Surf Happens, Clyde Beatty Surfboards & The Santa Barbara Elephant Bar

Present:

Surf Happens 2003 SurfnWear Rincon Classic

The Legacy Continues...

In 1979 Roger Nance, and Jeff White decided to put the soul back into competitive surfing through a "locals only" event to be held at the queen of the coast, Rincon Point. The first annual Surf n' Wear Rincon Classic embodied the combined spirit of the lifestyle and competition showcasing generations of Santa Barbara surfers such as; three time world champion Tom Curren, Women's world champion Kim Mearig, aerial pioneer Davey Smith, and world amateur champion Chris Brown. Soul and comrarderie combined with the liquid perfection of Rincon made the event classic in all respects. Twenty four years later the legacy of the Rincon Classic continues.

The Rincon Classic was held under the tutilidge of Nance and White for seventeen consecutive years before falling dormant in 1996. In 2000 Surf Happens founders Chris & Angelica Keet resurrected the event and have successfully run the event for the last three years this being the 20th anniversary of its inception. On February 8 & 9 2003, the Keets' Surf Happens surfing school put on the SurfnWear classic with the same fundamental theme of Roger Nance and Jeff White; community pride, perfect waves, and high performance surfing.

This years event was blessed once again, with perfect weather, and a last minute north west swell from Alaska. Immaculate head high conditions prevailed for the 130 participants in the 11 divisions available. Gremlins: 11 & under boys, Grominas: 14 & under girls, Boys: ages 12-14,

Juniors: ages 14-17, Mens: 18 & over, Womens: all ages, Longboard: all ages, Masters: 35-45, Grand Masters: 45 & up, along with specialty events including the Professional division: Airshow, and the single fin tag team event.

The Gremlins featured the future of Santa Barbara surfing with local up and comer Connor Coffin taking first place with smooth turns, superior wave selection, and exciting maneouvers. Just behind Connor was Santa Barbara's Wyn Nevins who caught the wave of his young career in his first ever surfing competiton. Finishing in third with some nice turns was Simon Murdoch, followed by Parker Coffin.

The Grominas division was won by 13 year old Jordan Goldberg. Jordan combined style with tenacity and poise to overtake her best friend 14 year old Jackie Steinmann. Colin Anderson took first place in the Boys division linking tail free top turns with solid wave selection. Last years champion Nole Cossart slid into a close second with floater top turn combinations, followed by Adam Lambert from Montecito. Lambert pulled some of the best aerials but suffered due to poor wave selection. Lorin Anderson from Santa Ynez took fourth place with his smooth, horizontal surfing approach. Fifth place Oliver Fries and six place Spencer Bruce rounded out line up with strong showings.

The frontrunners of the Surf Happens surfing scene were stepping up the pace in the highly competitive Juniors division. The perfect walls at Rincon provided ample opportunities for each contestant to showcase their diverse surfing talents. Oakviews Ryan Peterson dominated the field with a mature, smooth surfing style combined with newschool aerial antics. Mike Walters from Goleta took second place exhibiting superior wave selection, and powerful, flashy maneouvers. Third place was one by Tyler Payne from Santa Cruz CA. Fourth place and most improved surfer of the event was 17 year old Evan Geeb whose under the lip snaps got his female fan club out of their beach chairs. Sand bagging it from the Boys division was Lorin Anderson taking fifth. Six place Andrew Bennett said, "just wait till next year". First, second, and fourth in the juniors division are all graduates from Surf Happens Surfing School.

Womens surfing in Santa Barbara is for real. This years winner Aubrey Faulk proved the point beyond a doubt. Aubrey's surfing pushed the envelope wide open with an aggresive surfing style that had the guys taking note. 2003 UCSB surfing team captain Nicole De Leon caught the highest score of the womens final linking smooth top turns with a cover up tube ride on the inside to take second. Third place was Olivia Webster with superior wave selection and style. Fourth place Nicole Bymes picked out some of the best waves of the final but lacked length of ride. Fifth place Lisa Knott and Sixth place Jordan Goldberg rounded out the womens field.

2003 Surf Happens Rincon Classic Longboard division champion Daniel Graham surfed above the rest. It seemed like the kid was everywhere on the wave and on his surfboard all at once, while his style remained controlled and fluid. Second place was Santa Barbara SEALS co-founder J.P Garcia who caught the best wave of the final on which he showed his characteristic aplomb, and smooth style while walking cleanly to the nose and trimming through two cascading tube rides. Cross stepping to the nose in third was Daniel Cross. SurfnWear Beach House employee Jeremy Woodul took fourth place with strong vertical lip gouges. Fifth and Sixth place were won by Rincon legends Danny Bralver and Steve Bigler whose stylish technical approaches had the kids taking notes.

