After spending the last couple of weeks on the beach (and in the water), absorbing all that’s been the 2008 NSSA Nationals, from pre-event duels between Slater and Curren in epic Lowers conditions, to a triad of Hawaiians donning Speedos during the Airshow Final, to breakout performances, and back-to-back titles, I’m thinking it’s safe to say that the state of surfing is in good hands. This morning, walking down the beach on the proverbial “day of the final”, Curren was hunkered down in a tent, helping his boys prep their boards, Bob Hurley had Evan Geiselman in a headlock, Herbie Fletcher was shaking hands with Granger Larson, while a herd of gremlins swarmed the Guitar Hero console (kids are stupid, Nike 6.0 put up $1,500 for whoever could rally the highest score). And the surfing, forget about. Not to sound too old, but really, kids these days. One dad was heard joking, “I knew I was old, but man, now I feel really old.” But whether you were young or old, ripped or rode a longboard, one thing that couldn’t be ignored was the quality of surf on offer. With a new south filling in throughout the day, by the time the Mini Grom final rolled around it was double-overhead (keep in mind, size is relative).

“I love it down here,” surmised Bob Hurley. “The feeling on the beach, the excitement coming from all the kids, it’s electric down here.”

And electric it was. While there’s always bound to be some upsets in a contest that lasts this long, the stars definitely put their shine on. Granger Larson, who finaled in the Open Men’s division, stood strong heat after heat after heat. Kolohe Andino, Evan Geiselman, both made finals as expected. And Andrew Doheny, while results at this point are unofficial, it’s looking like he’s bound for back-to-back wins in the Junior division. Watching the way he’s linking bottom and top turns, and how much smoother his surfing’s become, it’s looking like more and more he could very much be the next California hopeful.

“Last year I won, but wasn’t happy with how I surfed,” remarked Andrew after his heat. “But I had fun out there today, the waves were pumping and I think I might have done all right.”

While Andrew got the job done for the Golden State—along with a little help from Nat Young and Courtney Conlogue who both put on absolutely blistering performances in their respective Open finals—Hawaii seemed to have an army of performers. Lahiki Minamishin, Keanu Asing, Koa Smith (who posted the only 10-point ride of the contest), Granger Larson, darkhorse Tanner Hendrickson (who finaled in two Open divisions), as well as Kalani David, Makai McNamara and the entire Moniz clan, demonstrated that while the rest of the U.S. may have a few stars here and there, the talent boom in the Islands is for real. It’s going to take a lot of catching up for the mainland contingent before they see that kind of depth.

“There are a lot of really good surfers in Hawaii right now,” supported Koa. “Everybody pushes each other so hard, it’s competitive for sure, but being from the Islands when you come here it’s like everybody sticks together and there’s a lot of pride.”

Now, lets be fair, West Coasters did claim their fair share of titles. As mentioned Andrew, Nat and Courtney did some serious damage. Both Andrew and Courtney had to be considered serious contenders going into the contest, while Nat played more of a dark horse roll, and for him to come out and beat a very inform Granger Larson is something special. Then throw the Coffin brothers and the Davis brothers into the mix and there's definitely hope for California's next generation.

This was the 30th anniversary of the NSSA Nationals, and even if there are a few little hiccups in their system (this black-out thing at the end of every final is ridiculous, but then so are cash prizes in amateur events), but all in all, there’s no other forum like this for the country’s best and brightest young surfers. For three decades now kids have been coming down to the beach to surf, surrounded by role models, encouraged by parents, and coached by dedicated believers, there’s so much more going on than just another contest at another beach. Over the years Nationals has become a gathering place, and whether you think 6-man, 15-minute heats are a joke or not, walking down the trail to Lowers this morning, that all seems so arbitrary and nit-picky. Everybody seemed to be having a hell of a time, and at the end of the day, that’s why we started surfing in the first place.

Final Results of the 2008 NSSA National Championships presented by No Fear

Open Mens

1. Nat Young $5,000 (courtesy of No Fear)

2. Granger Larsen

3. Tanner Hendrickson

4. Kolohe Andino

If it wasn’t for the fact that there were only four people bobbing up and down in the Lowers lineup, and the occasional blowing of the horn, walking down the beach at Nationals, one would be hard pressed to believe there was actually a surf contest going on. True, some young surfers have pinned career hopes on a positive result here in Southern California, but it hardly seems to consume their every waking thought.

