Surfing America is pleased to announce that a limited number of slots are available to ESA competitors in Longboard and Shortboard divisions (18 & over), and SUP divisions (all ages) for the 2013 Surfing America Championships to be held  at Church Beach, San Onofre State Beach, and Lower Trestles, June 14 to 22. The deadline to request a slot for this event is Friday May 31. Click here for more information.

Any ESA member/competitor who competed in the ESA’s 2013 Regionals may submit a request for available slots to info@surfesa.org. Slots are limited and will be available to ESA competitors on a first come, first serve basis.

Please include your division(‘s), first and last name, date of birth, email address, and cell phone number. The request will then be forwarded to Surfing America. Surfing America will email out an invitation to register.  The registration link will not be available anywhere but in the invitation email.  Any ESA surfer participating will be required to pay and additional Surfing America membership fee of $25.

Age as of 1/1/13. Please include your division(‘s), first and last name, date of birth, email address, and cell phone number.

Divisions Eligible:

Men’s 18 – 29 Shortboard

Masters Shortboard 30 – 39

Seniors Men’s Shortboard 40 – 49

Legends Shortboards 50+

Senior Men’s Longboard 40+

Women’s Longboard 18+

Women’s Shortboard 18 +

SUP Surf

Boys SUP U18

Girls SUP U18

Men/Women SUP 40+

Open SUP

Dates and Locations and Schedule:

USA Championships – Church Beach, San Onofre State Beach
All Longboard divisions, U18 Boys and Girls SUP Surf and Men’s/Women’s 40+ SUP Surf – Friday, June 14.
All 18 and older shortboard divisions – Saturday, June 15.  Finals for Men’s 18 – 29, Masters, Senior Men’s and Legends at Lower Trestles at 8:00 AM on Tuesday June 18.
All Open and Pro SUP Surf  for USA SUP Team qualifying – Sunday, June 16 – Run by US SUP Tour.

USA Championships Lower Trestles, San Onofre State Beach
All Under 18 Shortboard Divisions
Tuesday, June 18 – 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Wednesday June 19 – Saturday, June 22, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Live Webcast June 21 – 22
USA Junior Surf Team Naming – Saturday June 22, 5:00 PM on beach at Lowers.

The Eastern Surfing Association held its 2013 Northeast Regional Surfing Championships in Sea Isle City, New Jersey this past weekend, showcasing the best amateur surfers from New England, New York, New Jersey and also the Great Lakes. 

“The contest was so much fun,” said ESA Executive Director Michelle Sommers.  “Although the waves were pretty small, they remained consistent throughout the event and the competitors put on a fantastic show.  The local businesses and South Jersey surf community really came out to support the ESA.  It was nice to bring our event to an area affected by Hurricane Sandy to help support the local economy, and Sea Isle City really pulled out the stops to show the ESA a good time!”

Competitors qualified for this event through their local ESA districts over the past year and were competing for a coveted slot at the ESA’s premier event, the 46^th Annual Eastern Surfing Association Championships (Easterns®), scheduled for September 15-21 at Nags Head, North Carolina.  The ESA’s Northeast Regionals was also qualifier for the Surfing America Prime Series and the Surfing America USA Championships. 

There was a live webcast on the ESA website (www.surfesa.org) featuring surf action and interviews by Beach Video during all three days of competition.  “It was wonderful to be able to allow people who couldn’t attend the event in person to view it live online while it was happening,” says Sommers.  “There is also a video recap of each day of competition on our website for those who were unable to watch it live.”

History was made in the Open Shortboard division, with Southern New Jersey Junior Women’s standout and ESA All-Star, Cassidy McClain, taking out all the guys to win first place.  Second place went to Chuck Barend, and third to Chad Bruce.  Alex Brooks, Andrew Rooney and Kyle Tester rounded out the the Open Final with fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively. 

The ESA Under Armour Junior Mens division saw Central New Jersey’s Patrick Parenty claim first place over Chad Bruce in second and Cooper Fortney in third.  Central New Jersey also took the Boys division and the Menehunes division, with Spencer Bridges winning Boys, followed by Greg Osborne and Andrew Rooney, and  Jude Clark winning Menehunes, followed by Kyle Tester in second and Logan Kamen in third.