Masters champion Chuck Graham has competed in the Rincon Classic 16 years and taken a victory in multiple divisions. Anyone who knows chuck, knows good surfing. Graham polished the point with his smooth style and surperior local knowledge, not to mention his vertical surfing prowess. Rippin Stix shaper and Goleta underground hero Phil Di Bartolomeo took second on his hand shaped board with a last second layback tailslide that was the most radical maneover of the Masters final. Honorary invitee to the Mavericks, Men Who Ride Mountains event, Steve Dwyer made the drive from Santa Cruz to take third place. Fourth place Alexis Usher and multiple Rincon Classic champion suffered from poor wave selection but vows to school the masters in 2004. Travis Bower from Goleta narrowly defeated Carpinterias' Greg Como in the closing moments of the Masters final.

Grand Masters champion Donald Cambell won with only three waves on his score card. Patience, local knowledge and pure finess gave Cambell the edge over Carpinteria hero,and Rincon Designs owner Matt Moore. Moore displayed timeless top turns and great style on his hand crafted Rincon Designs surfboard. Third place was taken by Clyde Beatty Surfboards owner and event sponsor Clyde Beatty. Beatty performed multiple backside slashes on his patented Rocket Fish to seal third. Fourth place was Kit Cossart with an incredible pocket ride, with Danny "the man" Bralver sliding into fifth.

The highly competitive Mens and Professional divisions showcased some of the finest performances ever seen in Santa Barbara county. Top local surfers battled in the perfect head high waves at Rincon showing just how far the level of surfing has come in twenty years. Where twenty years ago competitors were riding the lip, this years Mens and Professional winner Pete Mussio and Carpinterias Brian Aresco were flying over the lip. The level of surfing was so high that the ASP judges handed out multiple 9.0 scores.

The Mens final belonged to 21 year old Lompoc aerialist Pete Mussio who combined speed and power with an arsenal of tricks that had everyone second guessing if tricks are indeed just for kids. Second place Bart (Barto Negro) Templeman had the wave selection and power surfing departments sealed up, posting impressive 9.5, 8.5, and 6.0 scores. Third Place went to arguably one of the best surfers on the Coast, Santa Barbara's Aaron Ernst who won the event back in 1996 and took home the wave of the day award in 2000. Right behind Ernst was Tarik Khashoggi from Hope Ranch who displayed moments of raw talent and incredible maneouvers but suffered from poor wave selection in the final. Fifth place went to Channel Islands surfboards employee and Carpinteria strongman Aaron Smith who pulled off many a turn that evoked the (spell it out) "Howdedodat" award from the crowd of onllookers. In sixth place was Goleta power house Joel Dallas who muscled his 200 pound frame through perfect cuttbacks during the entire event.

If Professional division champion Pete Mussio could be adequately described with only two words they would be high, and energy. The kid surfed through back to back finals with an unrelenting intensity that culminated with his last wave of the pro final. Popping to his feet with only four seconds remaining in the heat Mussio needed a big score to take the win. After pulling three clean top turns Mussio proceeded to complete a functional double rail grab aerial over a section, and launch a perfect alley oop into the close out section. Brian Aresco of Carpinteria placed a very close second with impeccable style, positioning, creativity, and poise oozing out of him. Aresco's style is so fluid that it almost masks the radical nature of his turns including the double grab rail aerial pictured above.

Goofy foot Henry Mills from Carpinteria used his powerful, lightning quick approach to strike the lip repeatedly on his waves, but was unable to pick off the sets. Fourth place Bart Templeman narrowly defeated Joe Curren and Mike Bilgren with some unbelievable floating maneouvers. Plagued by the inconsistent conditions Curren and Bilgren were unable to surf to the best of their abilities, yet managed to ride the waves they did catch like super heroes.

Speaking of super heroes, Chris Brown of Santa Barbara put on his cape to fly away with the Airshow title, pulling off the victory by a mere half point over second place finisher Brian Aresco. Aresco pulled his aerials so cleanly he almost joined the navy like Carpinteria stand out Vince Perry. Landing in third place was Aaron Ernst who managed to hold off new school aerial rulers Ryan Peterson, Daniel Jacobs, and Pete Mussio who fell into fourth, fifth, and sixth places respectively.

The seventies tag team division featured 4, four person teams who after picking numbers chose from eight single fin surfboards ranging from classic to contemporary. Each surfer was scored on the best of three possible rides with designated "double wammy" surfers top ride being doubled. The Lurkers team led by Joe Curren narrowly defeated the Hammonds locals to take take the tag team event for 2003.

The awards ceremony was held in the SurfnWear tradition at Tony's restaurant in Carpinteria were everyone was treated to a smorgasborg of tasty food, surf stories, and comrarderie. As the 2003 event festivities wound down claims were already being made by contestants on who would be the king of the queen of the coast at the 2004 Rincon Classic.

Special thanks to the following: God for blessing the event, this community, and the waves that grace Santa Barbara's coastline. The Santa Barbara Olive Company for providing the incredible trophies for the event. Headlining sponsors Clyde Beatty Surfboards, and the Santa Barbara Elephant Bar for making this event possible. Kinkos copies on State for creating all of the posters and flyers. A-frame surf shop,Rip Curl Wetsuits, SurfnWear, Powell skateboards, Freestyle Watches, Legend Eyewear,& Ocean & Earth for all of the awesome prizes. The Amateur Athletic Union for their support of the event through sanctioning and insurance. Freebirds World Burrito and Glaceau Vitamin Water for the tasty grubs and beverages at the event. Last, but not least, thanks to all of the Surf Happens staff members who successfully organized and ran the event.