Meandering down the beach it’s almost like entering a Peter Pan-like parallel dimension. A little, red wagon rolls by with a couple tiny Japanese kids in it. They’re offering “free candy and energy drinks” to anybody with a sweet tooth or in need of a taurine fix. Then you pass a miniature ping pong table, followed by a mini foosball table and mini pool table. A gremlin who can’t be more than four trots by with a hot dog in one hand, while the other arm is in a sling (and of course the sling has “sponsors” stickers on it). Approaching the Nike 6.0 tent you come upon a host of kids scarfing down syrup laden waffles (Nike brought a $2,000 waffle-maker down to the beach, which just so happens to produce waffles with a swoosh in the middle). Then there’s the video game console supplied by Red Bull that has almost every single kid locked in a Guitar Hero trance. And finally, when the contest is done for the day, the barbecues light up and serious meals are served up to the starving kids who’ve been more or less playing at the beach all day.

It’s hard to imagine there’s even time to ride waves with all this going on, but there is, and there have been some standout performances thus far. The Hawaiian contingent continues to impress. From Alex and Koa Smith from Kauai, to Kai Barger and Ian Gentil from Maui, to Lahiki “Tu Pac” Miniamishin, Coco Ho and a host of others from Oahu, the Island crew’s been lighting it up. Representing the West Coast, Conner Coffin, Kolohe Andino, and Nat Young have all put on impressive performances, while Evan Gieselman and the Kelly brothers are getting it done for the Eastside.

There’s still two full days of competition to go, and it’s safe to say we’re going to see some pretty interesting stuff happening both in—and out—of the water. Stay tuned as we inch towards the finals.

 

By now you’ve heard all the gossip from the last south swell at Lowers. Yep, Kelly Slater and Tom Curren were out, the waves were as good as they get, and seeing the performances of a couple heroes firsthand only added fuel to the fire for all the frothing grommets. That being said, most of NSSA Nationals is already in the books and it’s getting down to business time. There have been some impressive moments, and after watching it all go down the last few days a few surfers are starting to really stand out. Here’s the Hot 100’s take:

The Power Broker

Be it free surfs or in his heats, Kai Barger’s been laying down some serious rail lately. After one of the all-time sessions at featured the likes of Kelly, Curren, and Wardo, Surfer photo ace Jason Kenworthy reckons Kai came away with the best shot of the day. That alone says heaps, but Kai’s also qualified for the hyper competitive Explorer Men’s final. He still has more work to do in other divisions, but by the looks of his surfing, he’s well on his way to a breakout showing.

Speed Monger

Conner Coffin’s going to be a hard man to beat. Coming off of a breakout performance in France at the ISA World Games he’s surfing with vigor and plenty of energy. In crumbly, onshore conditions today he was able to make it around whitewater and bog sections where other competitors were relegated to kicking out, and as the swell increases for the weekend, more evidence of his Rincon pedigree will come into view.

The Grown Up

Somebody test Ezekiel Lau for HGH! Over the last year the kid’s grown like a weed. Shooting up a couple inches, and obviously taller and stronger, the newfound girth has helped bring more power to Ezekiel’s surfing. He’s made short work of everybody he’s faced thus far, and at this point looks to be one of the best surfers at Nationals this year. Besides, he may have added incentive to win a title. The unconfirmed word on the beach is that if he wins a title his dad will let him grow his hair out, which probably means a lot to a kid who has less hair than Slater.

The Unknown Hero

You may not have heard too much about Maui’s Ian Gentil, but you will. Style, flare, fundamentals, for only being 12 he has a lot going for him. He’s qualified for the final in the Open Menehunes, as well as has other divisions that he’s still contending for. Surfing up two divisions in the Open Juniors this afternoon, Kolohe Andino stopped Ian just short of a brilliant upset.

The Local Shralper

Riley Metcalf is another kid you don’t hear a lot about, but he’s got a pretty good program going. He can mix it up with the best of his age group, but does it with considerably less fanfare. He won his heats today and will be headed to the later rounds. With local knowledge on his side, he has the capacity to play spoiler to some of the bigger names.

The Student of Style

The rub on Nat Young is that growing up in Santa Cruz, the land of endless right points, has hindered the young goofy-footer’s forehand ability. But watching him work over the Lower’s left it appears he’s smoothing things out. He has a fine-tuned, clean, wrapping cutback that’s working well for him, and releasing the fins doesn’t seem to be a problem. He’s so dedicated to improving his style that he’s even gone so far as to strap a set of braces to his grill to straighten out them out.  

