Team News

Easterns Team Gears Up

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 19 August, 2009 : - - In less than one month the 2009 East Coast Surfing Championships Grand Finals will take place on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This will be the 38th consecutive year that the competition will be held there. Many things have changed on and around the Graveyard of the Atlantic, since the Eastern Surfing Association held the first East Coast final  in the late summer of 1971.

For starters there was no such thing as television reception, liquor stores, fast food, or even grocery stores in the early years. There were only two places to eat in Buxton where the contest was held.

The Lighthouse Restaurant was located in what looked like an old farmhouse at the edge of town. There was one Kentucky Fried Chicken Restaurant franchise located right across the street from the Red Drum Gas Station on Tower Circle Road. Both eateries are long gone but the Red Drum is still there. Most of the old motels have been replaced by elaborate condominiums and there are plenty of fast food restaurants all across the island.

In the summer of 1971 there was only one surf shop located on the entire stretch of road from Kitty Hawk to Buxton. It was the Hatteras Island Surf Shop, situated in a living room of a residence tucked off the road in Buxton. The original surf shop is still there in the same place...with the same owner! There are now, however several dozen surf shops at last count, located along that same stretch of highway.

The biggest change that has occurred in the past 38 years has been the surfing conditions. In the 70’s and into the 80’s, there were perfect sandbars at every turnoff, ramp, or side street on the entire island. A-frame peaks were plentiful and the great waves would break right through the tides. During the past 20 years, the underwater sandbars have all but disappeared, especially north of the Buxton lighthouse. It seems that all the sand that produced the perfect Hatteras surf moved to the south and out to sea.

This has produced a similar situation to what has happened at the Dunes Club in Narragansett. A tremendous amount of sand that was originally located at the Narragansett Town Beach has shifted north and added a widely expanded sandy beach in and around the Dunes Club and the entrance to the Narrow River. This same similar sand shifting has not only affected the surf north of Buxton, but it also has done a number at south facing breaks such as Frisco and Hatteras Village.

What was once ideal beach break conditions has become severe close-out, head banging body slammers. Don’t get me wrong. There are still plenty of days of perfect surf in the Outer Banks. It is just much tougher to figure out where it is and when it breaks. ESA officials struggled at the 2008 contest, just trying to find a spot that the competitors could manage to paddle out in. Once the Outer Banks get out of control, the surf becomes dangerous.

This brings us to the 2009 ESA South New England team that is taking the trip down south, to compete in the championships. It includes some great local talent that could possibly the best team this district has fielded in 20 years. Leading the team list is probably the best contest surfer in the entire northeast, Ana Barend. I have not seen anyone quite as efficient in a contest situation.

Ana has competed for the past two years in both the Senior Women and Senior Women’s Long board divisions on the very tough ESA contest circuit. She has not only won the Northeast Regional Surf-Offs in both long and short board, but she has also won the East Coast Surfing Championships Grand Finals in both divisions as well. And she has done this for two straight years against different competitors and different conditions. The only question that lies with Ana is whether or not anyone on the East Coast can dethrone her.

Local Grand Legend, 70-year old Kitty Pechet is a 3-time winner of the Northeast Regional Surf-Offs and finalist at the East Coast Championships Grand Finals. And just for the record, Kitty is the only female competitor in that division on the entire East Coast.

Pat Redmond is without a doubt New England’s undisputed top bodyboarder. He has proved himself in both giant surf and tiny slop, placing in the finals of both the Northeast Regional Surf-Offs and the East Coast Surfing Championship Grand Finals. He is prepared to advance to the finals, after another great showing at this year’s regionals in Belmar, New Jersey finishing 3rd.

Chuck Barend is yet another local who has advanced to both the regional and eastern finals. Chuck will have another great chance to make the finals again, in both the Senior Men and Master Long board divisions. Ron Belanger has been a consistent finalist in both contests for the past decade and is planning on doing it again, surfing in the same two events as teammate Barend.

Melanie Kotalac can certainly be considered a Senior Women’s Dark Horse candidate, as she surprised the field at this year’s Regionals Surf-Offs, finishing right behind Ana Barend in the final. Her uncanny wave selection ability makes her a real threat to make the finals in both the long and short board events.

Mya Kotalac’s consistent surfing has put her in the finals at this year’s regionals, and she can certainly advance to the finals with her ability. The last team member is hot surfing Junior Man, Pat Brown, who ripped up the surf this summer at the area contests. He should represent Team New England quite well with his short board moves at Cape Hatteras.

This year’s competition will take place from September 19th to the 26th. If the surf becomes out of control at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, where the contest traditionally takes place, ESA officials have permission to move the event to several other locations where the surf would be better.

In the meantime, the South New England ESA has another summer contest on tap for this weekend. Although the competition is scheduled for Whitecrest Beach, on Cape Cod, the contest could be moved to Narragansett depending on surf conditions. ESA officials fear that if the hurricane system tracks into our area by the weekend, the surf on Cape Cod could become totally unridable. Interested surfers can call the ESA hotline at 401-789-1954 after 6 PM on Friday night for updates.

www.surfesa.org

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