Complete Event Results:

Gremlins: (11 and under boys)

1. Connor Coffin

2. Wyn Nevins

3. Simon Murdoch

4. Parker Coffin

Grominas:(14 & under girls)

1. Jordan Goldberg

2. Jackie Steinmann

Boys: (ages 12-14)

1. Colin Anderson

2. Nole Cossart

3. Adam Lambert

4. Lorin Anderson

5. Oliver Fries

6. Spencer Bruce

7. Cody Fleishchauer

7. Donnie Headen

9. Robert Curtis

9. Henry Waldman

11. Taylor Nancarrow

11. Willy Radis

13. Parker Barthalomay

13. Jordan Goldberg

13. Nick Greenside

13. Zuma Michaels

17. Eli Cole

17. Adam Munoz

17. Hank Handtmann

20. Connor Coffin

20. Colin Dwyer

Juniors: (15-17)

1. Ryan Peterson

2. Mike Walters

3. Tyler Payne

4. Evan Geeb

5. Lorin Anderson

6. Andrew Bennett

7. Colin Anderson

7. Luke Duncan

9. Brian Wilcoxon

10. Michael Lonson

10. Daniel Jacobs

10. Cody Makela

13. Brian Franz

13. Taylor Nisbet

13. Christian Kopenik

13. Stuart Thielmann

17. Chris Pace

Longboard: (All Ages)

1. Daniel Graham

2. J.P Garcia

3. Daniel Cross

4. Jeremy Woodul

5. Danny Bralver

6. Steve Bigler

7. Travis Bower

7. Connor Coffin

9. Donald Cambell

9. Cameron Faucett

11. John Przonek

11. Wayne Rich

11. Willy Radis

14. Ryan Cardone

14. Clay Hartmann

16. Branden Aroyan

Womens: (all ages)

1. Aubrey Faulk

2. Nicole De Leon

3. Olivia Webster

4. Nicole Bymes

5. Lisa Knott

6. Jordan Goldberg

7. Chelsea Curtis

7. Nina Oakley

10. Jackie Steinmann

Masters: (35-44)

1. Chuck Graham

2. Phil Di Bartolomeo

3. Steve Dwyer

4. Alexis Usher

5. Travis Bower

6. Greg Como

7. Andy Smalley

7. Tony Luna

9. Steve Augerot

10. Clyde Beatty Jr.

10. George Murdoch

10. Dana McCorkle

13. Matt Moore

13. Rich Coffin

15. Tim Rise

Grand Masters: (45 & up)

1. Donald Campbell

2. Matt Moore

3. Clyde Beatty Jr.

4. Kit Cossart

5. Danny Bralver

Tag Team:

1. The Lurkers

2. Hammonds Locals

3. The Boys

4. The Crew

Airshow:(all ages)

1. Chris Brown

2. Brian Aresco

3. Aaron Ernst

4. Ryan Peterson

5. Daniel Jacobs

6. Pete Mussio

Mens: (18 & up)

1. Pete Mussio

2. Bart Templeman

3. Aaron Ernst

4. Tarik Khashoggi

5. Aaron Smith

6. Joel Dallas

7. Dillon Murphy

7. Ryan Peterson

9. Joe Curren

9. Daniel Jacobs

11. Paul Franzen

11. Dennis Leon

13. Javi Moreno

13. Mike Lane

13. Branden Yates

13. Vince Perry

17. Brian Aresco

17. Greg Como

17. Mike Walters

17. Andrew Jacabowski

21. Shea Parton

21. Nick Galati

21. Matt Pesce

21. Shawn Decker

25. Ryan Cardone

25. Ulysses Paulson

25. Ryan Moore

25. Ryan Harnesberger

25. Drake Stanley

25. Mike Bilgren

25. Henry Mills

25. Teo Galati

33. Lowell Bowling

33. Jason Thatch

33. Mark Schmied

33. Greg Venable

33. Matt Urias

33. Will Adler

33. Shawn Reynolds

40. Brady Phillips

40. Christian La Cuesta

40. Spencer Davis

40. Nathan Winkles

Professional: (all ages)

1. Pete Mussio

2. Brian Aresco

3. Henry Mills

4. Bart Templeman

5. Joe Curren

6. Mike Bilgren

7. Nate Winkles

7. Chris Brown

9. Aaron Smith

9. Joel Dallas

11. Chris Keet (no show in semi)

11. Matt Urias

13. Lowell Bowling

13. Bummy Kopenik

13. Daniel Jacobs

13. Paul Franzen

17. Ryan Harnesberger

17. Tarik Khashoggi

17. Aaron Ernst

17. Dylan Murphy

21. Nick Galati

21. Javi Moreno

21. Branden Yates

21. Ryan Peterson