A welcome swell with waves of as much as 10 feet provided the engine for the 54th running of the annual Brooks Street Surfing Classic, which took place Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 7-8.
Travis Booth, 16, won the pro/am division, the youngest participant to take the contest’s top trophy alongside besting one of the town’s most decorated competitors, his father Jeff Booth, said contest organizer Brandy Faber.
“It was a pretty good weekend for the Booth family,” said Faber, who missed the contest while attending a wedding in Mexico and handed off supervising responsibilities to Jeff Booth and others. “I’m happy we got it done,” said Faber.
Travis wasn’t alone in picking up trophies. So did his sister Tess and their father added another to his cache of 16.
“Obviously, the Booths had a very good Brooks St. weekend. Travis winning the Pro Am division and the Junior Men’s division was quite the accomplishment,” said the boy’s grandfather, proud patriarch Bob Booth. “The best part was defeating his Dad in the Pro Am. The $1,000 award was a pleasant surprise……… good for car insurance.
“Tess was first in the Girls Division and second in the Women’s Division. Jeff was first in the Senior Masters Division…… makes for spirited dinner conversations.”
After a five-week stretch locally with flat conditions, the southern hemisphere swell whipped up real excitement among the 80 contestants, especially among the younger surfers, Faber said. Aside from competing for bragging rights and relishing cheers by moms from the beach, younger surfers get the chance to paddle for the best peaks with the field cleared of older, veteran surfers. “It’s a pretty special moment,” Faber said.
One of the bigger swells of the season peaked on Saturday with eight to 10-foot faces and a light Santa Ana condition. By Sunday, a shift in wind direction to a more typical onshore flow made wave crests “crumble.” “It went from a 9 to a 7.5,” Faber said. “Sunday was still really good.”
The long-running, locals-only contest is held between June and October, but only when surf conditions are optimal, which has occurred in October in recent years. Late-season contests draw a smaller pool due to the absence of college-age contestants and competing athletic pursuits, Faber said.
Results, in order of ranking, and awards:
Special Awards: Cy Chambers Award, Scout Mitchell; Thom Chambers Award, Jameson Roller.
Pro/Am: Travis Booth, $1,000; Nate Zoller, $750; Ryah Arthur, $500; Mo Van De Wall, $250.
Grand Masters (50 & Over): Scott Holt, Darren Madrigal, Richard Carlson, Paul Cernich, Matt Flotho, Buzz Shaw.
Sr. Masters (40-49): Jeff Booth, Hans Hagen, Mo Van De Wall, Bobby Lockhart, Sean Brown, Todd Madsen.
Masters (30-39): Mike Todd, Clayton Snyder, Steve Hurst, William Maniaci.
Sr. Men (24-29): Nate Zoller, Eli Viszolay, Tyler Stanaland, Max Brick.
Mens
(18-23): Michael Chapman, Adam Mejía, Zackary Levine, Chance Gaul.
Jr. Mens (14-17): Travis Booth, Trey Lockhart, Kiko Nelsen, Jake Levine, Liam McCue, George Williams.
Boys (13 & Under): Brayden Belden, Hudson Saunders, Gavin Campbell, Jaxson Hutcheon, Nayan Martlin, Hunter Harrington
Women (16 & over): Kayla Coscino, Tess Booth, Claire Kelly, Kelly Smith, Paige Vitolo, Diana Rosa Cordina.
Girls (15 & Under): Tess Booth, Devyn Linder, Riley Belden, Scout Mitchell.
Longboard: Paul Cernich, Jameson Roller, Goff Stepien, Michael Chapman.
Bodyboard: Spencer Collins, German Ruiz, Michael Chapman, Kiko Nelsen, Chance Gaul, James Henry.
Paddleboard: Zachary Levine, Goff Stepien, David Skarman.
love this piece/peace and the photo. Cheers.
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