THE NSSA WEST COAST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS PRESENTED BY NO FEAR

 

The NSSA West Coast Regional Championships
The 2007 National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA), Championship Series presented by No Fear.

 

(Huntington Beach, Ca) – The NSSA West Coast Regional Championships returned to the shores of Surf City for the eleventh time on May 16-20.  The championships was held on the south side of Huntington Beach Pier and showcased nearly 600 competitors in three separate categories-the NSSA Open Championships, the NSSA Explorer Championships and the NSSA Airshow Championships.  The setting did not reflect the customary Westerns tradition of massive southern hemi swells grinding through the pier.  On the contrary it was more your typical spring-like conditions with a moderate combination of northwest and southwest swells producing fun waist to chest high surf with some head high plus sets on the final day.  The West Coast Championships is one of three six star qualifiers in the NSSA Regional Championship series.  Surfers from the NSSA’s three west coast conferences (Southwest, Northwest, Gold Coast) competed for allocated slots to the NSSA National Championships June 20-30 at Salt Creek and Lower Trestles. 

 

THE GIANT KILLER!  MIKE MCCABE HAD AN INCREDIBLE RUN IN HB.

all photos: surfhappens.com courtesy of Chris Keet

 

WEST COAST CHAMPIONSHIP HIGHLIGHTS

In one of the most stunning outcomes in West Coast Championship history, No. 14 ranked dark horse contender Mike McCabe of Ventura defeated best friend and number one seed Cory Arrambide to claim the Open Men’s championship crown.  Not only was it McCabe’s first major surfing result, it was his first ever NSSA victory.  After advancing out of the semifinals with Arrambide, an ecstatic McCabe exclaimed, "I’ve never made a championship final before, I’m so psyched!”  McCabe and Arrambide were joined in the final by HB local Quinn McCrystal and another sleeper Andrew Bennett, who is quickly becoming a top tier talent in the Open Men’s division.  Both McCabe and Bennett were named "Most Improved Surfers” for the 2006-07 season and they flat out proved themselves knocking off their opponents and advancing to the premier final.  In the 30 minute showdown, Arrambide got right to business locking in a solid 7.0 score.  McCabe quickly answered back with a good 6.83 ride while Bennett’s opening ride posted a 5.67.  Arrambide held the lead for most of the heat posting a couple 5.0 rides on mediocre waves which lacked big scoring potential.  Two bombs came to Bennett but he stumbled on both which looked more like a case of contest jitters.  The nerve factor seemed to affect McCrystal as well.  He was looking extremely solid in his home court throughout the event and minutes before banked his first Regional title in the Explorer Men’s; but he couldn’t put the heat together in the Open final.  In the final minutes, McCabe got another right and hammered the lip with some beautiful vertical turns.  The wave turned out to be the clincher posting a 6.33 score as Arrambide could only muster up a 5.5 for his second high wave score.  McCabe was on cloud nine when the results were announced.  "I’m so amped,” McCabe said.  "My strategy was just to go out there and get the good ones.  I knew who I was surfing against so I figured I couldn’t win with two small ones on the inside.  I have never beaten Cory in a final so this is incredible.  Adam Virs has been coaching me a lot so it’s really helped with my surfing.”  McCabe claimed the biggest title in the West, but Arrambide was the level, raising the bar throughout the championships.  He started upping his game down the stretch of the regular season scoring wins in the final two events which sealed him the Southwest Conference Open Men’s title in a spectacular come-from-behind rise to the top. A couple weeks later, he went on to take the copper medal at the World Junior Championships in Portugal .  At the West Coast Champs, all eyes were on Arrambide as he dictated the tempo from the get-go with powerful top to bottom surfing and amazing aerials.  He was the guy to watch because you never knew what he was going to pull off next.  He solidified his reputation as the "man to beat” at the Nationals dismantling his opponents heat after heat en route to finals appearances in Open Men’s, Explorer Juniors and the Airshow Championships.  He peaked in the Explorer Juniors final delivering an electrifying performance.  He earned an 18.00 total score with his top two waves earning a 9.17 (the second highest score of the championships) and an 8.83.  A few heats later, he took the gold in the Airshow Championships after going blow for blow with Dane "Air” Zaun in what was arguably the most exciting display of the championships. 

