NSSA - National Scholastic Surfing Association

The National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to encourage and assist its members in their interest to learn and develop the fundamentals and skills of surfing competition while competing in structured and quality events. The NSSA promotes the qualities of discipline and competitive excellence while supporting the merits of academic achievement to young surfers. The NSSA strives to provide a fun surfing experience for all of its members.

The NSSA is one of the few national youth sports organizations that require its participants to maintain academic standards in order to compete. Since 1978, the NSSA program philosophy has been that athletics and scholastics go hand in hand. More than 80 NSSA events are run nationwide that culminate with the annual National Championships which is regarded as the highest profile youth surfing event in America.


2006 HAWAII REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS

NSSA REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS BOOSTS PROMISE FOR NATIONALS

 

By: Mia Melamed

March/April 2006

 

The Jamba Juice NSSA Hawaii Tour came to an exciting conclusion for the 2005-2006 season on Saturday April 29th at Haleiwa’s Ali’i Beach Park.  This was finals day with about 40% of the season’s points up for grabs and on the line during the Verizon Wireless Regional Championships. Mother nature cooperated big time.  After 40 days and nights of some of the wettest weather and flattest days on record, trade winds blew a gentle 15 miles per hour, barely cooling us off from the warming temperatures.  A clean spring swell from the northwest kept the surfers steaming hot all day long.  2-3 feet local size waves with some freak sets kept everyone honest and scrambling at times.

 

Regional Championships always create a lot of tension because crowns, bragging rights, and a ton of points are at stake.  Some stalwarts maintained their composure like Dusty Payne who not only captured the Open Men’s Final but also flew back home to Maui with a #1 ranking for the season. Paige Alms, another Maui wave rider captured first place in the Open Women’s final, nudging out Carissa Moore and Malia Manuel with her strong bottom turns and sweeping cutbacks.  In the Open Boys Division Ezekiel Lau boosted himself over the pack with another first place finish while in a very competitive Open Junior final that saw a bevy of triangles; Levi Gonzales last wave barely boosted him ahead of Dylan Melamed leaving the pack in the dust as Levi paddled home to the Big Island with a beautiful Koa trophy strapped to his leash. 

 

Little Kai Oli Kahokuloa upset one of his Kauai neighbors, the very talented Koa Smith while Nathan Rex and Benji Brand soared to first place finishes in the air show and mini air show respectively.  

 

In the Explorer Division Kekoa Cazimero is buffing his first place trophy in the junior division by riding one of his patented left handers almost to the jetties, about 125 yards down the beach.  John John Florence added more hardware to his trophy case with a first place finish in the boy’s division after landing countless floaters and steep deep angles with his every move. Meanwhile Alex Smith (who surfed four finals on that day) smiled as wide as a whale with his first place trophy in the Explorer Men’s division. In the Explorer Girls 14 and under Kauai’s Malia Manuel showed some excellent wave savvy squeaking past Carissa Moore.  In the Explorer Menehune Division Ezekiel Lau took down a strong challenge from Keanu Asing, Koa Smith, Kaikea Elias, Matty Costa, and Luke Hitchcock. Cedric Caires rode the nose to a first place victory in the long board division, while Christian Budroe had two hands full of Masters and Seniors first place finishes. In the super senior division it was Raymond Shito who reined supreme over another veteran, Brian Surrat.

 

A big Mahalo must go out to Hawaii’s DLNR who granted the NSSA HAWAII a permit to move the contest from Kewalo Basin on the south shore, to Haleiwa where the waves and water conditions proved ideal.  The field of competitors is now set for the National Championships and our Hawaii surfers who had 10 of 16 first place finishes last year can only think of humbly sweeping the competition, this June in San Clemente.