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Sweet Vindication:
Revolution Surf Shop Claims Victory in 2006
Quiksilver Surf Shop Challenge Central/Northwest Division
As daylight crept over 54th Street in Newport
Beach and Bob Marley crooned his reggae melodies over the contest
loudspeaker, contestants for the Quiksilver Surf Shop Challenge
Central/Northwest division were prepping for a day of fun competition.
Peaky walls in the waist-to-chest high zone funneled shoreward,
and fast glassy faces were soon to be descended upon by the legions
of competitors that had come out for the day’s event. Little
did the spectators lining the beach know that the mellow early
morning jams of Bob were about to be replaced with some serious
punk rock, as the surfers exploded with insanely progressive maneuvers
throughout the day.
Egging each other on from the get-go it was obvious that all the
contestants were in the contest to win. “Milk it like a
poor farmer!” cried Justin Swartz of the ZJ Boarding House,
encouraging his fellow teammates from the “dugout”:
a tented waiting area where surfers lined up like a relay race
waiting to contribute their skills to the overall heat. “Milk
it so we can show these chumps what’s up!”
Revolution Team Rider: Nick Rozsa |
The Central/Northwest regional championship
has been one of the most hotly contested of all the QSSC regions,
as top seeded shops Revolution and Katin have both met in the
finals for the past three years. These two shops had been battling
it out with a bit of trash talk in the morning, and ended up meeting
in the final once again.
“We lost last year under what was kind of controversial
circumstances” explained John Villela of Revolution Surf
Shop. “We’ve been waiting since last year for our
chance at vindication. This event is fun each year and is a great
time all around, but we’re here to win.”
Chas Chidester of Katin explained, “Yeah we’ve got
some decent waves today and I’m looking for a win for sure.
It’s a fun, new format that mixes it up a little. You have
other people to rely on, not just yourself.”
As the first two rounds wrapped up it became clear that Katin,
Revolution, Channel Islands and dark horse ET surfboards had made
their way to the final. Henry Mills led the way for Channel Islands,
throwing some serious weight around in the stacked heat. Katin
slid a bit in the last round despite strong performances throughout
the day from team members Matt Koeller and Drew Middleton. Katin
team captain Teddy Navarro was overheard saying “It was
the waves, man, we couldn’t catch a break out there. We’ll
be back next year.” ET surfboards Rich Silva definitely
stole the show, nearly slinging his underdog team to victory with
some huge gouges at critical times. Daniel Delcastillo, Kyle Jaxs
and Gustavo Salazar provided plenty of support, proving that ET
Surfboards fielded one of the most solid teams around.
Revolution Team Rider: Nathaniel
Curran |
As competitors exited the water the crowd
was hyped, but with such close competition no one could tell who
had won. The announcers kept everyone in anticipation. “And
the winner is...Revolution Surf Shop by less than half a point!”
A relieved Revolution rider Jesse Mota explained “When the
heat was over I was thinking f*ck, I blew it. I was thinking we
were going to lose and it would all be my fault after my last
fall. But it all worked out and I’m psyched!” Today,
the whammy option of doubling one wave score did not play its
usual part; the sweet taste of victory was instead brought by
old-fashioned teamwork and perseverance. Said Revolution team
member Nick Rozsa “I love this contest, I’m so stoked
to win! This is a competition with just you and your bros. What
a great competition!”
Final Results
1- Revolution 36.53
Team: Nathaniel Curran, Nick Rozsa, Jesse Mota, Joe Villela
2- ET Surfboards 36.06
Team: Daniel Delcastillo, Kyle Jaxs, Gustavo Salazar, Rich Silva
3- Channel Islands 30.6
Team: Travers Adler, Henry Mills, Blake Howard, Eddie Lapanella
4- Katin 25.9
Team: Matt Koeller, Teddy Navarro, Drew Middleton, Chas Chidester
For More Information visit: www.surfermag.com/events/qssc06/
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