NorCal INT League Wakesurf

After a rough start to the season the NorCal INT League wakesurf series wound up with a bang! The largest sanctioned wakesurf contest in history featured almost 50 riders and close to 200 spectators. Boats and people lined the course for a chance to see the best riders in the area compete for top honors.

Huge thanks and props alike to the sponsors that made this happen. Centurion boats provided two Enzo's for this contest, we had a counter rotating propped Enzo for the darkside riders
Kayce Brewer of Centurion boats pulled up in a factory fresh Enzo for the port side. Thanks Kayce for the boats, support and driving skills.

Jim Rockford of Neptune's audio and Darcy THompson of Willeby Optical donated cash to help help with the trophies and t-shirts. Thanks so much folks!

Boards from the Walker Project, Inland Surfer and Calibrated Wakesurfing were given away to participants. Mike W, Jeff and Mike A; thanks so much for your support if wakesurfing and staging contests. Those who are in search of a new or better board, please consider those manufacturers that support the contests:

Inland Surfer
Calibrated Wakesurfing
the Walker Project
Cybershapes

Huge thanks to dBot5, buywake.com, Tige boats, Grabbag Boardbags, Cire Clothing International. These sponsors donated prizes (tower lights and surf racks, board bags, clothing) plus miscellaneous swag to the tune of close to $2,000. Great prizes!!!!!!!!!!

I also want to thank my judges. Jerry Price of Shred Stixx, Mike Armstrong of Calibrated who also donated boards for each event and Dennis Horton, norcal rep for the Walker Project who made sure we had a board at this final stop.

and also...Judy...your organizational skills are what make it all come together dear. You rock! Kudos also to Billy and James, thanks boys for helping out, you two are great.

Chuck and Linda Payton of the NorCal INT League, thanks for the wonderful opportunity to stage a contest in our backyard!

Finally, thanks to everyone that entered and rode, to all the spectators that attended. It was a great show of support.

The final results were awesome. The riding at this stop was very competitive, strong showings in all divisions and it's amazing how much improvement we see from stop to stop. The "most" awards went to:

Most Improved: Billy Basett
Best Effort: Steven Hollsworth
Most Unique Style: Dennis Horton
Most Creative: Kit Howell (Mrs. )
Most Enthusiastic: Kyle Hazen

In division running order:

Master's Men

First Place: Rex Fair
Second Place: Jerry Price
Third Place: Jeff Walker

Master's Women

First Place: Darcy Thompson
Second Place: Judy Walker
Third Place: Judy Hazen

Novice

First Place: Alec Wood
Second Place: Kenton Airola
Third Place: R.J. Garcia

Women's

First Place: Jenn Sellers
Second Place: Lindsey Hinther
Third Place: Shelly Sellers

Now on to the BIG DOGS. This years riding was spectacular. Divisions in the men's open for surf and skim allow for a more comparable platform. Stellar rides from all contestants and the judges did a great job of differentiating between the best of the best!

Men's Surf

First Place: Chase Hazen
Second Place: James Walker
Third Place: Austin Day

Men's Skim

First Place: Tommy Czeschin
Second Place: Ryan Fair
Third Place: Sean Cummings

Congratulations to all our winners! You all rode incredibly well.

Thanks to Bre Horton for the incredible photos, if anyone is interested in all of their photos while riding, be sure to give Bre H a shout.

A few shots of the venue, we had probably 40 cars, and a dozen boats on scene. Great turnout!

AND the Stixxmobile too!

I'm going to attempt to post pictures of all the riders, in running order. My apologies in advance if I butcher names or mix folks up!!!

First off the dock, Greg Mallek - true sportsman, thanks Greg for all your understanding.

I'm confident because I bribed the judges!

Rex throwing down a surface 3

Jerry Price, slayshin' HARD

Kim "old men in neoprene" Mosher doing a big bottom turn on his glow-in-the-dark Shred Stixx.

Bill Honeycutt, the Shred Stixx were all over this contest.

Dennis Horton rode the darkside so hard, his nose traction came unglued!

