Cardiff Stand Up Surf Competition Today Updates semi live

[river]

I am hoping to give you guys some update through the day of the Competition here at Cardiff, Ca.  Looks like 4 heats of Stand Up Guys so I think that adds up to 20 guys or so.  I will try to get a competitors list.
The first heat is at 10:45

Waves are looking good a bit of an offshore and their as nice as they can get.  Onshore winds this afternoon expected...

[Andy]

Hi river....

I look forward to reading your competition info as you put it up how you all have a good day.

As per my post a few days back... if you can find out how the guys are judging it I would be very interested.

Ride safe

Andy

[river]

There judging it the same as the traditional surf.  One to ten range 6 waves count, 15 minute heats, same as typical surfing.  Ambiguous timing and signalling sysems have made it hard to figure out when heats are starting and finishing plus there's seperate 3 competition zones.  They finally added a good flag to signal when the heat starts and stops.  This should help.  The competitors this afternoon in the last 2 prelim heats are getting some preatty blown out conditions compared to what we got in the first 2 heats this morning. 

 Waves were nice this morn, but now there's a 10knot wind onshore bumping it up. 

My heat had 5 and only 2 advanced so I was third.  Super fun just didnt really get into a groove.  Had a few decent waves but nothing that got me a long ride. Super fun event though I love meeting all the killer people and feeling all the stoke.   

I have some pics I will post here in a few.
Sorry for the short hand but I gotta get back out there and keep pimping the Wenre Spankers...  And watch my bros surf in the next SUS heats! SWEET!

[river]

http://s226.photobucket.com/albums/dd257/danyak101/
heres a few pics from toady.

[Andy]

Hey river,

Sounds like a great event.... we had the fist sup event last weekend here in the UK.... similar vibe, great people, good fun and loads of stoke.

We judged the event similar to a loag board event but I am really interested to know how judges are counting the use of the paddle.

Some great photos and I love those cars.

Ride safe

Andy

[river]

Thanks Andy. 
The announcer said the judges will looking for the SUS'ers to not use their paddle while surfing the wave to prove their balance or something stupid like that.  Allan and i looked at each other and were like "what"   This is a surf comp that has a stand up division basically.  What we need to start doing is organizing our own comps and invite surfskis, kayakers, and maybe even some prone surfers.

They did have a multiple person per team relay paddling race.  There were 8 people oin a team including one female and one stand paddler.  Each person had to complete a loop form the beach out through the surf and then back to the beach.  Everyone except the SUP'ers had to use the same board.  This turned out to be super fun and in my eyes even more fun for many than the actual surfing competition.  Jeff Warner (ledgends Sufr Shop-Owner) got a great start and when we started getting into the foam piles many of us fell off the boards.  After making it through the surf I was on Jeff like LAX traffic.  We rounded the bouy and I kept paddling on one side trying to catch Jeff as he was switching alot and I could make ground everytime he switched.  Then we got into the surf we both were side by side and missed a good little wave so we kept paddling (bad idea) as the next wave came we both got caught deep and ate Sh!t.  i lost my board and started swimming, Jeff dropped his paddle and had to swim out for it.  Then I look over my should just in time to see Allan Cheataux (Nui Moana Board builder)surfing a wave perfectly all the way to the beach and flying past Jeff and I like floundering sea monkeys.  Jeff ended up getting in before me by about 10 seconds.  The whole paddling loop really only took us 5-6 minutes.  I was exhausted-It was awesome.  The Team I was on (PB=Pacific Beach) went on to get 4th. I dont even know what team won but we were all high fiving and meeting people it was super fun.  I could see these kinds of races being really fun in the future for SUS because you can do them anywhere. 

Ok well my fingers are smoking and I got to go release the choclate hostage-(thanks again Starbucks...)

Oh yea sorry my spelling sux I am lazy and like to type fast.

SUP-G

[Allan Cheateaux]

I was in 3rd coming back solely as a strategic move. Wear it woman. Go Swami's...

[river]

yea right that was my plan too.  saving energy for todays big shoot out.  Cant wait.

[river]

updated the photo album with some more pics this morning including the list of semi finals rounds for SUS.
Weather is warm 80 degrees, water in the mid 60's, wind is holding off so far but looming in the air.  Our SUS heats start at 11:45ish.

hmm photobucket is not liking me today. 

[Dwight (DW)]

updated the photo album with some more pics this morning including the list of semi finals rounds for SUS.
Weather is warm 80 degrees, water in the mid 60's, wind is holding off so far but looming in the air.  Our SUS heats start at 11:45ish.

hmm photobucket is not liking me today. 

I don't see the updates. Keep trying please 

[river]

there are some fresh pics on there now.  Sorry their so late photbucket wouldnt let me upload yesterday for some reason?

Congrats to Jeremy Fry of Waverod Surfboards who won. 
and
Caleb Wilborne who took 3rd with his Werner Paddle and Nui Moana Board.

i will get more going today.

[river]

The semi finals, and finals were awesome yesterday.  Everyone had some nice waves.  Jeff Warner had some really nice nose rides and cutbacks, Caleb Wilborne was also shredding and had one ride with 4-5 floaters and took most of his waves all the way to the beach.  You could tell that these were surfers who picked up Stand Up and are taking it to the next level.  I am stoked because I have learned a lot (in my first sus comp)and got some nice rides in my semi final heat including a little cover up barrel.  I tied for 4th with Andre who rips.  (In all honesty though there were some serious eyebrows lifted at the results and judging which made it hard to know what to do to win)  Jeremy Fry figured it out and won both his semi final heat and the final heat to take the top of the podium.  He had some nice wave selections and was firing some floaters to switch, but he couldnt stand up getting out through the surf so he was the super sleeper.

Want to thank Otis and Swammis Surf Club for putting together such a killer event.  See you guys again next year.
Dan Gavere aka SUP-G

 

[Allan Cheateaux]

Found these online... (shameless self promoting)

Me, watching the section close and skirting around it...



Here's River getting it done on a 9'6 La pistola


Caleeb wilborn on a 10' racy number... went to the finals on that board, absolutely tore it up!


Tom English showing what its all about. The judges were looking for you to NOT use your paddle once in the wave. I didnt understand it either, but its a new, very hard to judge sport...


Andrei of mylocallineup.com... this guy owns it, just rips everything. Didnt make it to the finals. Very interesting... this shot it sick (shameless paddle surf hawaii plug)


For more insane shots of the event, please go to http://www.johnslavin.com/Daily%20Photos/9999999996%20Swamis%20Surfing%20Association%2DGlobal%20Surf%20Industries%20Cardiff%20Classic/ John is an amazing photographer who shoots some great stuff.

[Rand]

Looks like you had great contest conditions.  Score.

http://www.johnslavin.com/Daily%20Photos/9999999996%20Swamis%20Surfing%20Association-Global%20Surf%20Industries%20Cardiff%20Classic/gallery_image.asp?imageid=12&id=cca_O2864.jpg