New York’s Miller Overbeck won the Girls division over Jordan Allegretto, with Maria Barend and Kallie Leonik tying for third.  Cassidy McClain was also a winner in the Junior Womens division, followed by Selena Moberly in second and Lindsay Bariault in third place.

South Jersey’s Tom O’Brien took first in the Jimmy Lewis Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) surfing division, with Craig Lieder in second and Patrick Dermody in third.

The Junior Iron Man award went to Spencer Bridges, who competed in multiple divisions and had the highest placings in those divisions during the event, while Tom O’Brien won the Iron Man award. 

The Hot Wave Award was given to Southern New Jersey’s Kevin Dewald , who scored a 9.07 in the Mens Longboard division, closely followed by Cassidy McClain, with a 9.00 in Open Shortboard. 

There was also an exciting All Star Tag Team event, featuring five ESA districts battling one another for bragging rights.  The ESA’s Northern New England District won the event, with a team consisting of Juli Brown, Kainalu Nichols, Carter Walsh and Chad Bruce.  Central New Jersey came in second, followed by New York District, Southern New Jersey District and another Central New Jersey team. 

Photos of the event taken by Surfer Magazine’s Joe McGovern are posted on the ESA website and Facebook page. 

Special thanks go out to Sea Isle City, Imperial Cerveza and Heritage Surf & Sport, along with all the local sponsors who helped make the event a success.  ESA National Sponsors include Under Armour, Sun Bum, Hyperflex Wetsuits, Starboard Surfboards, Jimmy Lewis SUP, Catch Surf, Surfer Magazine and Swellinfo.

“It was an exciting contest,” said ESA Executive Director Michelle Sommers.  “We had great weather and consistent surf throughout the entire event.  The competitors, some of whom drove more than 9 hours to compete, put on a fantastic display of progressive surfing.  The local business and surf community really came out to support the ESA, and everyone seemed thrilled with the positive direction in which the organization is moving.”

Competitors qualified for this event through their local ESA districts over the past year and were competing for a coveted slot at the ESA’s premier event, the 46^th Annual Eastern Surfing Association Championships (Easterns), scheduled for September 15-21 at Nags Head, North Carolina.  The ESA’s three Regional events are also qualifiers for the Surfing America Prime Series and the Surfing America USA Championships.

There was a live webcast by UnScene Productions during all four days of competition on the ESA website (www.surfesa.org).  “It was wonderful to be able to allow people who couldn’t attend the event in person to view it live online while it was happening,” says Sommers.

Boyd Brown, Jordan Montgomery and Quentin Turko were the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd finishers in the Boys Division, while Tyler Faulkner, followed by Hunter Skolnick and Justin Pender rounded out the top three in the Under Armour Junior Mens Division.

The Girls Division was lead by Katherine Neff, with Carly Carter in second and Julia Eckel in third.  ESA All-Star Team Members Grace Muckenfuss and Darsha Pigford took Junior Womens, first and second respectively, followed by Madison Huckabee in third.

The Junior Iron Man award went to Simon Hetrick from the Delmarva District.  There was a tie between Bruce Willis and Michael Foard for the Senior Iron Man award and the Iron Woman Award was presented to Katherine Neff.  These competitors competed in multiple divisions and had the highest placings in those divisions during the event.

This was the first official year for the Jimmy Lewis SUP Surfing Division, which was dominated by Reggie Barnes, who took first, with Michael Carter in second, and Randall Kato in third.  Taking the Menehune Division was Micha Cantor, with Seth Brown and Laird Myers in second and third, respectively.

The Sportsmanship Award was presented to All-Star Team Member Georgia Cook from Georgia.  Tyler Faulkner from ESA’s Southern North Carolina District won the Hot Wave award for scoring a 9.0.

There was also an exciting All Star Tag Team event, featuring four ESA districts battling one another for bragging rights.  Southern North Carolina came in first place with Daniel Sacchi, Darsha Pigford, Tyler Faulker and Shane Burn making up the team.  Southern South Carolina came  Northern South Carolina in second and Southern South Carolina in third.

A complete list of all the results can be found at www.surfesa.org. Photos of the event were taken by Nick Denny and will be available at http://www.nickdennyphotography.com/ and posted on the ESA website and Facebook page.