Jim Rockwood of Neptune's Marine Audio nose in the air.

Thanks for the great time jeff it was awesome!

You bet Alec - you ripped it up and congratulations on winning the Novice division!

Back to the pictures...we move on to the Master's Women division.

First off the dock Linda Taylor

My lovely wife and organizational queen, Judy Walker

Darcy Thompson, demonstrating why she took first place!

Judy Hazen showing the skills that earned her a spot on the podium

On to the novice division. Our own Alec wood airing out his Shred Stixx enroute to winning the division.

More Novice pictures. Heather Jones, her first contest ride.

Great shots Jeff. Thanks again for all your efforts. It's always a pleasure to surf with you guys. You need to get Bre to post her picks as well.

Kenton Airola showing his podium placing style

Ashley Garcia, riding the Cybershapes they won at the last INT Contest

Hey jeff is there going to be another one at the delta anytime soon?

Over to the darkside! Kyle Hazen...part of the Hazen wakesurfing dynasty!

Haley Klegg, Daughter of Marlin and Annie Klegg of Cybershapes.

Hey Greg, aren't these great photos? All of them were captured by Bre, I've selected what I thought was best from an array of the pictures. Bre has all of them in some HUGE format, they are line 2 megs each, brillant detail and as many as 30 pictures of an individual rider. It would take her a year to resize and post them all. Best to just give her a shout if folks are interested.

Alec, I wish that there were going to be. We've been very fortunate that the NorCal INT league asked us to add wakesurfing to some of their contests. I know that the Delta area is perfect for so many riders. Hopefully next year we'll have more contests locally.

A better picture of Hailey

Whitney Garcia - check that rail grab!

R.J. Garcia throwing down working hard to show his sister what shredding is about!

On to the women's division. We are seeking incredible talent emerge in this division, a year or so ago this division was almost empty, now we are seeing aerials, board transfers and the like. The women are truly improving.

AWSA Board member Kit Howell

Jenn Sellers setting up for her board transfer

Shelly Sellers ripping

Lindsey Hinther came up from SoCal for the event and a second place finish.

Nikki Butler showing the style that put her on the podium at the WWSC.

Big dogs! This is what the crowd came to see. Biggest names in men's wakesurfing at an amateur level. Chase, James, Sean...among others all with wins under their belts.

Billy Basset was nailing 3's left and right. Way to rock it Bill!

James busting airs. Grabs galore, roast beef and stalefish.

Chase Hazen's signature 180 air

Going for the Indy

I'm having some trouble reading one of the disks, here at home, but I'll get back to the folks I missed tomorrow from the office.

Back to the men's surf

Jessie Martinez

Now, over to the big dogs of skim. Excellent riding again and world class competition.

Tommy Czeschin (say that three times fast!, or spell it just once)

Dereck Hanada and he killed it in Ohio too! Check the extension on that Fire Hydrant

Sean Cummings, wrapping up a surface 3 and his signature Gun Show 5

The littlest biggest ripper at the event, Steven Hollsworth had the most heart of any of the competitors. Keep it up Steven!!!!

Jeff,
So the next competition in california
is going to be the worlds for the rest of
the year?

Sorry to say that's it. The last one.

Yes, I have heard talk of a contest for surfstyle only down south, but no actual plans as yet. So, for us NorCal folks, the World's in Merced is the next contest.

See you there!

If you don't mind traveling....

Ed? Is there, per chance, a contest that YOU might be aware of in another part of the country? Like say...I dunno, in Ohio?

But of course there is. The NWL Wakesurf Nationals. I've expanded my travel map. See this WW post for details. http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/3320/471235.html?1186019065

Ask Jeff or myself if you have any questions

Pied piper/surfer? Does that mean all the surfers fall into the ocean?!

The Kokopelli figure is a Native American fertility figure normally seen playing a flute. Let's grow the sport and attract more wakesurfers!

There you go...break out your fertility figures and flutes.

Back to some of the surfing shots I had difficulty with.

Justin Montgomery, up from SoCal, finishing his three.