3rd Annual Kids For Clean Water Surf Fest
Sunday April 29, 2007, the Coronado Surfing Association, the City of Coronado, with the support of WiLDCOAST and Emerald City Surf Shop, hosted the 3rd Annual Kids for Clean Water Surf Fest. Held at the Coronado shores, the waves were in the 2-3’ range and relatively peaky and playful early on.
The general mindset behind this annual event is to raise awareness to the children, their parents, and the general public about the importance of our ocean water cleanliness here off of the coast of San Diego (the southern beaches of Imperial Beach and Coronado in particular). The ocean water that we surf and play in is not nearly as pure as it once was. Overdevelopment coupled with urban runoff, chemical spills, and simple littering on the beach have combined together and created several beach closures across the county due to poor water quality and high levels of bacteria. One of the primary sponsors of the event, WiLDCOAST protects and preserves coastal ecosystems and wildlife in the Californias and Latin America by building grassroots support, conducting media campaigns and establishing protected areas. While the message about the event is quite clear, the young contestants are also there to surf and have fun.
Since its inception three years ago, the event has grown yet again as nearly 60 contestants turned out for the annual event. Boys and girls ranging in age from 6 to 18 competed in ten different divisions (both short and long board). Competitors came from across the county traveling from Encinitas to Imperial Beach and all surfing communities in between. The San Diego surfing community was well represented as a whole.
As the day progressed and the finals got underway, the wind began to pick up a bit and created somewhat difficult conditions. However, all of the surfers involved made the best of what waves were offered up by Mother Nature and continued to surf impressively. Many of the kids out there are very talented, some of whom surf well on any board given to them in any type of condition. Taylor Mitchell (boys 14-16) and Jack Alldredge (boys 11-13) clearly fall into this group as they both captured 1st place in the short and long board division for their respected ages.
Taylor’s younger sister Mallory Mitchell took home 1st place in the girls 11-13 division, while Briana Giorgione won the girls 14-16 division. The under 10 division provided laughs and smiles for not only the competitors, but for the parents and onlookers at the event as well. It truly is amazing to see some of these small children not only surfing, but to see them perform tricks and maneuvers they have mastered (hanging five and switch stance to name a few) that many adult surfers are never able perform in a lifetime. Malia Faramarzi won the girls under 10 division, while Daniel Dedina won the boys under 10 division.
Rounding out the field of winners, in the last heat of the day (surfed in unfortunately the worst conditions) were the boys 17-18 long and short board final. Joe Cowan edged out Chris Mitchell and Fabio Sarmento for the top honors in the short board category, while Matt Erickson took home first place in the longboard division.
For complete results, log onto http://www.coronadosurfingassociation.org.
For more information on how you can make a difference and take action to help keep your ocean waters clean, log onto www.wildcoast.net.
KIDS FOR CLEAN WATER 2007 RESULTS
Girls 10 & Under
1. Malia Faramarzi
2. Trudi Nixon
3. Natalie Palmatier
Boys 10 & Under
1. Daniel Dedina
2. Cheyne Merril
3. Tanner Caldwell
Girls 11 – 13 Combined
1. Mallory Mitchell
2. Avery Woodhouse
3. Michaela Guerrera
Boys 11 – 13 Shortboard
1. Jack Alldredge
2. Tyler Smith
3. Israel Dedina
Boys 11 – 13 Longboard
1. Jack Alldredge
2. Nate Hoffman
3. Israel Dedina
Girls 14 – 16 Combined
1. Briana Giorgione
2. Mary Hogan
3. Michelle McDonald
Boys 14 – 16 Shortboard
1. Taylor Mitchell
2. Chip Fisher
3. Jackson Cusick
Boys 14 – 16 Longboard
1. Taylor Mitchell
2. Sean MacKenzie
3. Jackson Cusick
Boys 17-18 Shortboard
1. Joe Cowan
2. Chris Mitchell
3. Fabio Sarmento
Boys 17-18 Longboard
1. Matt Erickson
Want to comment?