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Jack's Surfboards, Katin Surf Shop, Pacific Vibrations, Quiet Flight and Wave Riding Vehicles Face Off for 10K at the 2005 Quiksliver Surf Shop Challenge Final From Lower Trestles.

By Alex Wilson

“Surf Shops are the life-blood of our industry,” said Surfer Magazine Editor Chris Mauro from the podium at the Surfer Poll Awards on Tuesday night, Sept. 13, expressing his enthusiasm for the 2005 Quiksilver Surf Shop Challenge presented by Surfer Magazine . It was a sentiment echoed the next day by Quiksilver Team Manager Strider Wasilewski at Lower Trestles just prior to the event. “Quik is a huge company within the industry and surf shops are our main vein. That's why we do this thing. We want to get the guys from the shops down to the beach so we can hang out and vibe out with each other a little bit and have some fun. The Shop Challenge is just a great way to keep Quik involved at the grassroots level and support the core shops that are the heartbeat of the industry.”

The Shop Challenge Final began Wednesday afternoon under blue skies at Lower Trestles during a break in the action from the Boost Mobile Pro of Surf. The breeze was light onshore, but with the tide push the waves actually seemed to turn on nicely for the competitors, coming through at a consistent waist- to chest-high. The five four-man Regional Champion teams, each of which advanced after placing First in the regional qualifiers held throughout the past few months, hit the water for the 45-minute heat with their game faces on, and with $10,000, plus a free full-page ad in Surfer on the line, all the boys were fired up to make things happen. “I'm feeling pretty good about our shot,” said Katin Team Manager Ryan Simmons prior to the heat. “I'm stoked on our team. Ted Navarro surfs insane and our employee guys surf well too, so we're looking to take this thing. We took out last year's champs in the qualifier at C Street, so I think we have a pretty good shot.”

With a format that keeps things interesting, the rules of the Final were pretty straightforward. Each team creates a “batting order” from its four-man roster, which consists of two shop-sponsored riders and two shop employees. They then surf in turn with each rider only able to catch two waves. Whichever team has the highest score after riding a total of eight waves is the winner. The catch in the equation is the “Double-Whammy,” a rule that allows each team's pre-selected “Whammy” rider to double the score on one of his waves by claiming it with a pair fists in the air. The tricky part is, not every Double-Whammy claim turns out to be the rider's best wave; plus, the wave has to be claimed within 10 seconds of the completion of the ride.

As the horn sounded the five teams jockeyed for position in the lineup. The game was afoot, and even the WCT pros were intrigued. Aussie CT'ers, including Jake Paterson, Occy, Nathan Hedge and Richie Lovett were seen intently watching the action with wadded fists of cash, screaming and placing bets on the outcome, eagerly anticipating each team's every move.

It was Jack's “Whammy” rider Shawn Ward who drew first blood. Taking off on the very first bump to come through in the heat, Ward tore down the line on his forehand, connecting a series of bashes to the inside for a solid 7.5, a score he promptly doubled by claiming the wave in the shorepound. With Jack's out to an early lead it was up to Ward to keep the ball rolling, but on his second wave he was stuck with only a 2.23. Mikey Bruneau took that opportunity to step up for Pacific Vibrations, putting together a combined total of 9.5 on his two waves to keep the Hawaiian team within striking distance of the Southwest Champs.

Jack's, however, would remain in the top slot only briefly. A few minutes after Ward's second ride, Pacific Vibrations rider Casey Brown laid into a nice right-hander for five vertical bashes that earned a 9.17. Casey was savvy enough to know immediately that this was his “Whammy” score and claimed it proudly. Brown then went on to post a solid 6.43 on his second wave, for a combined two-wave score of 24.77, a total that gave Pacific Vibrations a strong foundation to build on.

With the Hawaiians out in front, the lead changed yet again as Quiet Flight's Bryan Hewitson hit the water to contribute to the respectable scores of Nick Piette and David Awbrey. Hewitson caught his “Whammy” wave right off the bat and racked up 16 points before catching his second, a 7.47, to give the Southeast Champions the lead.

Three-quarters of the way through the heat, Quiet Flight still held that lead, while essentially comboed, things were beginning to look bleak for WRV and Katin as they sat at the bottom of the pack, desperately searching for a way to get moving. Quiet Flight would stay ahead until the waning minutes, when finally, Pacific Vibrations shop employee Makai McMichael grabbed the last scoring wave for his squad, raking in a 5.27 on a pair of bashes and a small cover-up on the inside. With the conclusion of McMichael's ride, Vibrations was the first squad to go through all four of its surfers, and for the Hawaiians, the final few minutes became an agonizing waiting game as they held their breath and watched as the other four teams struggled to gain ground. Teddy Navarro from Jack's put in a noble effort, as did WRV's Noah Snyder, who stayed in the water until the horn looking for the “Whammy” wave that would propel the Northeast Champs from Fifth to First, but in the end, the day went to the Hawaiians.

“We're so stoked,” said Makai McMichael, the shop employee whose final ride was the juice that pushed the team into the winner's circle, “I can't believe we just nabbed ten grand. We're gonna have to go do a surf trip now or something!”

And what about the other winner? The top dog from the betting going on up the beach? It turns out the lone Seppo of the bunch, Joey Santley, dragged the pot. “Not a bad day's work,” said Santley with a smile, as he fanned out the $250 he won from the visiting Australian pros. “Not bad at all.”

Results:
1 st – Pacific Vibrations (Haw) 47.01 pts
2 nd – Quiet Flight (SE) 42.20 pts
3 rd – Jacks (SW) 37.47 pts
4 th – Katin Surf Shop (NW) 37.07
5 th – Wave Riding Vehicles (NE) 31.01 pts