After a four-year hiatus, the 56th Annual Brooks Street Surfing Classic returned to the surf line on Saturday and Sunday.
The Vic skim boarding contest was also held the same weekend as the Brooks Street Classic as both contests sought the same thing—a prime swell.
“It turned out to be a great event with surf in the three to six feet range with occasional bigger sets in the eight feet range. I need to thank Surfline for providing great data on the swell giving us confidence that there would be enough contestable surf for the entire weekend,” Brandy Faber, director of the Brooks Street Surfing Classic Contest.
Among the special award winners: Brooks Carter took home the Cy Chambers Award and Maddox Rapp earned the Thom Chambers Award.
In the professional/amateur competition, Hudson Saunders took home the top prize of $1,000. Travis Booth, Eli Viszolay, and Michael Chapman respectively came in at second, third, and fourth.
In the Legends category (60 and over) Walter Viszolay earned first, Kerry Pedlow took second, Paul McManus placed third and Buzz Shaw took fourth place.
Walter Viszolay, a 48-year Laguna Beach resident, said having the crowd cheer during an extraordinary run is a blessing.
“It was a great event because of the waves. It’s always about the waves. When the waves are good you get to perform. When you get older you don’t always perform the way you used to,” he said.
As an artist, Viszolay sees surfing as another form of artistic expression.
“That’s why dancing, surfing, and art are all interconnected,” he said.
In the 16 & older women’s category: Scout Mitchell earned first, Devyn Linder took second, and Alisa Cairns placed third.
In the boys 13 and under category, Dia Prietto placed first, Brooks Carter took second, Ace Halpern earned third, and Bobby Cornelison placed fourth.
Here’s the full list of contest results.
Pro/Am
1. Hudson Saunders (Green)
2. Travis Booth (White)
3. Eli Viszolay (Blue)
4. Michael Chapman (Red)
Legends (60 & Over)
1. Walter Viszolay (Green)
2. Kerry Pedlow (Orange)
3. Paul McManus (Red)
4. Buzz Shaw (White)
Grand Masters (50-59)
1. Hans Hagen (Green)
2. James Pribram (White)
3. Jason Steris (Red)
4. Paul Cernich (Blue)
Sr. Masters (40-49)
1. Micah Byrne (White)
2. Chad Mitchell (Red)
3. Dan Stafford (Blue)
4. Dave Vermilya (Green)
Masters (30-39)
1. Eli Viszolay (White)
2. Victor Pakpour (Blue)
3. Charles McMahon (Green)
4. Breene Murphy (Red)
Sr. Men (24-29)
1. Adam Redding-Kaufman (Orange)
2. Michael Chapman (White)
3. Chance Gual (Red)
4. Cameron Zuziak (Blue)
5. Roger Jones (Yellow)
6. Dante Sellas (Green)
Mens (18-23)
1. Jake Levine (Green)
2. Liam McCue (Red)
3. Christian Schenk (White)
4. Luke Hagopian (Blue)
Jr. Mens (14-17)
1. Hudson Saunders (White)
2. Matthew Vermilya (Blue)
3. Maddox Rapp (Green)
4. James Vermilya (Red)
Boys (13 & Under)
1. Dia Prietto (Red)
2. Brooks Carter (White)
3. Ace Halpern (Blue)
4. Bobby Cornelison (Green)
Women (16 & over)
1. Scout Mitchell (Red)
2. Devyn Linder (Blue)
3. Alisa Cairns (Orange)
Correction: Held on August 27th – 28th, 2022. The fun was so intensified after waiting for a long four years. Kudos to Brandy Faber for calling it, all the incredible surfers, and our great community for rallying.
Thank you LAGUNA BEACH INDEPENDENT for the enduring cover photo of surfing the break at Brooks Street – way better than elevation views of a Main Beach mausoleum. The dysfunction of local politics must be like Bingo for seniors, the memory of shredding Park Avenue or dropping the Brooks Street ledge endures a lifetime. Let’s do it again!