Hawaiian Teams Wins First WTT Contest of 2010!
by Kristen Huntington
photos: Bob Torrez
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out: www.tandemsurfing.com/snaps
January 10, 2010, San Diego California, USA – The first contest
of the 2010 ITSA World Tandem Tour circuit took place at Church’s
on Sunday, January 10. The Grandaddy Dudley Pro Tandem, three-star
event saw a day more reminiscent of one in June than January, with
76 degree weather and overhead surf at this epic Southern California
break.
Six tandem teams from across the US, from Florida to Hawaii, took
to the chilly water to flaunt their skills on the 6-7 foot waves.
The finals proved a very close competition between the relatively
new Hawaiian team of Christian Bartch and Aimee Murcia and the two
top ranked California teams of Clay and Kristen Huntington and Brian
and Illa McEvilly. Only 1 point separated the 3 top three team’s
final scores. Mark Gale, long time tandem surfer who announced the
contest declared that the heat was too close to call. He believed
that the conservative strategies employed by all of the teams, who
focused on mid-range point lifts, was a wise move. “You just can’t
pull off an accro or arm to arm in conditions like this,” he advised
the teams.
“The waves looked so beautiful and glassy, we were expecting to
do all our lifts out there. But it was actually a lot harder than
it looked,” said Illa McEvilly, noting that the long paddle-out
through unrelenting, sometimes 12-wave sets made her arms feel like
Jello. Still, they managed to execute their lifts with the balletic
beauty and surfing prowess that is their signature and earned a
close second place.
“The cold water was a challenge,” added Aimee Murcia from Hawaii.
“We are used to the big, heavy surf, but not in such cold water.
Booties and wetsuits make everything a bit harder,” she said. Nonetheless,
the Hawaiian proved that big wave riding skills trump lifting skills
in these kinds of conditions.
“The take-offs were pretty critical, and I was trying to drive the
other teams deep by paddling to the North to so they wouldn’t be
able to make the section,” explained Clay Huntington, a local who
short-boards this break on a regular basis. “Unfortunately, I think
being sick affected my judgment, because on our first wave, I got
suckered in by my own trick and took off too far North.” By his
second wave, however, Clay got back on track and earned the highest
surfing score of the heat, with 8.5 out of 10. “We got three waves,
but only 1 with a good lift sequence and our top three lifts weren’t
scored because we didn’t hold them long enough. Then we struggled
to get back outside after our third wave and made it just was the
final horn sounded. We just needed one more wave!” Kristen bemoaned.
Not to be intimidated by either the conditions or their fellow competitors,
veteran big-wave tandem riders Charlie Christensen and Myra Burg
were heard saying, “we feel like we swimming in the big pool now,”
as they paddled out for the final heat. Myra, who has had an incredibly
difficult year, losing her brother to a heart attack and helping
her father through multiple strokes and an incurable lung carcinoma,
said surfing and being with her tandem family was the one thing
keeping her spirits up these days. Everyone’s condolences and best
wishes for a better 2010 go out to the entire Burg family.
In the end, Christian and Aimee claimed the top prize, exhibiting
poise under pressure despite the fact that Aimee had two sets of
stitches removed from her leg just three days earlier. “I just had
so much fun surfing with these teams that I have always admired.
I’m so stoked to say that I beat these amazing tandem teams, who
are also now our great friends,” Christian said receiving his trophy
and cash prize, with his smile beaming from ear to ear.
Final results:
1st - Christian and Aimee – 9.6
2nd – Brian and Illa – 9.24
3rd – Clay and Kristen – 8.61
4th – Charles and Myra – 2.50
5th – Raymond Koehler and Tammy Mowery
6th – Lance Maki and Jaci
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