So is the nature of contests... gotta do what you can with what you got!Scott wrote:What Jon Manss didn't mention was that some of the guys won their heat (or took second place) without getting the two waves to make up the combined scores. Their one wave was enough points to get them past some who actually got two waves, both smaller scores. Some guys got no waves in an entire heat, which was also rare--those were some long lulls.
2009 KSUSA Titles in Santa Cruz and WSA Contest in Ventura
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Jack Beresford
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cam
On wavewatch's camera it looks like it perked up a little this morning. Hopefully those guys will benefit from the swell filling in all day.
filling in
Most morning heats got skunked 
, but just like flippin a switch the whole scene changed at the start of a heat buzzer right around noon. Sets are starting to stack at solid 4ft. pushing 5 as I type. Getting consistent and bigger with each heat 
. Looks clean and glassy!!!! Will be a real show for the finals.
, but just like flippin a switch the whole scene changed at the start of a heat buzzer right around noon. Sets are starting to stack at solid 4ft. pushing 5 as I type. Getting consistent and bigger with each heat . Looks clean and glassy!!!! Will be a real show for the finals.
Demand a replay 
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Jack Beresford
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results
Open Division
1. Gavin Colman
2. Tom Backer
3. Barry Baker
4. Rob Salfen
AAA
1. Ed Quinn
2. Jeff Martinez
3. Akio Matsumo
4. Paul Crowley
AA
1. Roger Hughes
2. Llyod Mahoney
3. Don Harris
4. Mark Recordan
Jr.
1. Sebastian Perez
2. Sam Coyne
3. Chris Linn
4. Nick Kouatli
Women
1. Kiya Kelly
2. Laura Rodriguez
3. Marlowe Espalin
1. Gavin Colman
2. Tom Backer
3. Barry Baker
4. Rob Salfen
AAA
1. Ed Quinn
2. Jeff Martinez
3. Akio Matsumo
4. Paul Crowley
AA
1. Roger Hughes
2. Llyod Mahoney
3. Don Harris
4. Mark Recordan
Jr.
1. Sebastian Perez
2. Sam Coyne
3. Chris Linn
4. Nick Kouatli
Women
1. Kiya Kelly
2. Laura Rodriguez
3. Marlowe Espalin
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Jack Beresford
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finals
Congrats to all especially Gavin and Kiya for coming such a long way. Sounds like the waves and weather really cooperated. Wish I could have been there - but I look forward to hearing everyone's favorite moments from the weekend.
Jack
Jack
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skansand
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jon said it, Wow! ...had a great time up in SC! Met alot of cool people up there and put aot of faces to the names on this site....
Got some GREAT waves at the lane the last 2 days....along with some really embarrasing moments...bad drop ins...
sorry guys!
....the weather was amazing and i think everyone felt the energy in the air today!
I love SC so much , i might have to join the masssive bum population and live at lighthouse park..
Got some GREAT waves at the lane the last 2 days....along with some really embarrasing moments...bad drop ins...
sorry guys!....the weather was amazing and i think everyone felt the energy in the air today!
I love SC so much , i might have to join the masssive bum population and live at lighthouse park..
Tide is the master, tide can be a disaster...-Dub side of the Moon
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Mike Fernandez
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Can I say "I told you so." Good job Cove Crew! 
Seriously, looks like some good waves, wish I could have been there.
Seriously, looks like some good waves, wish I could have been there.
I am a traveller of both time and space, a weaver in and out of dreams, I see worlds seldom seen.
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Rocky Point/Black Rock
http://www.youtube.com/user/kneelocoveproduction
www.michaelfernandezphoto.com
Rocky Point/Black Rock
http://www.youtube.com/user/kneelocoveproduction
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Jack Beresford
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Santa Cruz Sentinel Story
Finding waves proves easier than catching them in KSUSA kneeboarding championships
By JULIE JAG - Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted: 01/18/2009 01:30:28 AM PST
SANTA CRUZ -- Everywhere Barry Baker looked Saturday morning, he saw big, clean, beautiful waves. As he camped out at Steamer Lane during the Open men's final of the Kneeboard Surfing USA Championships, they broke all around him.
Around him, but never under him.
"The waves were unpredictable. I get out there and all you see are waves somewhere else," said Baker of San Clemente, who spent most of the heat chasing waves. "I got out and my friend said, You were on the merry-go-round at the Lane.'"
Nature's amusement park, such as it was, delighted and thrilled most of the kneeboarders in the contest with clean rollers that crept into the double-overhead range. As with most carnival games, however, only a few came away as winners.
Gavin Colman of Australia, who in 2007 made an amazing comeback to win the world and U.S. titles at this break after taking a 10-year hiatus from the sport, tamed the Lane again for the Open men's win. But second-place finisher Tom Backer, the 2008 KSUSA champion from Huntington Beach, and Baker went home with the biggest prizes. As the top American finishers in the contest, they earned seeds into the Round of 16 at the Kneeboard Surfing World Championships on April 11-18 in New Zealand.
In other divisions, Roger Hughes and Lloyd Mahoney of Santa Cruz took the top two spots, respectively, in the men's AA final. Ed Quinn of El Segundo won the AAA division, while Sebastian Perez of Laguna Niguel won the Juniors title
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and Kiya Kelly of Canada won the Women's contest, with Laura Rodriguez of Buena Park taking the U.S. title over her sister, Marlowe Espalin.