 

ANDREW ADDED TWO MORE TITLES TYING THE WEST COAST RECORD.

 

SO CLOSE:  49 hundredths of a point may not seem like a lot but it was huge for Andrew Doheny in the Open Juniors final.  Doheny only caught three waves in the 25 minute heat but his 7.83 and 6.50 wave scores totaling 14.33 were just enough to edge out defending champion Nat Young’s 13.84.  Third place finisher Dane Zaun was a hair behind earning a 13.67.  Prior to the Open Juniors victory, Doheny took first in the Explorer Boys final.  His stats throughout the week were just as impressive as his double wins.  He posted the top scores of both the Open Men’s and Open Juniors divisions (8.33) and also owned the top totals in the Open Juniors division receiving a 17.16 total in his quarterfinal heat.  "I’m super stoked on winning two more,” said Doheny.  "The Juniors final was fun.  I got a pretty good wave at the beginning of the heat that came in as a 6.5.  After that I was frustrated because I didn’t get another scoring wave until the 30 second mark.  I was hoping I would get the score I needed on that wave and it turns out I did.”  Doheny belongs on everyone’s radar at Lowers where he will be in the hunt for his first National title.  "I’m just going to try to do better than I’ve been doing at Nationals.  I’m over getting second!”

 

REGIONAL MILESTONE: Doheny’s victories in Open Juniors and Explorer Boys boosted his Regional win total to eight which ties him with Kilian Garland for the most West Coast titles.  This puts Doheny second overall to Evan Geiselman who currently owns the NSSA Regional record with nine titles.  Right behind them is Kolohe Andino who picked up double victories in Open Boys and Explorer Menehuene bumping his Regional win numbers to six.  Upon learning of the tie with Garland, Doheny exclaimed, "All I got to do now is break it!”  Both Doheny and Andino have the potential of smashing the eight West Coast title record to smithereens.  As far as the Regional record, things will get interesting as Geiselman, Doheny and Andino are close in age and will undoubtedly be collecting many more titles before their NSSA careers are over. 

 

DEMI FOUGHT HER WAY BACK WITH A BUZZER BEATING 8.33

 

WOMENS ACTION: It was a battle of the top seeds in the Open Women’s final.  Northwest No. 1 ranked Demi Boelsterli matched up with Southwest No. 1 powerhouse Courtney Conlogue who looked to be the heavy favorite after two-time defending champion Sage Erickson suffered an upset shocker in the quarterfinals.  Joining Boelsterli and Conlogue in the final were HB local Sara Taylor and rookie up and comer Alexa Frantz.  Conlogue, aiming for her first Regional title was holding down the lead until the final moments when Boelsterli got a buzzer beating right nugget and nailed turn after turn.  The score came in at a heat high 8.33 which sealed the win and her first NSSA championship title.  The 16 year old from Santa Barbara was beaming after the final.  "I’m so stoked," Boelsterli said.  "I just wanted to sit on the outside right and catch the sets.  We had 30 minutes so I knew I just had to wait it out and catch two good ones.  On the last wave, Courtney actually had position but I just paddled really hard and got into it.  I should have hit it harder on the first section but I got a couple decent cutbacks and then the wave just lined up perfectly and bowled on the inside where I could get some good hits.  I trained a lot to get a good result here so this is really great.”

 

STYLE BEYOND HIS YEARS, KOLOHE CONTINUES TO BLAZE AND AMAZE.

 

