The 2010 Surf Fest went down is some rough and constantly changing condiotions.
Source: Eastern Surf Magazine
Sunshine. Spring Break. Bikini weather. Surf-crazed beachgoers.
That’s what Surf Fest 2010 organizer Mitch Varnes was hoping for when he moved the Sebastian Inlet Pro from January to March, turning the former World Qualifying Series stand-alone event into a week-long collection of ASP Pro Juniors, amateur comps, collegiate championships, and masters contests.
And although it remains unseasonably cool in Florida, the sun was out in full force for all but two days of Surf Fest 2010 — Thursday, March 11th and Friday, March 12th, when the ASP Grade-3M Ron Jon Sebastian Inlet Pro presented by Skullcandy and the ASP Grade-2W Skullcandy Girls Pro Junior got underway. For those two days, the rain fell. The wind blew. The clouds never once parted.
The first ever Surfing America Prime Series event held in the Sunshine State. The Hurley Surfing America Prime Presented By Got Milk? kicked off in windblown two- to three-foot peaks, with cool north winds, shiver-inducing air temps, and unusually cold 58-degree water temps keeping the Right Coast’s most prestigious amateur surfers clad in fullsuits and even booties. But the challenging conditions provided just the right template for over 50 gathered amateur competitors, who all have their eyes set on the SIMA Surfing America U.S.A. Championships in June and the 2010-2011 PacSun U.S.A. Surf Team announcement shortly thereafter.
The Ron Jon Sebastian Inlet Pro semifinals and finals were timed to coincide with a low tide, allowing Brothers and Geiselman to really perform in Semifinal #1. Unfortunately, Brothers couldn’t dig his way out of 4th-place, but also logged his best result on the ASP Pro Junior series and watched best bud Geiselman surf a solid final against Asing, Garcia, and Wilson. Evan G. started slow, but after Garcia netted an interference and Wilson stumbled, Geiselman brought the pain against his Hawaiian counterpart with two quick rights to walk away with the $3000 1st-place prize and a valuable 2000 points towards qualification for the 2010 ASP World Junior Tour.
The Collegiate Surfing Association event boasted a unique hour-long tag-team heat format, where one surfer from each team would surf simultaneously, catch three waves, and have his or her best two scored. That surfer would paddle in, tag the next member of the team, and continue down the line until all six squad members had bagged two solid waves in the allotted time. Strategy, communication, and patience were key components of the event, which favored teams with deep experience like Flagler College.
During the Masters Championships the only game in town came in the First Peak area, as refracted rights would occasionally bump up to waist-high under Saturday’s strong offshore breeze. That didn’t mean the gathered competitors couldn’t make the most of the small waves on offer — Holland applied his trademark Southern power to several rights, Collins’ mohawk and aggressive style reminded many of his “Skeletor” days, while Kuhn and Hogan’s smooth moves reflected their collective years spent scouring Costa Rica for perfect beachbreakNot only has New Jersey legend Dean Randazzo emerged victorious from four battles with Hodgkin’s lymphoma — now he’s bested a stacked field of Sebastian Inlet legends, East Coast ASP trailblazers, and California competitive icons to win the inaugural Ron Jon Masters Of Surfing Pro presented by Seven Tiki, held on Saturday, March 13th under sunny skies at Sebastian Inlet, FL, as the final event of Surf Fest 2010