Surfers ride out the rain

Gary Sahagen called last weekend’s opening leg of the 2007 World Longboard Championship Series “a test.”

Sahagen and the other operators of the Surf City USA Longboard Pro-Am certainly were put to the test by rainy conditions that greeted the three-day event last Friday, but the contest and surrounding festival emerged with flying colors despite an ominous beginning.

“Not even a rain-out on that first day could dampen how great the weekend was,” said Sahagen, the contest’s director. “There was a lot of good surf, a lot of good talent, and there was a lot to do for folks who attended the weekend event. We got a lot of positive feedback, and our sponsors were really pleased.

“We anticipated potential weather problems and we adjusted, and it wasn’t a problem. Things couldn’t have gone any better.”

Friday’s rain caused the opening day of the contest to be pushed to Saturday. There were 14 teams entered in the Pro Tandem event, and “close to” 60 in each of the Amateur and Pro divisions, Sahagen said.

The team of Kalani Vierra and Blanche Yoshida won the Pro Tandem final; Kai Sallas won the Open Pro Men’s final; Summer Romero won the Open Pro Women’s final; Brent Russell won the Pro Men’s Noseriding final; and Kelly Nicely won the Pro Women’s Noseriding final.

The winners of the Pro Tandem and Open Pro Men’s Finals each received a first-place prize of $2,000. Places second through fourth received $1,000, $600 and $400, respectively, in each division.

The winner of the Open Pro Women’s final earned $1,000. Second- through fourth-place received $500, $300 and $200, respectively.

The next series event will be held in Oceanside in August. The third series event is scheduled for Del Mar in September, and Sahagen said that “as of now,” the fourth and final series event for 2007 would return to Huntington Beach in November.

Results

Pro Tandem final: 1. Kalani Vierra and Blanche Yoshida; 2. Caleb Wilborn and Wendy Lynn; 3. Brian and Illa McEvilly; 4. Clay and Kristen Huntington.

Open Pro-Am

Men’s final: 1. Kai Sallas; 2. Colin McPhillips; 3. Taylor Jensen; 4. Brendan White.

Women’s final: 1. Summer Romero; 2. Jen Smith; 3. Kelly Nicely; 4. Margaret Yao.

Pro Men’s Noseriding: 1. Brent Russell 1; 2. Christian Wach; 3. Kai Sallas; 4. Noah Shimabukuro.

Pro Women’s Noseriding: 1. Kelly Nicely; 2. Summer Romero; 3. Lindsay Steinriede; 4. Kaitlin Maguire.

Amateur Longboarding

Boys’ Under-14: 1. Jeff Newell; 2. Trevor Lucca

Girls’ Under-14: 1. Kirra Kehoe

Boys’ 15-19 Division: 1. Billy Hopkins; 2. Shane Van Herk; 3. Alex Hauck; 4. Max Jessee; 5. Sterling Foxcroft.

Girls’ 15-19 Division: 1. Sophia Bartlow; 2. Kirra Keho; 3. Marissa Graham; 4. Cathy Vazquez; 5. Amber Syage.

Men’s 20-29 Division: 1. Kelly Kraushaar; 2. Billy Harris; 3. Rocky McKinnon; 4. Trevor Cleveland; 5. Keiichiio Tomi.

Men 30-39 Division: 1. Travis Long

Women’s 20-39 Division: 1. Kamalehua Keohokapu

Men’s 40-49 Division: 1. Terry Gillard; 2. Bill Hopkins; 3. Wayne Rich; 4. Dave Carlos; 5. Mike Stone; 6. Bill Brewer.

Women’s 40-over Division: 1. Jericho Poppler; 2. Jill Nakano; 3. Angela Madsen.

Men’s 50-59 Division: 1. Tres Fochts; 2. Nacho Ojeda; 3. Tony Alvarado; 4. Steve McKenzie; 5. Eric Crumley; 6. Steve Cleveland.

Men’s 60-69 Division: 1. John Baker; 2. John Moore.

Men’s 70-over Division: 1. Gary Stellern; 2. George Carr “Mysto”

Amateur Noseriding

Boys’ 18-Under Division: 1. Alex Hauck; 2. Billy Hopkins

LW Noseriding Men’s 40-over Division: 1. Nacho Ojeda; 2. Mike Ester; 3. Eric Crumley; 4. Terry Gillard.

HW Noseriding 40-over Division: 1. Wayne Rich; 2. Steve Cleveland.