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October's the time when locals get ready for cold water and Cold Water
By Gwen Mickelson
October's the time when locals get ready for cold water and Cold Water.
A hundred and sixty surfers are waxing up their potato chips in anticipation of this year's four-star O'Neill Cold Water Classic, which will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday at Steamer Lane hopefully.
To give the World Qualifying Series event a little more hometown flavor, the organizers have put together a locals trial on Tuesday, according to Marc Prefontaine, O'Neill marketing manager. Many Santa Cruz surfers, while well-known and well-respected among the surfing elite, don't do many contests on the WQS, and thus don't have the points to get seeded in the event.
"The local trial will make sure we hold spots for those guys," said Prefontaine. Sixteen to 20 Lane specialists will compete in the locals trials for four slots in the main event.
The locals include Shawn "Barney" Barron, Darryl "Flea" Virostko, Jesse Colombo, Bud Freitas, Nat Young, Anthony Ruffo, Josh Loya, Ken "Skindog" Collins, Randy Bonds, Tyler Smith and Marco Forman.
Locals Kieran Horn, 2003 Cold Water champion, and Jason "Ratboy" Collins are in the main event, said Prefontaine.
The prize purse is $75,000, with first place fetching $10,000.
Ken Collins, 38, declared he was ready to "crush" his competitors.
"I'm going to take everyone out and win the whole contest," he announced, though he's never won the event before.
Tyler Smith has a more nuanced approach.
"At first it's going to be the trials with other guys who know the wave, so it's going to be about getting the biggest and best waves and doing the most critical maneuvers you can," said the Santa Cruz surfer, 28. "Ideally you want to get your biggest and best move right off the bat."
In later rounds, "you just need to be selective," said Smith. "The waves that don't seem to be the best may be, and pretty much only the locals know that."
In addition to Horn, previous Cold Water winners include Santa Cruz's Adam Replogle, legends such as Martin Potter and Tom Curren, and World Championship Tour stand-outs Joel Parkinson, Taylor Knox and Bobby Martinez.
The Cold Water is sometimes plagued with poor wave conditions, and the organizers have again secured permits at Waddell Creek for use as an alternative contest location to ensure the event will run if it's flat at the Lane.
The Cold Water Classic is a critical contest for American surfers looking to earn WQS points towards their year-end rating before heading off to Brazil and Hawaii for the last few events on tour.
"With so few events on the North American tour it's important we provide an opportunity for the surfers looking to get closer to the World Championship Tour," said Prefontaine. "When the swell cooperates, Steamer Lane is a consistent near-perfect wave, but that's not always the case ? so a back-up plan is very important."
However, the north coast location puts locals at a disadvantage, since most of them are used to the nicely groomed point and reef breaks in town, while many surfers toiling on the contest circuit are plenty accustomed to beach breaks of various quality.
As for conditions, "Rumor has it there will be waves, but whatever," said Prefontaine. "I just have to take it for what it is, as much as I want to believe in the forecast, I stand back and cross my arms and hope for the best."
Wetsand calls for a steep northwest windswell Tuesday, with a background southern hemisphere swell filling in with waist-high waves for south-facing breaks Wednesday and Thursday. The next southwest swell is due Saturday.
The final WQS event on the U.S. mainland, the Cold Water Classic will run in conjunction with the Grade 2 Oakley Pro Junior Association of Surfing Professionals North American Championships with a field of 48 competitors vying for part of a $10,000 prize purse. This is the final opportunity for North America's elite junior competitors to advance to the Billabong Junior World Championships in Sydney, Australia.
If you're trapped at your desk during the contest, fear not: Organizers have set up streaming video and live scoring starting Tuesday at http://www.oneill.com
- BLUE WATER FEST: In celebration of "clean water, Santa Cruz and the lifestyle of surfing," Surfrider Santa Cruz and the Aquatic Protection Agency will hold their first annual Blue Water Festival 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 22 at the Santa Cruz Wharf.
The entrance fee is $10. It'll be inside Carniglias, Olitas Cantina & Grill and Miramar Fish Grotto. Events will include:
- The O'Neill Cold Water Classic awards ceremony.
- Surf film premiere, featuring "Peel: the Peru Project," directed by T.J. Barrack and Wes Brown and starring Mark Healey, Jamie Sterling, Jesse Colombo, Randy Bonds, Magoo de la Rosa and Sofia Mulanovich. There will be screenings several times daily.
- Pro surfers signing autographs, including Cold Water Classic competitors and Santa Cruz surfers Randy Bonds and Jesse Colombo.
- Live music, with performances by Jimmy Chicken Pants blue grass, Nathan Webb, Soul Majestic reggae, and five other bands.
- Sustainable seafood cooking presentation by Pebble Beach chef Dave Carlson.
- Surf airbrushing demonstration by Jen Raynes.
- Bikini fashion show.
- Classic surfboard displays.
- Nonprofit tables by several local environmental organizations.
- JIU JITSU FOR A CAUSE: Claudio Franca Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is hosting, for the eleventh year, the U.S. Open XI Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Tournament, Oct. 21-22 at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium. Each year the tournament helps raise money for local charities; this year, 25 percent of gross ticket sales will go to Ride-A-Wave.
Tickets are $8 for age 13 and up, $5 for children 6-12 and free for kids under 5. For information, visit http://www.claudiofrancabjj.com
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