The Technician

Kolohe Andino continues to impress—even if he did fall on the rocks while getting out of the water today. He brought his A game, and get him on an open face and he could go toe-to-toe with most seasoned pros. As one spectator remarked today: “He’s a World Tour surfer trapped in a 14-year-old body.”

Girl Power

Sage Erickson and Monyca Bryne-Wickey both advanced out of their heats today, and both seem to be in form. Of course there’s Coco Ho and Courtney Conlogue who they’ll have to contend with at some point, but as the pro surfing cliché goes, they’re just taking it “one heat at a time.”



 

With the ISA Worlds in our rearview mirror, and summer squarely on the horizon, it can only mean two things: Firstly, school’s almost out. And secondly, it’s NSSA Nationals time. With that in mind, after a long, relentless 2008 season, and only one week away from the 30th annual NSSA Nationals, the editors here at the Hot 100 thought it was time to take a peak at several names you’re bound to see more of in the coming weeks…be sure to stay tuned for live, up-to-the-minute Nationals news here at SurferHot100.com. Next week we’re uncovering the dark horses.

Kolohe Andino, San Clemente, California

Brother’s been dominating the NSSA’s forever. This year he picked up his seventh and eighth regional titles, which would be impressive enough, but it’s how he did it that’s most telling—mainly, in his Boys quarterfinal heat he tallied a near-perfect 19.67 combined heat score. Needless to say it was the highest heat score of the comp, and a fitting way to enter the record books. He is now the youngest surfer (14) to win the Open Men’s division, as well as the only surfer to ever notch up wins in the Open Men’s and Open Junior’s divisions in the NSSA Regional Championships. He’s tied with Andrew Doheny for the most West Coast titles (they both have eight), ad he’s won at Nationals five times. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention Lowers is right in his backyard, and out of all the kids that come surf the cobblestone point this summer, he knows the break best.

Evan Geiselman, New Smyrna Beach, Florida

An Evan/Kolohe final might be as good as the Lakers/Celtics rivalry that’s heated up once again. It’s the classic east versus west rivalry we all know and love. Kolohe’s breaks records in California, Evan destories them on the Eastern Seaboard. After the 2008 East Coast Championships, he the proud owner of 12 East Coast titles…putting an Open Juniors, Explorer Boys and Airshow trophy on the mantel this year. That makes six years in a row—another record—that Evan’s stood atop the winner’s podium. Can he keep the streak alive at Lowers?

Conner Coffin, Santa Barbara California

  “People in America don’t know how good Conner is,” boasted USA surf coach Joey Buran, after returning from the recent World Juniors. “What we saw there was the emergence of a surf star. He’s like a combination of Tom Curren and Kelly Slater.” High praises for a kid who’s just now really starting to come on. NSSA wise, this year at the West Coast Championships he took home first in the Explore Boys and Explorer Junior divisions, as well as second in Open Juniors and third in Open Mens. Should Trestles deliver its patented, long, vertical walls, Conner will most definitely vie for a national title. 

Granger Larson, Lahaina, Maui

Two Open Men’s titles in Hawaii in two years, not bad, not bad at all. Granger only continues to improve. The stylish-regular footer’s on a quiet march towards something big, because for as much of an accomplishment as winning in talent-rich Hawaii is, he’s one who’s bound to transcend the small pond. “He’s coming on,” tells Surfer photo ace Jason Kenworthy, “he’s going to do some damage. He’s a really, really good surfer.”

Courtney Conlogue, Santa Ana, California

Courtney was the highest placing American at the 2008 ISA World Juniors (she finished forth), and she also recently broke her own record of three consecutive Conference Titles with a fourth straight Southwest Conference Open Women’s title. Add all this to the fact that she’s already competed at the ASP world tour level, and you’d be a fool to bet against her.

 

Cory Arrambide (Ventura, CA) scalped the inaugural Arnette Pro Junior presented by Jack’s Surfboards, event No. 4 on the 2008 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) North America Pro Junior Series, in clean two-to-three foot (1 metre) waves at Newport Beach’s 54th Street.



The young goofy-footer was the form surfer on the final day of competition, and Arrambide wasted no time in the Final, quickly comboing opponents Spencer Regan (Ventura, CA), Matt Mohagen (Los Angeles, CA), and Bruno Rodrigues (Huntington Beach, CA) in the opening minutes of the heat.



“As soon as I paddled out I got three fun waves,” Arrambide said. “That gave me the lead for the rest of the heat.”



Today’s victory at the Arnette Pro Junior puts Arrambide into the lead on the 2008 ASP North America Pro Junior ratings, a spot he held for the majority of the 2007 season.



