Last weekend was a big one for surf comps. Between the webcast glitches and general hurry-up-and-waitness associated with the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, and social media conduits everywhere firing with rumors of a major winter storm pumping swell toward Puerto Rico for the Corona Extra Pro Surf Circuit -- you might've missed the fact that Cocoa Beach, FL (the East Coast surf industry capital and the birthplace of 11-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater) hosted a pair of illustrious ASP 3-Star Pro Juniors.
But all sports stories aside, Cocoa Beach has never been one to deny a good party, and these serious-biz comps were held in conjunction with the inaugural Beach 'N Boards Fest over an overwhelmingly fun five days.
"The inaugural Beach 'N Boards Fest met and in almost all ways exceeded our best expectations," exclaimed event director Mitch Varnes. "Saturday will go down as one of the very best sports beach days ever on the East Coast and, likely, the United States thanks to our sponsors, staff and supporters. We got off to a slow start with cold temperatures and strong winds on Wednesday and Thursday, but the weekend was just spectacular: packed beaches and lots of great action on the sands of Cocoa Beach. For several hours and at the same time on Saturday, we had the Ron Jon/Roxy and Ron Jon/Quiksilver Pro Junior surfing events going off in overhead surf, the Goal Zero Collegiate Beach Volleyball tourney hosted by UCF taking place simultaneously on five courts, the Zap Skimboard Pro-Am, the Olukai Stand-Up Paddleboard Pro-Am, the Ron Jon kiteboarding contest, the Oakley/Element skateboard comp and live music from Skullcandy on the FPL Solar Stage. Then, we wrapped it up with the GoPro Action Sports Film Festival on an awesome 30-foot diagonal HD screen. With a crowd of over 35,000, what an amazing five days!"
In the final of the premier 3-Star Ron Jon/Quiksilver Pro Junior, La Jolla, CA, prospect Jake Halstead bested Brazil's Victor Bernardo, South Carolina's Cam Richards and New Smyrna Beach, FL's, Daniel Glenn in stiff onshores and white-capping, chest to shoulder-high surf at Sheppard Beach Park. Halstead started strong with a 7-point ride on his backhand, but after a flurry of exchanges from the other finalists, he found himself struggling to find a backup score until an assuming left approached in the dying minutes of his heat. Several powerful backside turns earned the Californian an 8-point ride to secure his first ASP Pro Junior victory.
"Victor [Bernardo] has been so consistent this whole contest," said Halstead. "I knew I was going to have to start with a big score and finish with a big score to win. Somehow it worked out. This little double-up left came through at the end, and I couldn't help but go, try my best and claim it."
Halstead's final rally earned him the Highest Heat Score of the day, 15.40 (Highest Wave Score of the day went to Cam Richards, 8.67, in Quarterfinal #4). Perhaps more importantly, though, this contest marked the regularfooter's brave return to competition after suffering a severe ankle injury that had sidelined him for several months.
"This is my first Pro Junior win," added Halstead. "To come back off of my ankle injury and win is awesome. I've been back in the water for about two months now and it's made me realize that I need to do some training in between. It was a wakeup call and I've learned from it."
Meanwhile, Barbados wahine Chelsea Tuach found herself clearly unbeatable in the Ron Jon/Roxy Junior Pro final, also held at Sheppard Beach Park. Like Halstead, this was also Tuach's first ASP victory, though the Bajan beauty has been consistently successful at Cocoa Beach over the course of her competitive career.
"I'm so happy to have won this contest," said Tuach. "I love this wave. I surfed Cocoa Beach a number of times and won here last year when it wasn't a Pro Junior yet. When I heard it was a 3-Star this year I was just so stoked to come back. I kept my old faithful board for this event and it worked perfectly for me again."
On behalf of ASP North America," finished Tour Manager Brian Robbins, "I'd like to thank Mitch Varnes, as well as Ron Jon, Quiksilver, Roxy, the City of Cocoa Beach and all the supporting sponsors and event directors for bringing the 2013 Beach 'N Boards Fest together. It was a fantastic inaugural year -- getting a great swell for three days and packing the beach with Spring Breakers. We certainly look forward to coming back in 2014 for another premier ASP Junior event."
Final results, points and prizemoney of the Ron Jon Quiksilver Junior Pro ($15,000 3-Star event)
1 Halstead, Jake USA 750 $3,000
2 Bernardo, Victor BRA 563 $2,000
3 Richards, Cam USA 422 $1,350
4 Glenn, Daniel USA 369 $1,150
5 Colapinto, Griffin USA 316 $850
5 McGonagle, Noe Mar CRI 316 $850
7 Burke, Joshua BRB 277 $650
7 Gomes, Derek VEN 277 $650
9 Tudela, Miguel PER 237 $625
9 Mesinas Novaro, Lucca PER 237 $625
9 Schweizer, Noah USA 237 $625
9 Panesi, Kadin USA 237 $625
13 Urcia, Juninho PER 208 $500
13 Kowalski, Dylan USA 208 $500
13 Clark, Taylor USA 208 $500
13 Faulkner, Tyler USA 208 $500
Final results, points and prizemoney of the Ron Jon Roxy Junior Pro ($4000 3-Star event)
1 Tuach, Chelsea USA 750 $1,500
2 Blanco, Tia USA 563 $800
3 Viesins, Nikki USA 422 $750
4 McGill, Dax HAW 369 $650
5 Peterson, Maddie USA 316 $400
5 Roett, Chelsea BRB 316 $400
7 Kinimaka, Mainei HAW 277 $250
7 Hennessy, Brisa HAW 277 $250
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