"We welcome anyone into our U.S. Championships," said organizer Don Harris. "It underscores what trying to accomplish, we don't want to put any boundaries on this."
Baker said Colman deserved the win. While he was out chasing waves, they seemed to be flocking to Colman.
"Gavin was on the spot consistently," Baker said. "Wherever he was, there were waves."
Robb Salfen, the fourth-place finisher in the men's Open final, agreed. He said the waves varied greatly from heat to heat depending on the tide, so if a set was breaking in the slot during one heat, by the next heat it might have moved to Middle Peak. Always, Colman seemed to move with them.
"We all had plans, but every heat changed," Salfen said. "The plan was to change, be fluid and get in a rhythm with the waves. ...
"Gavin was just plugged in."
The waves didn't just vary throughout the day, they varied wildly throughout the contest. When the event began Thursday morning, announcers could be heard heralding the few sets of 3- to 4- foot waves that rolled through. By Saturday, however, most of the waves were about three times that size and coming in quick sets.
"Technically, we went through all conditions, from 1-foot to 14-foot faces," Salfen said. "It was a good test for a contest."
There was even talk of the waves getting too big for the kneeboarders, especially after organizers bumped up the Open men's final from 2 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. But Harris said the finals had been reworked to allow finalists more time in the big surf, not because of concern over wave size.
"Today was big day, but quite honestly I was expecting it to be twice as big," Harris said, "and I was OK with that."
"That wasn't a problem," agreed competitor Bill Lerner of Oceanside, who got knocked out in the repecharge session Saturday. "We could have gone bigger."
Several of the contest's 60-plus competitors said these were the best conditions they've seen for the KUSA Championships, which have been held in Santa Cruz County every year except the last [when it was moved to Oceanside], since the contest began in 2003. That group included Lerner and Baker, two men who ended up watching more perfect waves come through than they could catch.
"Overall," Lerner said, "it was just a great contest."
Contact Julie Jag at 706-3257 or jjag@santacruzsentinel.com.
By JULIE JAG - Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted: 01/18/2009 01:30:28 AM PST
SANTA CRUZ -- Everywhere Barry Baker looked Saturday morning, he saw big, clean, beautiful waves. As he camped out at Steamer Lane during the Open men's final of the Kneeboard Surfing USA Championships, they broke all around him.
Around him, but never under him.
"The waves were unpredictable. I get out there and all you see are waves somewhere else," said Baker of San Clemente, who spent most of the heat chasing waves. "I got out and my friend said, You were on the merry-go-round at the Lane.'"
Nature's amusement park, such as it was, delighted and thrilled most of the kneeboarders in the contest with clean rollers that crept into the double-overhead range. As with most carnival games, however, only a few came away as winners.
Gavin Colman of Australia, who in 2007 made an amazing comeback to win the world and U.S. titles at this break after taking a 10-year hiatus from the sport, tamed the Lane again for the Open men's win. But second-place finisher Tom Backer, the 2008 KSUSA champion from Huntington Beach, and Baker went home with the biggest prizes. As the top American finishers in the contest, they earned seeds into the Round of 16 at the Kneeboard Surfing World Championships on April 11-18 in New Zealand.
In other divisions, Roger Hughes and Lloyd Mahoney of Santa Cruz took the top two spots, respectively, in the men's AA final. Ed Quinn of El Segundo won the AAA division, while Sebastian Perez of Laguna Niguel won the Juniors title
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and Kiya Kelly of Canada won the Women's contest, with Laura Rodriguez of Buena Park taking the U.S. title over her sister, Marlowe Espalin.
"We welcome anyone into our U.S. Championships," said organizer Don Harris. "It underscores what trying to accomplish, we don't want to put any boundaries on this."
Baker said Colman deserved the win. While he was out chasing waves, they seemed to be flocking to Colman.
"Gavin was on the spot consistently," Baker said. "Wherever he was, there were waves."
Robb Salfen, the fourth-place finisher in the men's Open final, agreed. He said the waves varied greatly from heat to heat depending on the tide, so if a set was breaking in the slot during one heat, by the next heat it might have moved to Middle Peak. Always, Colman seemed to move with them.
"We all had plans, but every heat changed," Salfen said. "The plan was to change, be fluid and get in a rhythm with the waves. ...
"Gavin was just plugged in."
The waves didn't just vary throughout the day, they varied wildly throughout the contest. When the event began Thursday morning, announcers could be heard heralding the few sets of 3- to 4- foot waves that rolled through. By Saturday, however, most of the waves were about three times that size and coming in quick sets.
"Technically, we went through all conditions, from 1-foot to 14-foot faces," Salfen said. "It was a good test for a contest."
There was even talk of the waves getting too big for the kneeboarders, especially after organizers bumped up the Open men's final from 2 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. But Harris said the finals had been reworked to allow finalists more time in the big surf, not because of concern over wave size.
"Today was big day, but quite honestly I was expecting it to be twice as big," Harris said, "and I was OK with that."
"That wasn't a problem," agreed competitor Bill Lerner of Oceanside, who got knocked out in the repecharge session Saturday. "We could have gone bigger."
Several of the contest's 60-plus competitors said these were the best conditions they've seen for the KUSA Championships, which have been held in Santa Cruz County every year except the last [when it was moved to Oceanside], since the contest began in 2003. That group included Lerner and Baker, two men who ended up watching more perfect waves come through than they could catch.
"Overall," Lerner said, "it was just a great contest."
Contact Julie Jag at 706-3257 or jjag@santacruzsentinel.com.
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