NATIONAL COLLEGE CHAMPIONSHIPS – JUNE 16 SALT CREEK
NATIONAL MIDDLE SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIPS – JUNE 19 SALT CREEK
NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIPS – JUNE 29 (FINALS ON JULY 3) HUNTINGTON BEACH PIER
THE NSSA GEARS UP FOR THE 2010 NATIONAL INTERSCHOLASTIC CHAMPIONSHIPS AT SALT CREEK AND HUNTINGTON BEACH PIER
UNCW IS MOTIVATED TO BRING NATIONALS GOLD TO THE EAST IN 2010!
(Huntington Beach, Ca – June 13, 2010) – The National Scholastic Surfing Association prepares for its 32nd annual National Interscholastic Championships. 16 Colleges, 11 High Schools and 9 Middle Schools will contend for National Championship titles. The College and Middle School Championships will compete at world famous Salt Creek while the High School Championships will be on center stage at Huntington Beach Pier. “We believe the heart and spirit of the NSSA is grounded with the team aspect of the sport,” Executive Director Janice Aragon said. “Since the NSSA’s inception, the National Interscholastic Championships continues to be a uniquely dynamic event showcasing the energy, excitement and spirit of team competition. We are dedicated to providing this special opportunity for college, high school and middle school age surfers to compete in a National Championship setting.” The National Interscholastic Championships crowns champions in both team and individual categories which includes male, female and longboard competition. The National Collegiate Championships will run in its entirety on Wednesday, June 16. The National Middle School Championships will run in its entirety on Saturday, June 19. The National High School Championships preliminary rounds will be held on Tuesday, June 29 at Huntington Beach Pier. The National High School finals will take place on Saturday, July 3 where the NSSA anticipates the largest number of spectators to ever witness the National Championship event. Here’s a look into the nation’s greatest team surf spectacle-the NSSA National Interscholastic Championships!
NATIONAL COLLEGIATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Scheduled to hit the famed point of Salt Creek in Dana Point, California on Friday, June 16, 16 top surfing colleges from around the nation are poised and ready to claim top honors for their school. In 2009, the college championships brought about a triumph that was settled by a sudden death shoot-out with Cal State San Marcos (CSUSM) coming out on top over UNCW for its first ever National title. This year in 2010, it’s already certain that history will be made with classic matchups in the lineup. Reigning champion CSUSM will be back but struggled in the regular and post season thanks to losing several starters to graduation. UNCW will return strong as ever off their second straight East Coast Regional victory and after narrowly missing out in 2009, will go full throttle to become the first east coast team to capture a National crown. Florida’s FIT and FAU are making their first trip to the Nationals after finishing second and third respectively at the East Coast Regionals. Both schools made a roaring comeback to NSSA competition this season thanks to the revamped effort from student leadership and will now have the chance to prove themselves on the national stage. From the west coast, 2007 National Champion San Diego State has been the dominant team winning both the 2010 Conference and State title. Graduating senior and team captain Tyler Smith, who was named NSSA Captain of the Year, will not settle for anything less than bringing the National title back to SDSU. Perennial champions UCSB split the regular season victories with SDSU and were runner-up to them at the State titles. The Gauchos own the most National titles with 11 to their credit and team Captain Colin Andersen is focused on adding another championship trophy to the team’s legacy. West coast No. 3 ranked UCSD is looking to earn their first title since 2003 and they have champions on their side including reigning National Champion Marty Weinstein and NSSA Regional and Conference Champion Kokoro Tomatsuri.
Individually, 2009 National Collegiate champions Marty Weinstein from UCSD (College Mens), Amy Nicholl from UCF (College Womens) and Kevin Osborne (College Longboard) from UCSB will return to defend their titles and all three have a shot to go back-to-back. Both Weinstein and Nicholl claimed conference titles this year and Osborne finished in the top 5.
Schools competing in the National Collegiate Championships are SDSU A & B, UCSB Gold, Gaucho & Dream, UCSD, Point Loma, Mira Costa, Saddleback, CSUSM, CSULB, USC, UNCW, FIT, FAU, and UCF.
FOX COLLEGE SPORTS EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE: In the NSSA’s continued effort to provide the highest platform for team competition, we are excited to have Fox College Sports provide the exclusive coverage of the NSSA College Surfing Championships. The 2010 NSSA College Surfing Championships will premiere on FCS on July 2nd at 7pm ET, and re-air every Friday night throughout the summer. FSN, the sister network of Fox College Sports, will air the 1-hour show on Wednesday, July 7th. Check local listings for the show times in your area. Fuel TV, another sister network of Fox College Sports, will be on-site at the NSSA College Surfing Championships, passing out promotional items during the day’s events.”
NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIPS
This year, the NSSA will bring the High School Championships to center stage at Huntington Beach Pier. The Elite Element Academy has had a two year title domination but with their absence this year, there could be a re-shuffling of national bragging rights. Number one seed San Clemente is seeking their 10th National title and this year things could come together. The Tritons faced the legitimate test at Huntington Pier this past March taking a convincing 116-102 victory over Newport Harbor at the 2010 State titles at HB Pier. The spirited squad is motivated and determined to get back in the National Championship hunt after a 3-year drought. San Clemente is deep with NSSA standout competitors. Starring in the Triton’s lineup is Shaw Kobayashi who recently showed he can get the job done in the beach break peaks of HB Pier winning double Regional titles at the West Coast Championships. Trevor Thornton, Ian Crane, Breyden Taylor and Jonah Carter have posted solid NSSA regular season results. Taylor won the JV State title and could move up to the Varsity squad for the Nationals. 17-time National Champion Huntington Beach High School has struggled with their consistency in the past decade and hasn’t made a trip to the podium since 1998. Having home court advantage should be a major factor in the Oilers quest. NSSA standout Christian Saenz who won the High School State title will be a leading contender for the High School individual title but it will take an entire team effort to bring HB back to gold. Newport Harbor’s Colin Moran took second behind Saenz at the State Champs and their women’s squad is strong with Kaleigh Gilchrist and Shelby Detmers who both made the Nationals final in 2009. HB’s cross-town rival Edison claimed the Junior Varsity National crown in 2009 and will look to defend that along with their Varsity squad hoping to lay down a legit challenge in familiar waters.
Schools competing in the National High School Championships (Varsity) are San Clemente, Newport Harbor, Huntington Beach, Edison, San Dieguito, Mira Costa, Laguna Beach, Marina and Kapalama. Schools competing in the National High School Championships (Junior Varsity) are: San Clemente, Huntington Beach, Edison and Marina.
NATIONAL MIDDLE SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Shorecliffs Middle School has accumulated seven titles since 2000 and has been undefeated since 2006. Once again they are certainly the power player as noted by their exceptional title sweep in team and individual divisions at the 2010 State Championships. Led by State Champions Colt Ward (Boys), Kulia Doherty (Girls) and Andy Nieblas (Longboard), Shorecliffs will go for their fifth consecutive National title. Marco Forster had an impressive runner-up placing at the State titles and will aspire to be the team to dethrone Shorecliffs. Local teams Dwyer and Sowers will have the home court advantage. Dwyer team member Kanoa Igarashi is considered one of the top 12-year-olds in the nation. He owns multiple NSSA Conference and Regional Championship titles and records but is still in pursuit of his first Nationals victory. Schools competing in the National Middle School Championships are Shorecliffs A & B, Marco Forster, Bernice Ayer, Sowers A & B, Dwyer, Thurston and Half Moon Bay.
The 2010 NSSA Championship Series is brought to you by Nike 6.0. The NSSA National Championships is also proud to be supported by Huntington Surf and Sport, Java Point, Surfing Magazine, Sex Wax, Fox College Sports, 7-Eleven and the Sugar Shack. The NSSA is a member of Surfing America, the ISA-recognized National Governing Body for Surfing in the United States.
The NSSA National Interscholastic Championships is one of four separate championship categories featured in the National Championships. Other National Championship categories include the Open Championships, the Explorer Championships and the Airshow Championships
A COMPLETE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS FOR THE 2010 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS IS AVAILABLE ONLINE ON THE NSSA WEBSITE WWW.NSSA.ORG
http://www.nssa.org/newsmanager/templates/?a=867&z=1
About Nike 6.0
The Nike 6.0 brand defines innovation and embodies the creativity of youth, united by action. Nike 6.0 delivers footwear and apparel to support the new generation of action sports athletes who are changing the worlds of surf, snow, moto, BMX, wake and freeski. Their unlimited potential and contagious energy deliver the future through performance and lifestyle.www.nike6.com
About Huntington Surf & Sport
Owned and operated by surfers for surfers since 1978. Huntington Surf & Sport has built their love for the Sport of Surfing into the walls, floors and ceilings of all of their stores. Huntington Surf & Sport is the leader in surf products, surf wear and surf retail. Offering a huge selection of surfboards, wetsuits, skateboards, apparel and accessories, Huntington Surf & Sport is the Global “King” of surf shops! www.hsssurf.com
About Sexwax
Manufacturers of premium surf waxes since 1972. This iconic brand enjoys worldwide recognition in the surf market and beyond. Providing maximum traction performance with its 6 unique “Quick Humps” formulations, Sexwax is the brand that the vast majority of professional surfers prefer. In addition to its specialty waxes, Sexwax offers an extensive range of surf accessories, branded t-shirts, sunscreen, other soft goods. www.sexwax.com
About Fox College Sports
FCS is three nationally distributed college sports networks (FCS Pacific, FCS Central, and FCS Atlantic) stocked with premium collegiate programming from across the country. FCS features men’s and women’s competitions across a broad range of NCAA-sanctioned sports highlighted by perennial powers from the ACC, Big 12, Pac 10, SEC, as well as other top conferences. The three networks combine to telecast more than 750 live NCAA events over the course of a year. Based on current distribution agreements, FCS is available to approximately 55 million digital homes and is seen by viewers in the nation’s 25 largest cities, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas and Atlanta, Houston, Seattle, Minneapolis and Tampa. Key MSO partners include Comcast Corp., Time Warner Cable, Charter Communications, Cox Communications, Cablevision Systems, Mediacom Communications, Insight Communications and CableOne and the National Cable Television Cooperative. The most up-to-date telecast schedule is available 24/7 by logging on towww.foxcollegesports.com.
Written by Janice Aragon
Story from NSSA.org