“I started off the year with a win, and then had two shockers, so I’m so stoked with this win,” Arrambide said. “I’m really focusing on staying consistent for the rest of the year now that I have the ratings lead, and plan on doing as many ASP Pro Junior events as I can because this is my last year.”



“As soon as I paddled out I got three fun waves, and that gave me the lead for the rest of the heat.”



Mohagen, who came from behind in his Semifinal heat to take 2nd and advance into the final, the first of his ASP Pro Junior career.



“I’ve never even made a semifinal before, so this is my best ASP Pro Junior result, so I was stoked to make the final,” Mohagen said. “This is my last ASP Pro Junior year, so I’m just going to do as many events as I can, and do as many ASP WQS events as I can to build my seed up.”



Rodrigues, who opened up the 2008 ASP North America Pro Junior Series with a win at the ASP Grade-2 Ezekiel Pro Junior in March, collected another solid result this afternoon, finishing 4th in the Arnette Pro Junior and moving up to 3rd on the ASP North America Pro Junior ratings.



“I not happy about getting last in the final, but I’m happy to get the points,” Rodrigues said. “The next ASP Pro Junior event is in Huntington, so I’m stoked, because I do well there.”



Regan (Ventura, CA), who earned the first finals berth of his career, did so by scoring the events only perfect 10 for an unbelievable double-grab aerial in his Semifinal heat.



“I knew I needed a big score and everyone was really close so I just wanted to hold my line and get a good one because everyone was blowing up out there,” Regan said. “Then that perfect little nugget came through with that perfect ramp, and I was stoked to stick the air, and I got a few more really good turns after that. I’m really psyched because this is the first 10 I’ve ever gotten in the ASP Pro Juniors.”



Today’s runner-up finish marked Regan’s career high on the ASP North America Pro Junior Series, and the young Californian will look to use this finish to better his seed for next year in hopes of qualifying for the prestigious Billabong ASP World Juniors Championships.



“I’m just trying to get the best seed I can for next year right now,” Regan said. “I really want to make the ASP World Juniors, but I’m not sure if I can because I didn’t get to do the Lowers event, but my goal is to make the ASP World Juniors and just get the best seed I can get.”



The ASP North America region qualifies the top 4 finishers of the season as well as the highest finishing North American surfer on the ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) who is of junior age for the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships, held in Narrabeen, Australia each January.



The Billabong ASP World Junior Championships crown the undisputed ASP World Junior Champions, awarding them preferred seeding on the ASP WQS that season. The prestigious event has crowned past champions such as Andy Irons (Hanalei, HI), Joel Parkinson (Coolangatta, AUS), Jordy Smith (Durban, ZAF), Jessi Miley-Dyer (Bronte, AUS), Sally Fitzgibbons (Gerroa, AUS), among others.



The next stop on the 2008 ASP North America Pro Junior Series will be the ASP Grade-4 Nike 6.0 Pier Pressure Pro Junior at Huntington Beach, California from June 29-30, 2008.

For those ardent Fantasy Surfer fans out there looking to get a leg up on the competition before the next season even begins, keep this in mind: Putting together the Hot 100’s no easy feat, and at any given time one surfer can be hot-footed, while another is floating in a more tepid pool. But like the tide, this is often quick to turn around, and the rolls are reversed. So, with that in mind, how did the esteemed editors of the Hot 100 do this year when it came to prognosticating those select few who’d graduated to the 2008 World Tour?

First, foremost, and obviously most glaring, is Jordy Smith’s not so stunning debut in the big leagues. The 2007 Hot 100 first-place finisher hasn’t exactly come out of the gates firing. At the Quiksilver Pro in Australia he finished with a respectable ninth, which seemed like a good start. But following it up with a string of 17ths and 33rds hasn’t been run he’d been hoping for. The talent is definitely there in the big bloke, it’s just the lack of experience that’s been most telling—especially in Tahiti where he spent some quality one-on-one time with the Teahupoo reef. He’ll definitely rebound, we just hope it’s not next year on the WQS.

And speaking of experience, what a difference a couple years makes. Adriano De Souza, after barely requalifying last year, has bounded back in brilliant fashion. Two ninths in Australia and a fifth at Teahupoo has Adriano gunning for a Top 5 spot on tour. Coming up he’s got Parko in a quarterfinal heat at Tavarua, and given his grit this year, the established Parko can’t take this one lightly. Adriano worked hard with the trainer this offseason, he’s put in a couple of years on tour now, and looks very much living up to the hype as Brazil’s biggest surf star.