Special thanks go out to the Town of Ocean City and K-Coast Surf Shop, along with all the Ocean City, Maryland local sponsors.  ESA National Sponsors include Under Armour, Sun Bum, Hyperflex Wetsuits, Starboard Surfboards, Jimmy Lewis SUP, Catch Surf, Surfer Magazine, and Swellinfo.

The Eastern Surfing Association held its 2013 Southeast Regional Surfing Championships at the New Smyrna Beach Inlet in New Smyrna Beach, Florida this past weekend, showcasing the best amateur surfing in the region.

“It was an exciting contest,” said ESA Executive Director Michelle Sommers.  “We had consistent surf throughout the entire event, and the competitors put on a fantastic display of progressive surfing.  The local surf community really came out to support the ESA, and everyone seemed thrilled with the positive direction in which the organization is moving.”

Competitors qualified for this event through their local ESA districts over the past year and were competing for a coveted slot at the ESA’s premier event, the 46^th Annual Eastern Surfing Association Championships (Easterns), scheduled for September 15-21 at Nags Head, North Carolina.  The ESA’s three Regional events are also qualifiers for the Surfing America Prime Series and the Surfing America USA Championships.

There was a live webcast during all four days of competition on the ESA website (www.surfesa.org).  “It was wonderful to be able to allow people who couldn’t attend the event in person to view it live online while it was happening,” says Sommers.

This was the first official year for the Jimmy Lewis SUP Surfing Division, which was dominated by Giorgio Gomez, who took first, with Kieran Grant in second, and Fisher Grant in third.  Taking the Menehune Division was Noah Dovin, with Blake Elmore and Christian Daniels in second and third, respectively.

Nick Groshell, Chris O’Donnell and Chase Stevens were the one, two, three finishers in the Boys Division, while Parker Greenwood, followed by Cobie Gittner and Hobie Sears rounded out the top three in the Under Armour Junior Mens Division.

The Girls Division was lead by Shealyn Cunningham, with Izzi Gomez in second and Avery Aydelotte in third, while Piper Austin took Junior Womens, followed by Jazmine Dean and Sydney Herring.

The Iron Man and Iron Woman Awards were presented to Fisher Grant and Izzi Gomez, who competed in multiple divisions and had the highest placings in those divisions during the event.  There was also an exciting All Star Tag Team event, featuring six ESA districts battling one another for bragging rights, with North Central Florida District coming in first place, followed by St. Augustine District in second and North Florida District in third.

A complete list of all the results can be found at www.surfesa.org. Photos of the event are posted on the ESA website and Facebook page.  The webcast will be repeated in its entirety on the ESA website over the next several days.

Special thanks go out to ESA National Sponsors, including Under Armour, Sun Bum, Hyperflex Wetsuits, Starboard Surfboards, Jimmy Lewis SUP, Catch Surf, Surfer Magazine, and Swellinfo.

Also, just a reminder to stay tuned for info on the ESA Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Regional events, which will be taking place in the coming weeks.

The Eastern Surfing Association is hosting its Southeast Regional Surfing Championships at the New Smyrna Beach Inlet April 18-21, 2013.

“We are thrilled to bring this event back to New Smyrna Beach,” says ESA Executive Director Michelle Sommers.  “Pam Hill, ESA’s new Southeast Regional Director, is planning a phenomenal event.”

Pam has been involved in the ESA for many years.  “Her experience of organizing and running surf contests will make this event one of the best in years,” states Sommers.

The competitors for this event have qualified through their local ESA districts.  They will be competing for their chance to surf the ESA’s final championship event, the Easterns.

A live, streaming webcast will cover all four days of competition on the ESA website.  The ESA is welcoming any local sponsors who are interested.  “Not only may businesses and individuals get a tax benefit for donating since the ESA is a non-profit, they are helping to promote this exciting event to a huge audience of various demographics,” Sommers adds.

To inquire about sponsorship opportunities for this event, please contact Pam Hill at surfkittypam@msn.com.

Like the ESA’s 45-year milestone of last year, Jimmy Lewis is celebrating his 45th anniversary as a shaper in 2013.  Shaping boards in Maui since 1968 has given Lewis the experience to build stand up paddleboards that are made to perform in all types of waves.

