The NSSA East Coast Championships was held at NBS this year, again. The week I spent there was so amazing; it was full of fun waves, seeing friends, meeting new people, and surfing hard.
My mom and I drove down to NSB after school one day and we arrived the next. I was so ready to surf; I looked at the forecast and it was supposed to be super fun. When we got there, it was cold and windy, but it looked super fun. First, I got my new Longboard made by Scott Brill (Brill Boardz). It looks amazing and it surfs even better. The water was chilly, but not cold enough for a full suit.
The second day was super fun, too. It was much cleaner in the morning and a little bigger. I had so much fun learning my new longboard. The waves were hard to get used to, but I eventually got the hang of them. This new board turns amazingly and I can get to the nose just as well, if not better, on this board than my other log. Also, it is super light.
As the competition neared, more people started showing up. Some of the ESA Allstars were there competing. One of them, Cassidy McClain, is a good friend of mine. She and I surfed so much. Since NSB is the shark attack capitol of the world, there were naturally a lot of sharks in the water. Cassidy and I joked around about “Shark Bait” until the sharks were too close for comfort.
Leading up to the competition, there were a lot of things I learned. Shea Lopez, who I connected with this past summer, helped me so much to prepare. He helped me tweak my stance so that my turns were sharper, he taught me a little more on rip currents, and he taught me a few tricks about competition. He showed up for my heats, too. It was so helpful to have him there to teach me.
While we were there, we headed over to Ponce Inlet to surf a little there. I got to surf with another friend who lives there and knew where the best waves were. While we were there on the other side of the jetty (the regular side of the jetty is NSB), there were three people who got bitten by sharks. It was an interesting feeling.
My heats were okay, for my standards at least. I made it through my first heat just by a hare (I advanced because I jumped from last place to third place in the middle of my heat) to the finals. The final heat was much better because the conditions weren't blown out. In the end, I finished 3th place and I get to travel to compete in California this summer.
Overall, this trip was amazing for me. I learned so much, got an awesome new board, and I surfed some awesome waves. I cannot wait for regionals this week, and I feel as if I am more prepared for this competition.
