Quiksilver Surf Shop Challenge Hawaii

Quiksilver Surf Shop Challenge
Ala Moana, Oahu
19 July 2008

T&C repeat win at the Quiksilver Surf Shop Challenge Hawaii

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 19 July, 2008 : - - The sinking sailboat in the channel wasn’t the only thing going down at Ala Moana on Friday, as seven teams took to the lineup for the final Regional Qualifier of the 2008 Quiksilver Surf Shop Challenge presented by SURFER Magazine. The building south swell, light winds, and a blazing sun overhead made for ideal conditions, but it was the smooth surfing and the unhinged battle in the water that made for an ideal contest.

Town and Country, last year’s national runners-up, picked up where they left off and grabbed a 52.3, the highest score of the first round. Travis Hashimoto and Dustin Cuizon joined team members Kalei Umoto and Geoff Wong, as the quartet collectively dominated their trip straight to the final.

The 2005 National Champions, Pacific Vibrations, have made the Hawaiian regional finals every year since their title and this year was no exception. Unfortunately, this year offered the same fate as the past three, with the team heading back to the Big Island with a disappointing third-place finish and no tickets to California in their back pockets.

Quiksilver Surf Shop Challenge newcomers, Nukumoi Surf Co. showed up and dominated the second heat with the second highest score of the first round, a 49.43. That earned them a spot in the final where they went on to dominate most of the heat. But in the last few minutes of the heat T & C whammy surfer and Oahu local, Dustin Cuizon, took to his backhand, demolished any chance for a Nukumoi comeback.

“We were probably the only team that didn’t really have a strategy. We just went out there and surfed,” said visibly stoked T & C team captain and shop manager Travis Hashimoto. “We just did what we did last year. There was some pressure coming here as last year’s winner, but it’s such a fun event…we’re really stoked. This year, we might actually train for the Quiksilver Surf Shop Challenge National Championships.”

Final Results:
1st Place: Town & Country 60.7
2nd Place: Nukumoi 55.6
3rd Place: Pacific Vibrations 40.5
4th Place: HIC 28.1

Town and Country will join the other 2008 regional winners on September 8 at the National Championships at Huntington Beach Pier in California.

Northeast Region Champion - Heritage, Sea Isle City, NJ
Southeast Region Champion - Sunrise, Jacksonville Beach, FL
Central/Northwest Region Champion - O’Neill Surf Shop, Santa Cruz, CA
Southwest Region Champion - Surfride, Encinitas, CA
Hawaii Regional Champion - Town and Country, Aiea, HI

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