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Quiksilver Surf Shop Challenge presented by Surfer Magazine
Hawaii Qualifier
By Ryan Kelly

“Break a leg!” “F#*k you, brah!”  Those words could only mean one thing; the 2007 Quiksilver Surf Shop Challenge Hawaii Regional was under way.  Apparently Casey Brown wasn’t familiar with the words of good luck offered to him by fellow competitor Roy Powers, but the friendly banter was just one of the attractions that kept the audience entertained at Kewalo Basin on a rather tame Friday the 13th.
            With the ocean failing to cooperate with the competition, the surfers were forced to show their best groveling skills in the one to two foot, clean peaks that were offered up on Oahu’s south shore.  With the unique format of the contest, the lack of waves didn’t do much to affect the morale of the competitors, who kept the positive vibe alive with high- fives and high performance surfing.
Each of the major Hawaiian Islands were represented by nine teams, made up of two shop employees and two team riders, whose top two wave scores were combined to make up the team’s total heat score.  The key to each team’s success was the performance of their double-whammy surfer, who was designated by the team and had to claim their best wave by putting their hands over their head at the end of their best ride, doubling the score for that wave.  Not only would this prove to be crucial for the team’s success, but it also added to the entertainment, watching some of Hawaii’s best surfers claim their rides on two-foot waves.
            The first heat of the day proved that though the waves were lacking, there would be no lack of talent in the water.  The heat was highlighted by the lightning quick surfing of Dustin Cuizon and Roy Powers of T&C Fiberglass, who showed the rest of the competition that the first round was just a warm-up for the rest of the day. 
            “Both of those guys happened to be home this week, so it worked out great,” noted T&C’s Team Captain and shop employee Travis Hashimoto. “We were lucky to have them there.”
            2006 Shop Challenge National Champs, Pacific Vibrations of the Big Island, also had a little luck on their side with the current NSSA national champ, Tonino Benson, surfing alongside his partner in crime, Casey Brown, who combined to put on a goofy-foot clinic on Kewalo’s rippable lefts. 
            Bonga Perkins, representing Local Motion and known mostly for his skills on his longboard, brought out his fish and showed the younger generation that even though the waves were small, the big man could still lay down some solid carves, throwing buckets of spray into Kewalo’s boat channel.  Bonga was backed up by teen phenom and double-whammy surfer, Keanu Asing, who showed the judges that he had been taking notes from uncle Bonga, doing turns that looked more appropriate for a man twice his size and twice his age. 
            The competition also featured three female surfers who did more than just hold their own against their male counterparts. Megan Apo of Hi Tech, Maui, along with Natalie Burns and Tory Titcomb of Quiksilver Waikiki, kept the boys on their toes, putting on a few of the best performances of the day.  Natalie Burns managed to squeeze herself into the only barrel of the day on a hollow one that funneled over Kewalo’s super shallow rights and Tory Titcomb took home a $250 check from DC Shoes for winning the award for the best wave by a shop employee.
            The first and second rounds saw some of the outer islands best talent go down with the Larsen brothers of Hi Tech Maui, along with Masaijah Lani of Hanalei Surf on Kauai’s north shore, all bowing out much earlier than anyone had expected.  The second round also saw Joel Centeio and team HIC hitting the showers early, failing to put it together to move on to the final.
            The final was slugged out by Local Motion, Pacific Vibrations, T&C Fiberglass and Quiksilver Waikiki, who all showed that they came to win the trip to California and the chance to win $10,000, a full page ad in Surfer and trips to El Salvador.
            After all was said and done, no team could match the star power of T&C Fiberglass’ Roy Powers and Dustin Cuizon, who showed the rest of the field why they are ranked with the top surfers in the world.  Backed up by shop employees Gareth Sugihara and Travis Hashimoto, T&C surfed themselves to the Hawaii regional title and a trip to compete against the rest of the nation in Oceanside, California on September 10.
            “If I can, I definitely want to be there,” said Roy Powers, referring to the championships in Oceanside.  “I don’t want to let the team down after we won this one.”  The rest of the teams at the national championships could be lucky if Roy and Dustin are unable to make the trip due to prior commitments on the World Qualifying Series where they are both fighting for spots on next year’s World Championship Tour with the top 44 surfers in the world.
            The standout performer of the day was Local Motion’s Keanu Asing, who at 14 years old, lead his team to a second place finish and put on a performance that earned the respect of all the competitors as well as a heat score of 46.6 points.  “If this were a pro contest, some of these kids would be beating the pros,” Powers said. “These kids are so good now.  It wasn’t easy for us, that’s for sure.”

FINAL SCORES
1st Place: - T & C FIBERGLASS - 50.2

2nd Place: - LOCAL MOTION - 48.6

3rd Place: - PACIFIC VIBRATIONS - 43

4th Place: - QUIKSILVER WAIKIKI - 34.9

DC Wave Pillager Tory Titcomb from Quiksilver Waikiki