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NSSA NATIONALS: FULL STORY
Kolohe Andino wins Open Mens Championship; breaks Martinez's title record
By:
Evan Fontaine
Photos: AJ Neste/Surfing America
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June 28, 2009
16333 visits
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They're partying in San Clemente tonight.
For a second straight year, the Californians were the story at NSSA Nationals, only this year it was a local product -- Kolohe Andino -- who made the most noise.
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The teenager made history...twice -- tying and then passing Bobby Martinez's record mark of seven national titles. All tolled, Brother surfed six heats on the last day of competition and went three for four in finals for the day, tallying wins in the Open Mens, Explorer Boys and Airshow. He is also the youngest winner of an Open Mens national title in NSSA history. The Final in the Open Mens division set up more or less how most thought it would - a cast of heavy hitters who were each capable of delivering a knockout punch. Taking to the Lowers lineup was Evan Thompson, Alex Smith and two 15-year-olds from California with contrasting styles -- Conner Coffin and Kolohe Andino. But all the hype was for not, as inconsistent surf held the competitors hostage. Andino, however, was able to put up points early and force everyone else to play catch up. "The main part of all the heats I surf is getting that quick start because I think once I get a couple scores on the board that's when I really start to perform and surf my best," Andino said. Mixing a well-balanced arsenal of big, wrapping, on-rail turns with a vertical attack and above-the-lip explosiveness, Andino executed his game plan to perfection and posted wave scores of an 8.25 and 7.75 early. Plenty of time left on the clock for a comeback. "I was still pretty nervous. Conner and Evan have both got 10s and Alex Smith has been ripping," Andino said. Coffin couldn't seem to find the waves he needed in his finals, namely the shorter, steeper lefts, to make a run at Andino. And despite throwing and landing a massive air reverse, Smith just couldn't put anything together. Evan Thompson, put up a fight, but in a race that was clearly for second, never really threatened Andino. It wasn't as though Andino had so many more opportunities to put up points. He didn't. Smith and Coffin, the third and fourth place finishers respectively, failed to capitalize on legitimate scoring opportunities, and in a heat characterized by heavy lulls, you can't afford mistakes like that -- the stakes are that much higher. Brother said later that he thought a lot of it -- his win, that is -- was luck. It wasn't. He had a strategy and it worked. Simple as that. "I can't believe I just won," a visibly shocked and surprisingly candid Andino admitted as he stood on the awards stage at the foot of the scaffolding, draped in a California State flag just minutes removed from being hoisted on the shoulders of friends and paraded down the beach from the point. In his acceptance speech, he was humble and gracious, thanking all the right people - his family, friends, coaches, sponsors and competitors. For a kid who has every reason to have an ego with its own zip code, Kolohe comes across as just the opposite - a 15-year-old kid who's "super psyched" (his words) that he just won Open Men's at Nationals. Lost amid the records being broken and talk of the Californian repeat at the top was Hawaiian Ezekiel Lau's Open Juniors Win. The tall, powerful regular foot edged out Conner Coffin in the waning minutes of their finals heat and was bombarded by a Hawaiian contingent that, upon the end of the heat, came out of the woodwork to flood the beach. For Zeke, the win has been a long time coming. "I've made Finals almost every year and just always coming up short, so it feels good to actually get [the win] this time," Lau said. "I've had a little trouble with boards in the past, but this year I had it all dialed. I had a couple boards - Mayhems and Keahana -- and everything seemed to just work and fall in place." And yes, the rumors are true (we had to ask), Ezekiel will be rocking a full head of hair now that he's got his NSSA national title. Two other Hawaiians turned in standout performances on the final day at Nationals. Using his elimination from the Open Mens division as motivation, Kiron Jabour surfed like a man possessed on Saturday in his two Explorer finals. He dismantled both the right and left at Lowers, making most in the gallery wonder "Where's that been all week?" It's not that Jabour surfed poorly, he lost because of stupid mistakes. He let Conner Coffin take a wave to beat him in the last minute of their heat in the Open Men's division. Talent, which Jabour has oceans of, only takes you so far; at some point, a bit of strategy has to come into play. So, Jabour takes a loss, learns from it and comes back to win to both Explorer Men's and Juniors titles, starting quick then sitting on his competition. Now think what he might have done had he integrated that strategy sooner? This is how much better Ian Gentil was than the other surfers in his Open Boys final: He was posted up on the beach, Hawaiian flag wrapped around him like a beach blanket, mid-interview when the horn finally sounded to end the heat. Where does a kid get that much confidence, to get out of the water that early in a heat? When he lays down not one, but two perfect 10s. "I've never gotten a 10 before," Gentil said. "I didn't even know I got the 10 until I paddled back out. Everyone was saying I got a 10 and I didn't really believe them, and then I got my second 10. And then I heard them say perfect 20 and I was like, 'Whoa!' I didn't even know what to think." With his Perfect 20, Gentil joins Clay Marzo and Eric Geiselman as the only other surfers to receive the Perfect 20 mark. RESULTS OPEN MENS Kolohe Andino Evan Thompson Alex Smith Conner Coffin OPEN WOMENS Lakey Peterson Courtney Conlogue Malia Manuel Nage Melamed OPEN JUNIORS Ezekiel Lau Conner Coffin Matty Costa Kaimana Jaquias EXPLORER MENS Kiron Jabour Alex Smith Dylan Goodale Tanner Hendrickson Fisher Heverly Makana Eleogram EXPLORER JUNIORS Kiron Jabour Tanner Hendrickson Fisher Heverly Evan Thompson Dylan Goodale Kolohe Andino SURFLINE HOME PAGE MORE SURF NEWS |
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