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THE COMEBACK KIDS
USA Surf Team decided at Surfing America Champs -- and they're ready to take on the world
"You are the new school icons -- you're in the drivers' seats of your careers now."
Executive director of Surfing America, Mike Gerard's words fell over the newly appointed US Team with an uncommon silence. The usually hyperactive grommets and antsy teenagers stand together around Gerard in the shade of the competitors' tent still dripping wet, proudly donning their official US Team shirts and hats and looking a bit awestruck as they listened to the Big Man's heavy words. "Everything you do reflects on American surfing," Gerard finishes. "Congratulations, you deserve this."
This is indeed a sight for sore eyes.
FLASHBACK: It's March of 2004. A loosely assembled team of US amateurs fly into Salinas, Ecuador for the ISA World Games on their own earned cash, not even sure who their teammates are and confused as to why American surfing seems to have given up on their once mighty team. Before they get the chance to become acquainted with their countrymen, let alone their competitors, they find themselves swiftly knocked out of their heats and back on planes to the States wondering what had just happened. By finals day, the once lethal Team USA had only one member left in the running for a medal and faced a disturbing 19th place standing behind unsuspecting countries like Switzerland. No kidding, Switzerland.
It was the worst result Team USA had ever racked up.
By the end of that same month, industry-backed Surfing America swooped in to revive the seriously damaged wings of team Stars and Stripes in both an emotional and controversial seizure of National Governing Body (NGB) status from the USSF. Only four months later and under heavy scrutiny from critics, Surfing America's inaugural US Championships in Huntington Beach turned out its first team and things were already looking better. Finally, all of our country's organizations (ESA, NSSA, HASA, TGSA, WSA) had put past differences aside under Surfing America's new direction and had brought with them USA's brightest surfing stars and their long-forgotten thirst for pride.
Surfing America seemed to have found the keys to the kingdom as they teamed up with Gerard, SIMA and industry big-wigs like Billabong and Quiksilver who then provided the long-needed funds and coaching required to train a cohesive, competitive group of American surfers. So when the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Championships in Tahiti came around in December of 2004 after the new, hopefully better US Team had been selected in Huntington, Surfing America's leadership and rebuilding potential was on the line. They proved more than worthy as Team USA exploded back toward the top, taking home the silver.
FASTFOWARD: "This year's better than last year," Mike Gerard says smiling, reflecting on this past week's Surfing America 2005 US Championships. "It's only getting better."
And after watching the level of amateur surfing along the south-side of HB Pier this week, one would be inclined to believe Gerard's words. From whipping overhead south swell and heavy current in the early, mid-week rounds to agonizingly flat conditions for Saturday's finals, these kids' skills in versatility and patience were forced to come out.
Take first the Open Women's final. These ladies faced an early-morning Huntington Beach lake impersonation that stuck around for their entire heat. But it didn't stop them from nipping off every available lip trickling along the pilings, especially Santa Ana, California's Courtney Conlogue who connected with a small yet rare set with twenty seconds left on the ticker and sealed the championship.
And then came the Open Men's final. "I can't deal with this!" Nick Rozsa shouted, exiting the water after the heat. "I'm from Ventura!" Rozsa looked back at the next round of surfers milling around in the flatness outside, reminiscing about fat winter-time tubes on the Strand. But considering his playing field, Mr. Rozsa had done quite well, along with Hawaii's Kevin Sullivan and Florida's Jeremy Johnston. The fellas were blessed with a few more waves than the ladies and commenced to dismantle t
hem as precisely as a knee-high wave can be. Despite Johnston's pier-shooting peon of a left and a solid score late in the heat, Lahaina, Hawaii's Dusty Payne's deadly 8.0 right-hander put down the Floridian and the rest of the boys.
With other 2005 US Champions including Hawaii's Kyle Ramey and California's Erica Hosseini in boys and girls under 18; Hawaii's Kai Barger and Florida's Christa Alves in boys and girls under 16; and California's Riley Metcalf, Christian Wach and Chris Welpman in boys under 14, open longboard and open bodyboard it does seem that Mike Gerard's prophetic words are in fact truth: this team looks better than it has in a long, long time—and they're only getting better.
"We've got a great team this year and we've got home turf," boys under 16 champ Kai Barger said, anticipating October's Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships held in the very same Huntington waters where he had just been crowned US Champion. "We've got the competitive edge now."
Now. That's the key word. Now Team USA is in the driver's seat and coming back for that long lost gold.
RESULTS
Open Men – Nick Rozsa, California; Kevin Sullivan, Hawaii; Matt Mohagen; California; Jeremy Johnston, Florida; Nick Blunda, New Jersey; and Ryan Heavyside, Florida
Open Women – Courtney Conlogue, California; Jenny Quam, California; Darlene Conolly, California; and Christa Alves, Florida
Boys Under 18 – Tanner Gudauskas, California; Sebastian Zietz, Hawaii; Drew Ventura, California; Dane Ward, California; Eddie Guilbeau, Florida; and Chris Waring, California
Girls Under 18 – Demi Boelsterli, California; Erica Hosseini, California; Alana Blanchard, Hawaii; Connie Arias, Florida; Bethany Hamilton, Hawaii; Lexie Papilion, California; Courtney Conlogue, California; and Christa Alves, Florida
Boys Under 16 – Cory Arrambide, California; Trevor Saunders, California; Jeff Lukasik, California; Kai Barger, Hawaii; Jordan Gaudet, California; and Hunter Heverly, North Carolina
Girls Under 16 – Lindsey Bowman, Virginia; and Amy Nicholl, Florida
Boys Under 14 – Eban Geiselman, Florida; and Riley Metcalf, California
Open Longboard – Joseph Aaron, California; Christian Clark, California; and Christian Wach, California
Open Bodyboard – Kris Espinosa, California; Brad Mebust, California; and Chris Welpman, California
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Andrew S Lewis
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