Open Mens Champion Kaimana Jaquias, Mayor of HB and Open Womens Repeat Champion Lakey Peterson

Jaquias launched out to an early lead in the 30 minute final matchup with a solid 8.25 out of 10, but struggled to find a second backup score until the last few minutes of the heat. The Hawaiian regular-footer locked into a wedgy righthander breaking off of South Huntington Beach Pier by cracking several forehand turns to overtake then heat leader Conner Coffin to win the 2010 Open Men’s National Title.

“I’m on top of the moon right now,” Jaquias said. “I got that 8.25 at the beginning and I was just hoping I could get another one. Conner (Coffin) got that second 5.00 and I was just praying to God that I could get another wave to take over the lead.”

Jaquias’ prestigious victory also puts his name on the list of NSSA champions including his father Kaipo Jaquias, who was the 1987 Open Junior Champion.

NSSA Open Mens National Champion Kaimana Jaquias

“I’m just so happy to have my name up there with my father,” Jaquias said. “I wanted to have my name up there with his.”

Peterson won her second-consecutive NSSA National Open Women’s title when the final heat leader, Nage Melamed, earned an interference in the dying minutes of the matchup to cut the young Hawaiian’s second score in half. Melamed’s error proved to be enough to push Peterson back into the lead for this year’s win.

“That was not the way I wanted to win, but a win is a win and I’ll take it,” Peterson said. “I feel really bad for Nage (Melamed). She surfed really well and I really feel for her. She’s a sweet girl and I just feel bad for her, but I’m happy at the same time.”

Although the defending champion had a slow heat, she was elated to tack another NSSA Open Women’s title on to her list of accomplishments.

“Really, I couldn’t be happier,” Peterson said. “The waves didn’t really offer much out there, but I did what I could with the ones that I got. That’s how surfing is.”

Naihe took out the NSSA National Open Junior’s title in impressive fashion with a come-from-behind victory. The young Hawaiian punted a fully committed air-reverse to post a much needed 8.50 out of 10 to catapult Naihe from the back of the pack into the lead for the win.

“I’m super stoked, the waves are hard to surf out there and I just got lucky,” Naihe said. “I was getting nervous and knew I had to go for broke at the end.”

Naihe was also elated to have his name alongside the stack of surfing icons who have won the Open Junior’s division in the past.

“All of the guys that have won this division in the past have gone on to be super successful, so I’m stoked to take this win,” Naihe said.

To catch highlights from the 2010 NSSA Nationals log on to www.nssalive.com for video presented by Nike 6.0.

2010 NSSA National Champions:
Open Men’s Champion: Kaimana Jaquias
Open Women’s Champion: Lakey Peterson
Open Junior Champion: Keala Naihe
Open Boy’s Champion: Kanoa Igarashi
Open Longboard Champion: Shaun Thompson
Open Mini Grom Champion: John Mel

Explorer Men’s Champion: Ezekiel Lau
Explorer Women’s Champion: Leila Hurst
Explorer Junior’s Champion: Parker Coffin
Explorer Boy’s Champion: Taylor Clark

HS Varsity Men’s Champion: Ezekiel Lau
HS Varsity Women ‘s Champion: Kaleigh Gilchrist
HS Varsity Longboard Champion: Jeff Newell
HS JV Men’s Champion: Jonah Carter
HS JV Women’s Champion: Lani Doherty
HS JV Longboard Champion: Eli Gillis

NSSA Air Show Champion: Sam Orosco

Young Hawaiian Kalani David, 12, was a standout in the Open Boy’s competition when the regular-footer detonated a near-perfect heat while advancing through to the Semifinals. Fellow Hawaiian talent Tanner Hendrickson, 18, led the way to Open Men’s Quarterfinals competition by posting the top scores of the division.

Defending Open Women’s Champion Lakey Peterson, 15, continued to flare throughout the 2010 event while earning the top scores of women’s competition before advancing to this year’s Open Women’s final.

Kalani David went ballistic in his Open Boys heat, surfing a near-perfect bout by smashing the event’s only perfect 10 with a single maneuver, a massive 360 air. The perfect ride came shortly after the Hawaiian upstart blasted an impressive 9.65 with several committed fins-free turns and finished with a clean air-reverse to effortlessly place the field in a combination situation in what many are calling the performance of the event so far.

Hendrickson dominated his Round 2 heat, unleashing the highest single wave score of Open Men’s competition, a near perfect 9.00 out of 10 before snatching the division’s highest heat total, a 15.50 out of 20. The Maui regular-footer’s consistency continued in Round 3 when he displayed another notable performance to convincingly move on to the Quarterfinals alongside Parker Coffin.

“I’m really stoked that I made it,” Hendrickson said. “Everything is going my way. I’m just going to try and surf my best tomorrow and have a good time. I’m stoked that I made it to the final day and I want to do the best that I can. Hopefully tomorrow I can show that.”

Conner Coffin, 16, who was a standout in Round 1 of Open Men’s competition yesterday, continued to flare through two more rounds today to advance to the Quarterfinals.

“I’m trying to build momentum as I go,” Coffin said. “It feels good to win a heat. I’ve been having weird contests lately, but I finally have a board that I comfortable on.”

Coffin has been sticking to his game plan of picking off the wedgy rights on offer at South Huntington Beach Pier while remaining patient while searching for waves that offer the highest scoring potential.

“The conditions are similar to yesterday and I kind of did the same thing as I did in the last heat,” Coffin said. “I just surfed those rights off of the pier and it’s so fun. It was a three man heat, so it was easy to get waves.”

Peterson continued to standout as the top performer of the Open Women’s competition when she amassed the second-highest heat total of the entire event, a 15.75 out of 20 to earn the right to defend her Open Women’s National title in this year’s final.

“The waves got way better this afternoon compared to this morning,” Peterson said. “I think tomorrow is going to be a good final. Hopefully the waves will still be fun. I know the waves should be a little bit smaller tomorrow, but there should still be a little bit of swell and I’m stoked to make the final.”

The standout competitor feels a little pressure to defend her title, but is trying to enjoy her amateur career at the same time.

“I guess there’s a little bit of pressure,” Peterson said. “I just got a new sponsor and I want to do well for them, but realistically I’m just having fun.”

Surfline.com, official forecasters for the 2010 NSSA Nationals are expecting both the current south swell and northwest wind swell to ease while a new south-southwest swell is expected to build throughout the day to bring contestable two-to-three foot surf to the final day of competition. Winds are expected to be out of the south in the morning and then switch to a southwesterly flow by afternoon at light to moderate strength.

To watch the final day of NSSA Nationals action watch the LIVE webcast presented by Nike 6.0 via www.nssalive.com starting at 7am local time.