The Eastern Surfing Association held its 2014 Mid-Atlantic Regional Surfing Championships presented by Liquid Shredder at The Tides in Folly Beach, South Carolina this past weekend, showcasing the best amateur surfing in the region.
“It was a great event in one of the most surfer-friendly areas along the East Coast,” said ESA Executive Director Michelle Sommers. “The competitors put on a fantastic display of progressive surfing in the small waves and the weather was fantastic. The local surf community really came out to support the ESA as the beach was packed each day!”
Competitors qualified for this event through their local ESA districts over the past year and were competing for a coveted slot at the ESA’s premier event, the 47th Annual Eastern Surfing Association Championships, known as The Easterns®, scheduled for September 14-20, 2014 in Nags Head, North Carolina. The ESA’s three Regional events are also qualifiers for the Surfing America Prime Series and the Surfing America USA Championships.
There was a live webcast during all four days of competition on the ESA website (www.surfesa.org). “It was wonderful to be able to allow people who couldn’t attend the event in person to view it live online while it was happening,” says Sommers.
The GoPro Open Shortboard Division was won by Southern South Carolina’s Anthony Osment, who took home a brand new GoPro camera with accessories for his effort, with Micah Cantor and Kyle Busey finishing second and third, respectively.
The Reflekt Polarized Mens Division saw Southern South Carolina’s Evan Tanner place first, followed by Eric Kirby, also of Southern South Carolina and Michael Foard from the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
Taking the Menehune Division was Virginia’s Laird Myers, with Morgan Weaver and Ren Powell in second and third, respectively. ESA All-Star Team Captain Simon Hetrick, Boyd Brown and Micah Cantor were the one, two, three finishers in the Boys Division, while Quentin Turko bested ESA All-Star Jordan Montgomery and Hunter Skolnick to round out the top three in the Junior Mens Division.
The Girls Division was led by ESA All-Star Georgia Cook, with Anna Bloess in second and ESA All-Star Kat Neff in third. Southern North Carolina’s Samantha Newkirk took Junior Womens, followed by ESA All-Star Laney Brooks and Madison Huckabee.
The Iron Man, Junior Iron Man and Iron Woman Awards were presented to Leonardo Merchan, Seth Brown and Georgia Cook, who competed in multiple divisions and had the highest placings in those divisions during the event. Simon Hetrick was presented with the ESA’s Sportsmanship Award, while Kyle Busey received the Hot Wave Award by garnering the highest one-wave score for a total of 9.17 out of a possible 10 points.
A complete list of all the results can be found at www.surfesa.org. Photos of the event from Photography by Joey Wilson can be found on his website at www.photographybyjoeywilson.com.
Special thanks go out to ESA National and Local Sponsors, including Liquid Shredder, Reflekt Polarized, The City of Folly Beach, The Tides Folly Beach, Blu Restaurant, Avocet Properties, GoPro, johnnie-O, Sick Trix, Parrot Surf Shop, Surfer Magazine, Sanuk, Swellinfo.com, Sticky Bumps Surf Wax, Banana Boat, BeachTuff, Dirt Road Designs, Surf Bar, Ocean Surf Shop, McKevlin’s Surf Shop, Surfco Hawaii, Brannen Construction, Rita’s, Prissy Tomboy, The New Primal, Banxblock Sunscreen, Chums, Catch Surf, and MCC Global.
Also, thanks to the ESA’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Director, Harry Purkey, along with Southern South Carolina and Georgia ESA districts led by Nancy Hussey, Marshall DePass and Jeff and Tara Mosely.
Also, stay tuned for info on the ESA Northeast Regional Championship presented by Imperial Costa Rican Cerveza, which will be taking place in Long Beach Island, New Jersey May 9-11th.
The ESA, which is in its 47th year, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit amateur athletic organization dedicated to the sport of amateur surfing. The organization promotes amateur competition for surfers of all ages and abilities, and is dedicated to the establishment and preservation of free access to a clean shoreline and ocean environment.
Press Contact:
Michelle Sommers
302-988-1953
[email protected]