surfamerica 28 Oct 2007No Comments 214 views Print Email

  Contest News, Press Releases, surf

Surfing America, the national governing body for the sport of surfing, is pleased to name eight new USA Surfing Champions after the youth divisions wrapped up in great Huntington Beach, CA surf. After six days of competition, the stage is now set for trials which will decide the 2008 PacSun USA Surf Team.

“This starts a whole new era for Surfing America. I think the level of surfing at this event has stepped up two-fold,” said Mike Gerard, executive director of Surfing America. “And, from an operational standpoint, the bar continues to be raised. The program is getting better every year. We’re making tremendous strides and working hard to raise the standard throughout the national competitive system.”

Gerard’s sentiments come after an explosive show of talent during the finals. Athletes were narrowed down all week and only the best remained on the final day of competition. Two of the most action-packed heats of the day were the Boys Under 14 and Boys Under 16 finals, which were highlighted by high scores, early leads and see-saw battles for the podium.

In the Under 14 final, Kolohe Andino jumped out to a stellar lead in the first five minutes and left Keanu Asing, Luke Davis and Davey Brand playing catch up, after Andino posted a combined heat total of 16.10 on his first two rides.

“I put the pressure on early and it paid off,” said Andino, who also made the finals in the Boys Under 16 division. “It feels good to be the Under 14 Champion of the USA because every one was ripping hard all week.”

A similar story transpired in the Boys Under 16 final. Andrew Doheny’s first two waves set the bar early. With a combined total of 15.17, Doheny left Andino, Kiron Jabour, and Riley Metcalf going for broke. However, it wasn’t without a fight because all three surfers leap frogged for the second spot and each finished with combined totals in the 13-point range.

On the female side, four-year USA Surf Team member Courtney Conlogue easily claimed the Girls Under 16 title and also finished a point shy of fellow USA Team member Sage Erickson in the Under 18 final. Erickson, the 2007 ISA bronze medalist, blew through multiple turns on her forehand to take the win in what will be her last year as a Junior.

“Unfortunately, 2008 is my last year on the USA Surf Team… by three days because of my birthday,” said Erickson after her win. “It’s a bit of a bummer, but I’m just so proud and blessed to be a part of this organization. It’s taught me so much, not just about surfing but teamwork and life in general. The USA Championships has been the most fun event of my year because it’s like a WQS setup. Plus, you’ve got the East Coasters, the Hawaiians and Californians here. We’re all friends but it’s good to have the little rivalries.”

The Boys Under 18 final, often viewed as the premier division, was dealt wave-starved conditions. It started off with a bang when Hawaiian Kiron Jabour clocked in with a 7.67. Then USA Surf Team member Dane Zaun answered back with a pair of average rides netting him a two-wave total of 11.57. With time running out on the clock and Jabour only needing a 3.9, the ocean lulled in cooperation with Zaun and he was able to hold off Jabour for his maiden win in Under 18s.

The stage is now set for Sunday’s USA Surf Team Trials, which will be webcast live on www.SurfingAmerica.org. Surfline, the official forecaster of the 2007 SIMA Surfing America USA Championships, has been making accurate predictions for this stellar week of surf. Surfline is calling for a bit smaller conditions on Sunday but a gradually building south pulse should fill in towards the latter rounds.

After the finals of the Trials, the 2008 USA Surf Team — who will compete at the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships in France in May 2008 — will be named.

Official Results of the 2007 SIMA Surfing America USA Championships:

Women’s:
1) Mia Melamed (HI)
2) Lindsay Barfield (FL)
3) Kayla Beckman (FL)
4) Lauren Schrichte (CA)

Men’s:
1) Wayne Satterwhite (FL)
2) Danny Misken (CA)
3) Jarred Williams (CA)
4) Zach Kenny (NC)

Boy’s Under 12:
1) Ian Gentil (HI)
2) Colin Moran (CA)
3) Parker Coffin (CA)
4) Kanoa Igarachi (CA)

Girl’s Under 12:
1) Quincy Davis (NY)
2) Emily Rupper (CA)
3) Harley Taich (CA)
4) Danielle Wyman (CA)

Boy’s Under 14:
1) Kolohe Andino (CA)
2) Keanu Asing (HI)
3) Luke Davis (CA)
4) Davey Brand (HI)

Girl’s Under 16:
1) Courtney Conlogue (CA)
2) Keenan Lineback (SC)
3) Leila Hurst (HI)
4) Nage Melamed (HI)

Boy’s Under 16:
1) Andrew Doheny (CA)
2) Kiron Jabour (HI)
3) Riley Metcalf (CA)
4) Kolohe Andino (CA)

Girl’s Under 18:
1) Sage Erickson (CA)
2) Courtney Conlogue (CA)
3) Leila Hurst (HI)
4) Chandler Parr (CA)

Boy’s Under 18:
1) Dane Zaun (CA)
2) Kiron Jabour (HI)
3) Nat Young (CA)
4) Dillon Perillo (CA)

Qualified athletes seeded into the PacSun USA Surf Team Trials:

Girls Under 18:
Courtney Conlogue
Sage Erickson
Sara Taylor
Amy Nicholl
Kaleigh Gilchrist
Taylor Pitz
Keenan Lineback
Rachael Harris
Jessica Carnes
Demi Boelsterli
Chandler Parr
Cassidy Wehsener
Quincy Davis
Marissa Shaw
Heather Jordan
Catherine Clarke

Girls Under 16:
Courtney Conlogue
Keenan Lineback
Taylor Pitz
Chandler Parr
Lakey Peterson
Melina Smith
Kaleigh Gilchrist
Natalie Anzivino
Marissa Shaw
Emmy Merrill
Alexa Frantz
Shelby Detmers
Anise Guzman
Catherine Clarke
Britney Hickey
Tess Lustbaum

Boys Under 18:
Nat Young
Dillon Perillo
Christian Saenz
Fischer Heverly
Dane Zaun
Michael Dunphy
Nick Rupp
Chase Wilson
Nathan Carvalho
Kyle Kennelly
Quinn McCrystal
Chase Brady*
Duran Barr
Mike Howard
Andrew Doheny
Gabe Garcia

Boys Under 16:
Kolohe Andino
Riley Metcalf
Andrew Doheny
Jared Thorne
Ian Crane
Nat Young
Nick Rupp
Kyle McGeary
Luke Davis
Nathan Carvalho
Dylan Kowalski
Frank Roper
Conner Coffin
Evan Thompson
Tyler Packham