And then there’s 2007 Rookie of the Year Jeremy Flores. After one of the best, most consistent first-years on tour, Flores has hit the proverbial sophomore slump—and most notably the last two events where he’s racked up back-to-back 33rds. Like Smith, a visit to The Land Down Under started well for him. He was trounced by Kelly at Snapper, but it was a blistering quarterfinal and a high-scoring affair. All in all, it was a very respectable showing. But also like Smith, the wheels proceeded to come flying off in every direction after that. 

It’s a long season, and a long way to go for all of these guys. One saving grace might be the fact that the tour’s headed to Indo, and they’ve all spent amp time there. Jordy can also look forward to J-Bay, a place he’s already finished third at once before. Flores probably can’t wait to get back on French soil, and Adriano no doubt has Brazil on his mind.

 

“It all depends on who makes the finals.”  That was the sentiment shared by coaches of top nations such as Australia, Brazil, Hawaii, USA, and South Africa as we entered the final daybreak of this seven-day, double elimination marathon that is the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships.

With such a narrow margin entering decision day and pumping surf to even the playing field, it was the Australian contingent that rose to the occasion.

 “In our team meeting last night, we realized we seemed to be behind teams that we needed to beat,” said Under 18 Boys silver medalist Owen Wright.  “The guys that we still had in it did a good job and we were able to get gold.”

Wright owned the premiere Under 18 Boys division all the way up to the final, until former ISA Under 16 runner-up, Brazilian Alejo Muniz found the golden wave in the overhead, pumping righthanders at Seignosse, France’s Plage de Penon.  Wright had won every heat in the event thus far until Muniz stopped his flow with a 9.1 in the early stages of the final. 

“I was just focused on the goal, which was winning,” said Wright, who had two of his boards stolen during the awards ceremony.  “It didn’t end up that way but I still put in a solid performance.  The Brazilian got the better waves, which drew the better scores.”

After a disappointing double elimination of USA’s Dillon Perillo and Nat Young two heats before the main event, Hawaiian Tyler Newton was the only North American in the final and also charged through the entire competition without dipping down to the repercharge rounds. 

“I had a couple scratchers in the beginning of the event that I barely made,” said Newton, who finished third.  “There were a few where I got lucky and got through in the last seconds.”

Also taking the easy route to the final was USA’s only individual medalist, Courtney Conlogue.  Although she was utterly disappointed with her performance in the final, Conlogue was the lone American on the podium and largely responsible for the USA’s copper medal (4^th) finish. 

“I probably could have got gold if I got the right waves but I just didn’t pick the good ones,” said a dismayed Conlogue.  “Hopefully next year, I’ll get gold not bronze.”

Conlogue’s strategical errors in the final didn’t reflect the world-class performance she put forth the entire event.  A pair of Australians bested her with Laura Enever taking the win and Owen Wright’s little sister finishing second – solidifying the Australian team’s domination. 

“I’m so wrapped for her,” Owen Wright said proudly of his sister Tyler’s silver medal effort.  “She’s only 14 and that’s pretty good to get second.  She came so close and nearly won it.”  Too bad the girls don’t have an Under 16 division like the boys. 

2007 Under 16 Boys runner up, Tahitian Tamaroa McComb drew high scores from the judges the entire event.  This year appeared to be his year for greatness as he eluded the repercharge rounds as well and found himself in the driver’s seat mid-final. 

“There was a lot of pressure on me and I was in first with five minutes left. I had to sit on the second place guy,” said McComb in his soft-spoken Tahitian accent.  “Those five minutes seemed like an hour but winning was my goal this year.”

The difference between bronze and copper for Hawaii and the USA came when an unsuspecting Islander put forth the performance of his young career.  Matty Costa blazed through the entire event to find his place on the podium with a bronze medal around his neck.  While USA’s top Under 16er Conner Coffin sat one heat away from a medal but suffered a minor tragedy just before his deciding heat.  Coffin’s magic board was stolen amongst the chaotic rainstorms leading up to a miraculously sunlit awards ceremony.  Coffin finished a disappointing sixth while Hawaii edged the USA for the team bronze. 

“I said before we left that we had a really good team that could be a really great team,” USA head coach Joey Buran remarked after the realization of fourth set in.  “We are a really good team and so is Hawaii, but Brazil and Australia are really great teams.”

FINAL RESULTS:

Gold: Australia

Silver: Brazil

Bronze: Hawaii

Copper: USA