Surf • life • Style
Stoke- o-RAMA T
by Dane Gudauskas 2 0 1 5
he morning of October 24th, 2015 saw 125 of San Clementes most stoked 12 and under groms greet a picture perfect swell at T-street beach for the 4th annual STOKE O RAMA! The amount of excitement on the beach, as the hooter for the first heat of the morning
sounded, was enough to light the city of San Clemente for a week! As the kids made their way down with their bed heads,surfboards and sandy wet wetsuits in hand, parents clinging to their warm cup of coffee, the anticipation of the days event was tangible. We had newcomers, new surfers, defending champs and ripping grommets all coming together to celebrate surfing in there own unique way. This is an event that featured a non-elimination format allowing the kids to focus on enjoying their rides and welcoming camaraderie in their heats! As the day unfolded the action in the water really heated up. The events only perfect 10 point ride came from an electric performance by 10 and under Carson Kropfl on a well surfed overhead lefthander across the break. Following Kropfl’s crowd pleasing antics, the mightiest of the mighty 8 and unders took to the water with the support from their parental assist. The swell was already pulsing into that six foot range, and when you combine waves that size with a rider standing about three feet tall it may as well have been Waimea Bay for these kids! The entire beach lit up with excitement cheering on every ride with notable early round performances from past event champion Kai Finn of the 8 and under Di- vision, who took on heavy carving maneuvers and made them look easy! The event marched into the finals for each division, based on the total of their two scoring
rides from each heat surfed, with the highest six surfers from each field advancing as the action continued to heat up! Previous event winner Brayden Burch secured the win in the 10 and under boys with surfing that was strong beyond his years. Each year, Brayden seems to always be the tallest kid in his division, and with the consistent run of swells throughout each year’s event, his solid frame allows him to make easy work of the conditions. In the girls 12 and under it was Sierra Downer who took the win with a very stylish and graceful performance. The eight and unders saw Makai Bray take out his division to the unanimous support of the crowd on the beach. When the results were read out, Makai, who was overwhelmed with stoke, held his hands up high as he was lifted by the cheers of friends and family members alike. But perhaps the greatest moment came in
Boys 12 & under 1- Nico Coli 2- Hagan Johnson 3- Taj Lindblad 4- Myles Biggs 5- Bane Corbet 6- Raki Nishida
Girls 12 & under 1- Sierra Downer 2- Sawyer Lindblad 3- Makayla Moss 4- Nicole Economos 5- Reese Hartnett 6- Megan Mills
Boys 10 & under 1- Brayden Birch 2- Ryder Fish 3- Carson Kropfl 4- Dane Matson 5- Cannon Carr 6- Azurre Trujillo
8 & Under Pops & Pups 1- Makai Bray 2- Charlie Stevens 3- Nathan Stacey 4- Kai Finn 5- Kingston Watts 6- Otto Grahm
Specialty Awards
PVW Most Stoked Shaye Carraba
Midget Smith Sportsmanship award Matt Economos
Timmy Dowell Costume Shark, Joey Madison
48 SANCLEMENTEJOURNAL
the battle between the 12 and under boys as event frontrunner Hagan Johnson and upstart Nico Coli went blow for blow, trading off lefts and sequencing together multiple hard hitting re-entries. In the end it was Coli coming up with a clutch wave in the final minutes that saw him just edge into the lead for the big win! Other specialty awards went to the Positive Vibe Warrior himself, Matt Economoes for “Most Stoked.” The Costume contest was won by Joey Madison who wore one of the most classic looking shark outfits I have ever seen, and it was Shaye Carabba who walked away with the Midget Smith “Best Sportsmanship” award. The Stoke-O-Rama is a fundraising event,
organized by the Positive Vibe Warriors Foun- dation, with aims to promote the power of pos- itive thinking and to generate funds to contribute to community youth water safety programs. Through the tremendous support of the events sponsors we were able to generate $10,000 to donate to the San Clemente Life- guard and Jr. Lifeguard Foundation. Contributing to the special camaraderie of
this event, is the volunteers and, it would not be possible without their dedication and hard work, making sure that the contest runs smoothly all day long. A massive thank you must go out to them also, as we could not do this without them! With the 4th Annual Stoke- O-Rama in the books, we would love to thank the City of San Clemente, and all the families and friends who came down to share their pos- itive energy, stoke and love for the ocean. Whether it was your very first time competing, or you are an experienced little ripper, we hope you had a great time and we are looking for- ward to seeing everyone back at T-street beach sharing the stoke next year!!
Corey Davidson & Dane Gudauskas on the mics, Beach Marshall Jacob Dowell & the unsug heroes. Taj Linvlad, ripping in good surf. Photos by Kevin Voegtlin
12 & under boys winner Nico Coli.
12 & under girls winner Sierra Downer.
Best Costume Winner - Joey Madison.
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