THE GROMS: It’s no secret that No. 1 ranked Kolohe Andino is the most dominant player in the 12 & under categories.  He continued to impress the judges with his gouging turns, precise carves and technical rail work.  He commanded the Open Boys and Explorer Menehuene divisions taking convincing victories in both and expanding his Regional victory total to six.  "In my Menehuene final I started off really slow,” Andino said.  "I got a set left but only got one big turn which scored a 5.33.  Then I got another left and did a couple turns all the way to the beach which came in at 7.5.  At the end of the heat, I got a super good right and blew the tail on my first turn and then worked it all the way in.  In the Boys final, I started off with an 8.0 which gave me a huge confidence boost.  Then this bomb set came in and Parker (Coffin) got the first one.  I got the next one which was one of the bigger waves of the heat, a right off of "Curren’s bowl.”  The judges gave me a 9.5 so I was super psyched.”  Kolohe will now have his sights set on the Nationals as he tries to increase his title count.  He currently owns three and his first goal is to pass John John Florence’s four titles.  "I’m just working on one (title) each year but I’m going to try my hardest to win all my divisions,” explained the 13 year old prodigy.  "The record for the Men’s is Bobby Martinez (7) but right now I just want to beat John John’s numbers.”  In the West Coast Mini Grom division, Kanoa Igarashi earned the only perfect score of the entire championship ripping a 10 point ride in the quarterfinals.  He also posted another excellent 9.5 in the same heat which netted him the highest total score (19.50) of the event.  Kanoa went on to capture his first Regional title winning the Mini Grom final. 

 

 

CORY WOWED THE CROWD IN THE AIRSHOW FINAL.

 

TRIPLE DUTY (three finals appearances)

1-Cory Arrambide: Open Mens, Explorer Juniors, Airshow

2-Nat Young: Open Juniors, Explorer Mens, Explorer Juniors

3-Kolohe Andino: Open Boys, Explorer Boys, Explorer Menehuene

4-Alexa Frantz: Open Womens, Explorer Womens, Explorer Girls

5-Mike Gillard: Explorer Seniors, Explorer Super Seniors, Explorer Longboard

 

2007 NSSA CHAMPIONSHIP SPONSORS: NO FEAR, BODY GLOVE, FREESTYLE, NIKE 6.0, SURFING MAGAZINE, HUNTINGTON SURF AND SPORT, SEX WAX, SURFLINE.

SPECIAL THANKS TO THE CITY OF HUNTINGTON BEACH AND THE SUGAR SHACK FOR THEIR SUPPORT OF THE 2007 WEST COAST CHAMPIONSHIPS. 

 

THE SCOREBOARD

2007 NSSA WEST COAST CHAMPIONSHIPS FINAL RESULTS

SCORES BASED ON TOP TWO WAVES

 

WEST COAST OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS

 

OPEN MENS

1.       Mike McCabe-Ventura 13.16

2.       Cory Arrambide-Ventura 12.50

3.       Andrew Bennett-Goleta 10.84

4.       Quinn McCrystal-Huntington Beach 6.50

 

OPEN JUNIORS

1.       Andrew Doheny-Newport Beach 14.33

2.       Nat Young-Santa Cruz 13.84

3.       Dane Zaun-Hollyglen 13.67

4.       Conner Coffin-Santa Barbara 10.16

5.       Riley Metcalf-San Clemente 9.17

6.       JD Lewis-Cardiff by the Sea 9.16

 

OPEN BOYS

1.       Kolohe Andino-San Clemente 17.50

2.       Kadin Panesi-Pacifica 11.66

3.       Tommy Wehsener-Encinitas 9.33

4.       Parker Coffin-Santa Barbara 8.50

5.       Taylor Clark-Encinitas 4.17

6.       Andrew Jacobson-Malibu 3.84

 

OPEN MINI GROMS

1.       Kanoa Igarashi-Huntington Beach 14.50

2.       Nic H’dez-Santa Cruz 13.83

3.       Jacob Davis-Capistrano Beach 9.00

4.       Cole Walter-San Mateo 7.67

5.       Decker McAllister-Santa Barbara 7.66

6.       Brogie Panesi-Pacifica 4.50

 

OPEN WOMENS

1.       Demi Boelsterli-Santa Barbara 14.66

2.       Courtney Conlogue-Santa Ana 13.66

3.       Sara Taylor-Huntington Beach 10.66

4.       Alexa Frantz-San Diego 8.50

 

OPEN LONGBOARD

1.       Kevin Osborne-San Clemente 16.84

2.       Troy Mothershead-San Clemente 16.16

3.       Christian Clark-Encinitas 9.83

4.       Cole Robbins-Santa Barbara 8.84

5.       Chase Stavron-Capistrano Beach 8.33

6.       Cody Ulrich-San Clemente 6.83

 

