Toes on the Nose and Eyes on the Prize: Student Surfers Face Off in Dana Point

“And Alyssa takes it in for the win. Alyssa and Bethany will move on to the next heat!” the commentator announced through the speakers at Dana Point’s Salt Creek Beach. Three teenage girls paddled their way to the sand on their short boards at the sound of the oversize digital clock’s deafening buzz and commentator’s final statement, marking the end of the women’s semi-final surf heat in the Southwest Conference Open Season #4.

Ready to Rip

Salt Creek hosted the National Scholastic Surf Association’s fourth annual student surf competition in a two-day event starting October 1st. The unusually warm water, 75 degree clear blue skies and slight breeze in the air throughout the weekend provided the four to six foot, glassy waves that onlookers termed “epic.”

Young surfers ranging from middle to high school donned their red, yellow, blue or white rash guards and competed against one other within their designated age group and gender. Parents rubbed their kids’ shoulders before they paddled out, leaving them with a couple last tips of where to sit and which waves to paddle for. At the sound of the initial buzz, competitors effortlessly hopped atop their boards and powerfully paddled towards waves surging taller than most of the contestants.

With her short board in hand, 15-year-old Bethany Zelasko shook the water out of her shoulder-length, sun-bleached blonde hair, stepped out of the water and into her dad’s welcoming embrace. Despite her humble hugs and “thank yous,” she could not hide her elation behind her unwavering, ear-to-ear smile.

“It was super fun out there,” said Bethany as she slipped off her dripping wet, red rash guard and handed it to her dad to return to the judges. “Best it has been all week!”

51 boys and 17 girls competed against each other in four person heats lasting 20 minutes. The winning three contestants of each heat moved on to the following heats until the top two contestants of each division faced off one another for the final victory. Each victor from the mini grom, boys, girls, juniors, mens and womens division stood atop the podium at the end of the second day for a winning group photo.

Half an hour before the 7 a.m. competition began each morning, families herded their kids, umbrellas and ice chests down to the sand and readied themselves for a day of cheering their children on. 20-30 families remained camped out all day, but many joggers, beach goers and curious passerby stopped for a heat and watched the young surfers take off on waves and attempt to connect their turns in hopes of taking their waves all the way into the sand.

Four large pop-up tents with the NSSA logo tattooed all over the black exteriors stood at the edge of the sand and rocks, housing the commentator, two judges and students preparing for their upcoming heats. Middle school boys and girls grouped together 20 feet away from their parents and cheered their friends on with their hands full of Gatorade and Pop Chips. Photographers and videographers stood up higher on the rocks and sent inquisitive passersby away, excusing themselves to concentrate on capturing the kids’ best waves.

The Break Down

During the final girls heat, 12-year-old Alyssa Spencer dropped down to the bottom of a wave, and with a quick pivot of her waist, soared back up to the top to complete a two-point snap off the wave’s crest — awarding her an applause from the beach and the highest single wave score (9.97) and heat total (19.34 out of 20) for the entire girls semi-finals event.

Bethany Zelasko carved her way into the finals and finished the Sunday evening in third place, earning a 9.60 wave high score.

“Oh yeah, I see Bethany out there all the time,” said one onlooker, Mike Peralta. “That girl really rips.”

According to the NSSA Conference review, 13-year-old Kade Matson took the victory in both the juniors and mens division with a 17.33 wave total. At the sound of the final heat’s buzz, Kade pulled a last 7.83 wave score that vaulted him to the top, overtaking the previous year’s champion, Kei Kobayashi, who ended up in second place.

“Matson was the talk of the town and he continues to surf at an incredible level beyond his years,” said Janice Aragon, NSSA executive director.

Surfed and Sunned Out

After the boys final heat that finished off the weekend’s competition, the commentator announced each division’s winner and handed the surfers their red, white and blue NSSA plaques while Scosche Inc. distributed top-of the-line “on ear” headphones to each of the 1st placers.

As the sun set over the Sunday evening surf, the young surfers rejoined their families, packed up their board bags or beach totes and trekked up the Salt Creek hill in a zombie-like daze of sunburns, sandy clothes and salty hair.

Photo Credit: Kurt Steinmetz, photographer for NSSA