RESULTS
An
Unbeatable Sunrise
With an unshakable early lead, the Southeast’s Sunrise
Surf Shop Wins the 2006 Quiksilver Surf Shop Challenge
 About
halfway through the 2006 Quiksilver Surf Shop Challenge National
Championships in Oceanside, a giant sponge came running down the
beach. Hooting and ranting, the man-sized block of foam charged
into the shore break, the words “Revo Man” spray-painted
across what seemed to be its face. The Revolution Team from Ventura
went nuts as they recognized their mascot, which hyped the crowd
from the waterline as a new set poured through out in the water.
With a strong cheering section already in place on the beach, Revolution
had been steadily gaining momentum throughout the final, and now,
with their mascot adding fuel, it looked like they had enough steam
to take the win.
But,
despite their competitive drive and spirit, it wasn’t to be.
Florida’s Sunrise Surf Shop was sitting on a lead that was
simply beyond any teams reach.
Early
in the heat, just minutes after the opening horn sounded, Sunrise’s
Ryan Briggs took off on one of the first waves ridden during the
final and set the pace and the bar for the morning. Whipping through
a series of frontside hacks, and finally slamming a reverse on the
end section, Briggs posted an 8.0. Afterwards, he quickly claimed
the ride as his teams “Double Whammy” score, which gave
Sunrise 16 points in the opening moments of the match-up. Briggs
then proceeded to paddle back out, and found another lined-up right
that he connected for a tube, another big hack and a bank off the
end section for a 9.85. Riding in to tag teammate Adam McGill, Briggs
had put almost 26-points on the board for his team, a massive and
daunting early lead.
 But,
if the other teams were rattled, most didn’t show it. Southwest
Champions, Huntington Surf and Sport, and Central / Northwest Champions,
Revolution, both came on strong for the rest of the 70-minute match-up,
and both came incredibly close to taking the lead that Sunrise had
established early on. Led by the efforts of Logan Strook, Micah
Byrne, Brian VanArsdale and Brett Simpson, HSS finished the day
with a total of 46.93 points. It was a score that put them agonizingly
close to first place. In fact, if HSS “Whammy” rider
Brett Simpson had managed to hang on in the soup, as he spun through
the final landing phase of a massive frontside air reverse, HSS
would have undoubtedly won.
Revolution,
buoyed by their mascot and a favorable crowd, and led by shop owners
Jesse Mota and John Villela, and teamriders Nick Rosza and Nathaniel
Curran, also came close to winning the day. With 47.43 points to
their credit, they managed to finish in second place by building
on a series of solid scores that kept them in contention throughout,
but, in the end, they were unable to overtake the lead that Sunrise
established early on.
Backed up fellow riders Adam McGill, Dane Jefferys and Jason Motes,
Brigg’s score was enough to give his squad the win. “All
my boys stepped up today,” said shop rider Jason Motes, who
was easily the most fired-up competitor during the awards ceremony
in the sand. “Now give us that check!” Basking in the
glow of their very recent win in the Southeast Finals, and now with
a National win as well, Sunrise will be going home with $10,000
to split between them, as well a the glory of becoming the first
Quiksilver Surf Shop team to take the title back to the East Coast.
Results:
First Place 49.96: Sunrise Surf Shop, FL
Team: Ryan Briggs, Adam McGill, Dane Jefferys, Jason Motes
Second Place 47.43: Revolution, CA
Team: Jesse Mota, Nick Rosza, John Villela, Nathaniel Curran
Third Place 46.93: Huntington Surf and Sport, CA
Team: Logan Strook, Brian VanArsdale, Brett Simpson, Micah Byrne
Fourth Place 41.83: WRV, VA
Team: Wes Laine, Ben McBrien, Ian Parnell, Jeff Myers
Fifth Place 6.8: Board Riders Club, HI
Team: Tory Titcomb, Brennan Boudreau, Nick Ventresca, Dege O’Connell
DC Most
Progressive Maneuver:
Brett Simpson
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