“Jimmy Lewis is proud to sponsor the Open SUP Division of the ESA events again this year,” says Ken Russell, U.S. Distributor for the Jimmy Lewis brand.  “We are marking Jimmy Lewis’ 45th anniversary by hitting the road and visiting his favorite surf breaks around the country.”

The ESA Regional Championship events in April and May will kick off the 2013 Jimmy Lewis “45th Anniversary Tour,” which will cover 10,000 miles of coastline around the United States.  Competitors and spectators alike are welcome to visit the Jimmy Lewis tent at all the ESA Championship events to try out the latest boards, as well as the classics.

The ESA and Jimmy Lewis are also offering a photo contest through Instagram for a chance to win $500.  Upload a photo taken at any ESA local or Championship event which includes the Jimmy Lewis shark logo to #ESA_JL.  For more information, and instructions on how to enter, visit the ESA’s website at www.surfesa.org.

“We are thrilled to be teaming up with Jimmy Lewis for another exciting year,” says ESA Executive Director Michelle Sommers.  “He’s a fantastic shaper and his SUP boards work great for all types of surfing.  I used one of Jimmy’s SUP boards on Maui last year and I had a blast with it in all kinds of conditions.”

The ESA, which just celebrated its 45^th anniversary in 2012, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit amateur athletic organization dedicated to the sport of amateur surfing.  The organization promotes amateur competition for surfers of all ages and abilities, and is dedicated to the establishment and preservation of free access to a clean shoreline and ocean environment.

Jimmy Lewis is a Maui-based shaper of surfboards, stand-up paddleboards, and kiteboards.  More information at www.jimmylewis.com and facebook.com/jimmylewisboards

Twitter:   @jimmylewissurf

Instagram:   @jimmylewisboards

The Eastern Surfing Association, which is the largest amateur surfing association in the USA, has provided a solid program of competition for surfers of all ages since 1967 and was one of the “charter” member associations that helped form Surfing America back in 2004.

Surfing America is the official International Surfing Association recognized National Governing Body for the sport of surfing in the United States and is responsible for holding the USA Surfing Championships each year and selecting the official USA Surf Team to represent the USA at international competitions.

“Bringing the largest amateur surfing organization back to Surfing America makes perfect sense,” says Michelle Sommers, ESA Executive Director,

“allowing us to once again provide ESA members the opportunity to advance to the USA Championships, international competition and beyond.”

Surfing America promotes growth, competitive success and a positive image of surfing in the United States and strives to provide the best possible experience for all participants by encouraging, developing, administrating and advancing the sport, while producing champions.

“We are happy to have the ESA back in the Surfing America family,” states Greg Cruse, Surfing America Executive Director.

“As the oldest and largest surfing organization on the East Coast, it is important to have the ESA under the Surfing America umbrella and for their surfers to have access to the Surfing America Prime Series, USA Championships and PacSun USA Surf Team.”

Tom Warnke, Chairman of the ESA Board of Directors says,

“I’m stoked that the ESA Board voted unanimously to once again give every ESA member a direct path to earn USA and World Championship titles. It’s the same opportunity we were able to provide to Kelly Slater, our most famous ESA graduate.”

Sommers adds, “Our members have been dedicated to the ESA for many years and they really want that path to the USA Surfing Championships. I am thrilled that Surfing America has welcomed the Eastern Surfing Association back with such enthusiasm.

If you’d like to learn more about what it takes to become a member of the team, please see the Allstars page!

2013 ESA All-Star Team

• Piper Austin
• Ana Barend
• Shane Burn
• Georgia Cook
• Cierra Cunningham
• Merrick Cunningham
• Jazmine Dean
• Kayla Durden
• Tyler Faulkner
• Fisher Grant
• Simon Hetric
• Thomas Horner
• Jessica Kwiceinski
• Cassidy McClain
• Grace Muckenfuss
• Kainula Nichols
• Liam O’Regan
• Darsha Pigford
• Bo Raynor
• Josh Richardson
• Daniel Sacchi
• Hobie Sears
• Chase Stevens
• Sunny Stevens

Coach Pat Emery

Come by and join us at booth 2207 to learn more about the upcoming 2013 season and events, meet new Executive Director Michelle Sommers, and much more.

The 2013 ESA Allstar team will be inducted on the main stage at 12:30pm, January 11th.