute buzzer beater for the win, 12.40 to 11.64. Matson also earned the runner-up spot in Boys U16.

The event is held on day one of a two-day permit at Church Beach shared by the annual Southern California Japanese Surf Contest. Kei Kobayashi pulled out all the stops, using his home field advantage to take the pro division win at the 28th annual event on Sunday in what he called “super fun” waves.

Another 28th annual event, the San Clemente Seafest, was happening this weekend, one of its highlights being the traditional grom and family surf contest at the pier. Local winners at Seafest included Brayden Burch, Nathan Carabba, Hagan Johnson, Nathan Stacy, Pinkerton and Matson.

Seafest Surf Contest organizer Jim Wynne echoed Kobayashi’s impression of the waves, although the morning conditions made contest officials and competitors a bit nervous.

The day started out windy, making the surf look “about as terrible as it gets,” Wynne said. “The wind ended up laying down to a whisper and the surf got really fun. Everyone seemed to have a really good time and there was a great vibe to the contest. The event ended up being a huge success. We sold out all but six spots prior to contest day and had waiting lists for just about every division.”

RESULTS:

Surfing America Prime, Event No. 2, October 3, San Onofre State Park, Church Beach

BOYS U14:
1. Kade Matson, San Clemente
2. Taj Lindblad, San Clemente
3. Dimitri Poulos, Ventura
4. Levi Slawson, Encinitas

BOYS U16:
1. Tyler Gunter, Newport Beach
2. Kade Matson, San Clemente
3. Tommy Coleman, Florida
4. Eithan Osborne, Ventura

GIRLS U16:
1. Alyssa Spencer, Encinitas
2. Samantha Sibley, San Clemente
3. Tiare Thompson, La Jolla
4. Kirra Pinkerton, San Clemente

San Clemente Sea Fest Surf Competition, October 4, San Clemente, Pier

BOYS/GIRLS 8U:

1. Nathan Stacy, San Clemente
2. Charlie Stevens, San Clemente
3. Jett Rocket Prefontaine, Carlsbad
4. Nolan Senn, San Clemente
5. Cannon Montoya, San Clemente
6. Logan Stevens, San Clemente

BOYS/GIRLS 10U:

1. Brayden Burch, San Clemente
2. Ryder Fish, San Clemente
3. Wyatt Ankrom, San Clemente
4. Conan Craig, San Clemente
5. Charlie Stevens, San Clemente
6. Nate Pierce, San Clemente

BOYS 12U:

1. Hagan Johnson, San Clemente
2. Dane Matson, San Clemente
3. Brayden Burch, San Clemente
4. Liam Mateer, San Clemente
5. Myles Biggs, San Clemente
6. Hayden Millerick, San Clemente

BOYS 15U:

1. Kade Matson, San Clemente
2. Nathan Carabba, San Clemente
3. Ethan Mudge, Dana Point
4. Hagan Johnson, San Clemente
5. Matt Economos, San Clemente
6. Liam Mateer, San Clemente

OPEN BOYS:

1. Nathan Carabba, San Clemente
2. David Economos, San Clemente
3. Ethan Mudge, Dana Point
4. Noah Brown, San Clemente
5. Jack Hopkins, San Clemente
6. Riley Katz, San Clemente

OPEN GIRLS:

1. Kirra Pinkerton, San Clemente
2. Sierra Downer, San Clemente
3. Nicole Economos, San Clemente
4. Hanna Dunfee, El Cajon
5. Mayala Moss, San Clemente
6. Shay Carrabba, San Clemente

FAMILY:

1. Johnson Family, San Clemente
2. Mateer Family, San Clemente
3. Todd Family, San Clemente
4. Guild Family, San Clemente
5. Dunfee Family, El Cajon
6. Cramer Family