RESULTS
PHOTO
| VIDEO
Kicking
Ass At Kewalos
Quiksilver Surf Shop Challenge Stops Off In Da Islands
It’s
been an amazing summer for competitors of all ages surfing Hawaii’s
myriad of South Shore contests. Incredibly, every contest since
May has fallen on a weekend of southern-hemi surf, while the day
after always seems to drop back down to knee high bouncers. This
year’s Quiksilver Surf Shop Challenge Hawaii Qualifier was
no different, scoring one of the better south swells of the summer.
As if by accident (or the blessing from the surf gods), the swell
came up on a Thursday evening for the rare Friday only competition.
 Shop
teams either flew in or drove from around the island state to Oahu’s
Kewalo Basin for a long day of hard surfing, anticipating high scores
and exclusive waves. There are two things you need to know about
Kewalos:
1.
At best it’s a tricky left-hander that dumps into a boat channel,
bending back along the inner, shallow reef and then, with luck,
reforms into a snappy little inside face that gives up anything
from the tightest of mini-tubes to pockets custom made for 360’s/lip
smacks/round-house gouges and anything else you want to create.
2. It can also be an insanely crisp right-hand wall that either
opens up on take-off into a tight barrel or closes out into the
verrrrry shallow reef.
The
key to success at the break is knowing what it will and won’t
give you depending on the tide, so, the smart money had to go to
the surfers who either grew up there or get a couple sessions in
weekly. This played to the advantage of Quiksilver’s 13-year-old
Keanu Asing from Local Motion who popped a frontside air reverse
in the finals, instantly snagging the $250 DC Most Progressive Surfer
award.
Ultimately,
the winning team came from the Boardriders Club, Honolulu. With
the win comes a free trip to the mainland to compete in the National
Championships of the Quiksilver Surf Shop Challenge on Sept. 11
at Oceanside, California, for a shot at $10,000, bragging rights
for year, and a free ad in SURFER. Brennan Boudreau, Dege O’Connell,
surf gal Tory Titcomb and Mick Ventresca are now waving that flag
high over their heads, and packing up the wetsuits and iPods for
the flight over the Pacific in a month.
Second
Place went to Local Motion, consisting of Keanu Asing, Evan Laeha,
Tyler Newton and Ron Serikaku, while third went to Hawaiian Island
Creations, surfed by Lance Gentry, Mervin Kuahiwiui, Derek Lyons-Wolf
and Mike Mattison.
BIG
MAHALOS to the local Kewalo boys and girls who gave up a day of
summer waves so that the Challenge could run.
Hawaii
Final Results
1-
Board Riders Club 46.67
2- Local Motion 44
3- HIC 39.33
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