Quiksilver Surf Shop Challenge
Central/Northwest Regional Qualifier
May 19, 2008
Pleasure Point, Santa Cruz, CA
By: Scott Kendall

The fog and chill in the air wasn’t enough to shut down the competitive atmosphere fueling the teams on the cliff overlooking Pleasure Point. They had seen the forecast, they knew what they were in for, and they knew what was at stake. The socked in lineup would clear within the hour; clean lines and light wind would make for great conditions.  The only unknown variable was the name of the shop that would emerge victorious.
The day’s lowest level of good wave juju greeted the first heat when it hit the water, but it still saw some great rides. Adam Virs from Ventura Surf Shop scratched into his double whammy wave, a long and walled right-handed runner, with only 6 minutes left. By the time he caught all three of his waves and meandered across the finish line, there were three seconds left, which allowed him to narrowly escape a 5-point deduction. Left behind in the first heat were Freeline Designs, whose team consisted of shop owner Peter Mel and his son, John, along with two team riders.

The second heat was a mindblower. Competitors saw three-time world champion, Tom Curren stroke into the lineup as a representative for Channel Islands Surfboards. Surf Shop challenge history was made when, in the span of four minutes, Curren whammied an 8.5, paddled back out, caught a wide-swinging second peak and proceeded to punish that wave as well. His second score: a 9.25.  With a combined score of 26.5, Curren rightfully felt his job was done for the heat and paddled to the beach to tag in his next teammate. At the end of the heat, the CI team’s total was enough to send them straight to the final, skipping the second round.
The third heat offered an opportunity for defending regional champions, O’Neill, to take the first steps toward reclaiming their title. To say they answered that call is an understatement. Kieran Horn paddled into the first wave of the heat and put on an unmatchable display of turns and slashes that earned him a 9.7, which he quickly whammied. His team members followed suit: TJ Mikus showed the crowd how well he knows this break, while Jesse Colombo held his own. The O’Neill crew made one update to the roster this year, electing to replace Jason “Ratboy” Collins with local WQS ripper Noi Kaulukukui, who definitely filled Ratty’s shoes and performed spectacularly at his home break.

With the opening rounds finished, there was nothing left to do but run the final. “Breaking News!” cracked Ryan Buell over the event PA.” Everyone on the Channel Islands team is riding a Merrick.” So began the last hour of competition at Pleasure Point.

The team may have all been riding their sponsor’s equipment, but they were not all able to relive the success Tom Curren enjoyed in heat two. Actually, even Curren himself fell short.  Team manager, Brian Aresco, surfed solidly throughout the day, as did Hank Mills and Ted Travers, but the foursome were not able to pull it together. After his first two waves, Curren was forced to whammy a mediocre score on wave number three.  A disappointing fourth place finish left the team shaking their heads.

Also in the final were ’04 National and ‘06 Regional champs, Revolution, whose rider list included five-year QSSC veteran Nathaniel Curran, Noah Erickson, Donny Estes and Josh Curran. Rounding out the finalists was One Way Boardshop, boasting a talented roster including Kilian Garland, Spencer Reagan, Guy Quezada and Ryan Peterson.

With Revolution and One Way in the final together, it looked as though it was going to be a battle of the Ventura region. But O’Neill put that assumption to bed immediately. The group of Santa Cruz locals displayed power, poise and patience. In a way, surfing against this team at Pleasure Point is like playing the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field—they have the place wired, and they proved it by walking away with the win. Now, their sites are set on the National final, slated to go down in Huntington on September 8.

Final Results

1- O’Neill 52.8
Kieran Horn, TJ Mikus, Jesse Colombo, Noi Kaulukukui
2- One Way 36.16
Kilian Garland, Spencer Reagan, Guy Quezada, Ryan Peterson.
3- Revolution 35.56
Nathaniel Curran, Noah Erikson, Donny Estes, Josh Curran
4- Channel Islands 28.76
Tom Curren, Brian Aresco, Hank Mills, Ted Travers

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