WEST COAST EXPLORER CHAMPIONSHIPS

 

EXPLORER MENS

1. Quinn McCrystal-Huntington Beach 15.17
2. Dillon Perillo-Malibu 14.17
3. Nat Young-Santa Cruz 12.00
4. Matt McCabe-Ventura 10.33
5. Nathan Hinck-San Diego 9.33
6. Noah Erickson-Ojai 9.16

EXPLORER JUNIORS

1. Cory Arrambide-Ventura 18.00
2. Nat Young-Santa Cruz 16.34
3. Dillon Perillo-Malibu 15.34
4. Kokoro Tomatsuri-Summerland 13.00
5. Spencer Regan-Ventura 11.67
6. Chase Brady-San Clemente 5.92

EXPLORER BOYS

1. Andrew Doheny-Newport Beach 15.50
2. Luke Davis-Capistrano Beach 13.66
3. Conner Coffin-Santa Barbara 11.66
4. Kolohe Andino-San Clemente 9.00
5. Shayne Nelson-Huntington Beach 8.50
6. Ian Crane-San Clemente 6.00

EXPLORER MENEHUENE

1. Kolohe Andino-San Clemente 16.67
2. Johnny Elles-Huntington Beach 12.33
3. Taylor Clark-Encinitas 11.00
4. Andrew Jacobson-Malibu 8.17
5. Jacob Davis-Capistrano Beach 7.50
6. Colin Moran-Costa Mesa 7.33

EXPLORER WOMENS

1. Sage Erickson-Ojai 12.83
2. Demi Boelsterli-Santa Barbara 10.17
3. Sara Taylor-Huntington Beach 9.50
4. Alexa Frantz-San Diego 7.83
5. Lauren Nutter-Carlsbad 5.50
6. Cassidy Wehsener-Encinitas 4.17

EXPLORER GIRLS

1. Lakey Peterson-Santa Barbara 13.50
2. Marissa Shaw-San Clemente 9.83
3. Tara Franz-San Juan Capistrano 8.33
4. Alexa Frantz-San Diego 7.33
5. Taylor Pitz-Laguna Beach 6.83
6. Anise Guzman-Huntington Beach 4.33

EXPLORER MASTERS

1. YuFu Penrose-San Clemente 14.83
2. Don Day-Topanga 14.00
3. Chris Keet-Santa Barbara 11.17
4. Randy Cutshall-Torrance 8.66
5. Jeff Dana-San Diego 8.00
6. Justin Golnik-Camarillo 6.83

EXPLORER SENIORS

1. Rusty Phillipy-Cardiff by the Sea 13.33
2. Brett Jordan-Ventura 11.50
3. Mike Lamm-Oxnard 10.16
4. Randy Cutshall-Torrance 10.00
5. Neil Bern-Carlsbad 8.67
6. Mike Gillard-Coronado 7.00

EXPLORER SUPER SENIORS

1. Mike Gillard-Coronado 11.17
2. Tim Senneff-Del Mar 9.50
3. Jon Peterson-Carlsbad 8.75
4. Mike Lamm-Oxnard 7.83
5. Steve Dwyer-Pacifica 6.33
6. Robert Weiner-Ventura 5.83

EXPLORER LONGBOARD

1. Troy Mothershead-San Clemente 13.67
2. Cole Robbins-Santa Barbara 13.00
3. Christian Clark-Encinitas 12.50
4. Kevin Osborne-San Clemente 10.17
5. Travis Karian-San Clemente 9.50
6. Mike Gillard-Coronado 7.83

WEST COAST AIRSHOW CHAMPIONSHIPS

1. Cory Arrambide-Ventura 8.25
2. Dane Zaun-Hollyglen 7.5
3. Spencer Regan-Ventura 6.0

    =5.    Noah Erickson-Ojai (no airs completed)

    =5.    Sam McGee-Malibu (no airs completed) 

    =5.    Bryan Van Arsdale-Huntington Beach (no airs completed)

 

For all inquiries regarding the 2007 NSSA West Coast Championships, please email NSSA Executive Director Janice Aragon at jaragon@nssa.org.