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The 2007 Quiksilver Surf Shop Challenge Blows Up At Blown Out Newport
Southwest Results

By Jeff Mull

The 2007 Southwest Qualifier for the Quiksilver Surf Shop Challenge presented by SURFER Magazine went down on Friday, June 8 at Newport’s 54th Street. The event was marked by small, 2-foot, ledgey waves, onshore winds, and a water color that can only be described as lovely shades of red and brown. Despite Mother Nature’s refusal to cooperate with the surf, the competitors still managed to tear the waves apart and put on a damn fine show for the crowd.
          For those unfamiliar with the Surf Shop Challenge, the format is something completely unique to any other surf contest. More akin to a beachside barbecue than your typical WQS showdown, the Surf Shop Challenge pits surf shops against surf shop and manages to do it all with a mellow atmosphere. With teams comprised of four members and hour-long heats, there is definitely a sense of strategy involved in the event. Each team comes complete with a “whammy” rider that can claim one wave with a two-fisted hand pump and double his score. With a three-wave maximum per surfer, keeping good wave selection is critical for advancement to the next round. Regional winners go on to compete for $10,000 in the finals.
          Quiksilver’s Todd Kline and Chad Wells announced the event and kept the crowd in stitches from the opening heat all the way through the finals. Everyone was fair game. Complete with sound effects for bogged moves and a liberal dose of sarcasm for turns that weren’t up to Dream Tour standards, everyone from the shop riders to the photographers to the people who named the company that supplied the food received their fair share of heckling. Although there are probably a few groms out there that have developed a complex due to Kline and Wellsy’s razor-sharp tongue, it was all in good fun as Kline and Wellsy were clearly a pivotal aspect in keeping the event humorous. 
          “This is the first time I have ever surfed in one of these events. It’s a classic format,” said “whammy” surfer Jesse Merle Jones representing team Killer Dana. “The surf’s not all that great today, but I’m still having a really good time.” Despite the trying conditions the surfers still found a few sections to demolish and lips to destroy. Every tail thrown, floater made, and roundhouse completed was met with cheers, giddy jumps, and high-pitched whistles by more than enthusiastic teammates.
The finals were greeted with a rising tide and slightly improved conditions. From the opening seconds it was game on with teams doing everything short of melting the wax of the opposing team’s board in an attempt to get into the competition’s head. Despite all of the pre-heat trash talk, every team in the finals managed to put it all on the line and ensured that every wave caught was ridden to its full potential.
Despite the contests good-natured format, this was still a surf contest and a victor had to be crowned. In the end there could only be one, and that day, it was team Hansen’s out of San Diego led by ripper Austin Ware that took home the win. “We have a really solid team this year,” commented Ware. “I think the secret to our success is that every member of our team surfs really good. We’re really stoked to win this event. I can’t wait till the finals.”

FINAL SCORES
1st Place: –Hansen’s Boardroom - 41.2
          Eric Snortum, Ryan Birch, Jeremy Sherwin, Austin Ware

2nd Place: –Sun Diego -38.63
            Jim Yurkovic, Bryan Guter, Kyle Knox, Sean Marceron

3rd Place: –Huntington Surf and Sport - 38.26
            Logan Strook, Christian Saenz, Micah Byrne, Brad Ettinger

4th Place: –Killer Dana -31.6
            Brandon Bacha, Chris Billy, Nate Yeomans, Jesse Merle Jones

DC Wave Pillager- Justin Swartz ZJ Boarding House