results Quiksilver Surf Shop Challenge presented by Surfer Magazine The crowd chanted “ten…nine…eight” as the last surfer paddled toward the finish line at a sprint pace. A rubber-coated foot hit the sand as the rhythmic chant reached three, and by one he dove through the air. Hands flew up as onlookers erupted into cheers and applause as Eddie Luparello, from team Channel Islands, dove across the finish line and landed flat on his chest inches from a rock. Knowing a five-point penalty would be charged to any team who didn’t have all it’s members back on the beach before the hour-long Shop Challenge final was over, Luparello went for broke and slid into home just in time, perfectly summing up the dedication these teams have, and how important it is for them to win.
In the second heat of round one, team O’Neill’s Kieran Horn went to work on his home break, scoring a nine on his first ride. He chose not to whammy that wave, and scored a seven on his next—a decision that could have kept them from advancing straight into the final. But with only seven minutes left in the heat, Jason “Ratboy” Collins sprinted out to the lineup, caught the first two waves that came through, and hurried back to the beach with only eight seconds left to help his team advance. Val Surf’s Anthony Petruso, surfing with team mates Brandon Richards, Colin Giles, and Pascal Stansfield, was on point, throwing his tail into the oncoming sections hard enough for them to advance to round two, even though his team incurred the five-point penalty for failing to have all four surfers back on the beach at the buzzer. The second round had a number of strategy changes. O’Neill chose to have each of their surfers ride only two waves, which left Ratboy 25 minutes to pick up two of the best waves ridden all day. He went vertical on every turn and completed them with power. After a close call in round one, Val Surf elected to give the Whammy spot to Anthony Petruso. Unfortunately, that move still wasn’t enough to get them through to the final. Team Revolution, led by shops owners John Villela and Jesse Mota, and anchored by team riders Nick Rosza and surf legend Chris Brown, were last year’s regional champs and the national champions in 2004. However, this year, they failed to make the final despite an enthusiastic performance. Shop co-owner, John Villela, had this to say, “Win or lose, we love this event. It’s the event of the year for us. We always look forward to it and we’ll definitely be back.” Some pointed at the Nathaniel Curran-sized hole in the Revolution lineup as a cause for their lack of high scores. A shoulder injury sidelined Curran this year.
Quiksilver’s Willy Morris was elated with the finish stating, “This is one of the most soulful events that I have been involved with in the last five years, on any level. From grassroots, all the way up to the major ‘CT contests—from groms like Brogie Panesi to the winners throwing down nines and tens, I love it!” The highest scoring shop employee for the event was One Way’s Ryan Peterson, who scored an 8.5 on a set wave during the final. He walked away with a check for $250 courtesy of DC Shoes.1- O’Neill Surf Shop - 61.3 
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The 2007 Quiksilver Surf Shop Challenge Central Northwest Qualifier (CNW) made its inaugural debut at Santa Cruz’s Pleasure Point this weekend. In order to move the home-court advantage around, previous CNW Qualifiers have been held at Topanga Canyon and C-Street in Ventura. With a combo swell in the water, 70 competitors from Seal Beach to Marin County descended on Pleasure Point, and as things got into gear during the first heat of the day, Log Shop super-groms, brothers Brogie and Kadin Panesi, played a round of rock, paper, scissors to decide which one would surf as the team’s double whammy surfer. Brogie, a nine-year-old, won the game, and earned some hoots from the crowd as he drew out long cutbacks on an overhead right; overhead, at least, for him.
That stacked final pitted O’Neill surf shop against Santa Maria’s One Way Surf Shop, and no one knew until the last moment which team would walk away with the trophy. The One Way team, comprised of Kilian Garland, Ryan Peterson, Guy Quezada, and Dennis Rizzo made the best of the conditions in 60 minute final, but in the end, the boys from One Way fell short. They were unable to match Ratty’s amazing performance, Kieran Horn’s 9.33 whammy, and the strong support of TJ Mikus and Jesse Columbo for team O’Neill.