NSSA Northwest Open Season #1

National Scholastic Surfing Association
Linda Mar Beach Pacifica California
27 September 2008

Britt Galland nabs win at NSSA Northwest Open Season #1

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 2 October, 2008 : - - The beautiful beach front community of Pacifica, which is a stone’s throw from San Francisco, was the setting for opening day of the Northwest Conference 2008-09 season.  For the second consecutive year, the season opener returned to the fun beach break peaks of Linda Mar Beach where rippable 2-3 foot rights and lefts held up throughout the event. 

Valuable five-star rated points were on offer in the season opener.  The Northwest Conference Open Season event #1 at Pacifica is the first of six events on the 2008-09 contest schedule.     

Heading into this contest, Britt Galland had never won a NSSA event.  He had never even made a final.  But the 16-year-old from North San Diego County, committed to Northwest Conference Open Men’s competition this season in order to experience the different venues outside of the Southwest region.  The move paid off. 

At Pacifica's chilly 2-3 foot Linda Mar sandbar, Galland was in top form from round one and continually gained momentum winning every heat en route his first ever NSSA triumph.  Pitted against the local Norcal talent, Galland was able to adapt to the colder climate and water temps.  In the 25-minute final, Galland matched up with Santa Cruz up and comers John Wilson and Anthony Dunn, and 13-year-old Kadin Panesi who lives a “bike ride away” from Linda Mar. 

In the final minutes, it was clear that Galland and Wilson were battling for first position.  With Wilson in striking distance, Galland locked in a solid 6.0 score on a right which turned out to be the key.  He was intent on taking his first win and it showed as he held on for an 11.0-9.5 victory over Wilson.  “It’s the first time I’ve made an Open Men’s final so it’s good to win,” Galland said. 

Brogie Panesi : photo Panesi

“The final is a longer 25-minute heat, so my strategy was to get a couple back up scores and then wait for the sets.  I got a pretty good right which gave me the score I needed to win.”  Galland hopes his breakout victory will be pivotal in giving him extra motivation for the more challenging and intense Southwest events.  “This win is definitely a confidence booster for me so hopefully it will help when I go back to the Southwest so I can get some results there also,” Galland said. 

“I came up to the Northwest to meet new people, get more travel and get more heat time in before the Nationals.  I want to try and broaden my surfing and competing in Pacifica is a start.  Up here, with the colder water temps, it’s a completely different way to surf, so I was practicing before every heat.  The waves here are mostly rights and I’ve been struggling with my frontside. 

But I went to El Salvador this summer to work on my frontside and trained with Doug Silva who helped me out a lot.”  Galland will collect 2,000 points and vault to the top of the Northwest Open Men’s ratings as he continues his campaign into the next event at Morro Bay. 

“I’ve never surfed Morro Bay and most places on the Northwest schedule so I’m gearing up to compete in new places,” Galland said.  “I’m also looking forward to surfing Steamers and Pleasure Point.  Those are such fun waves.”

It’s early season and the fun has already begun for 11-year-old Brogie Panesi.  The young Pacifica whiz kid marched into his home break where he reigned supreme claiming double wins in the both the Open Boys and upper level Juniors bracket.  Panesi was at the top of his game as he dominated the contest scoreboard.  The judges rewarded his surfing with two perfect 10’s-one in the Juniors round one and the other in the Juniors final. 

His excellent 18-point two wave combined score in the Boys final where he ripped two waves of 9.5 and 8.5 were the highest totals of the event.  “The 10 in my Juniors round one heat, was my first ever,” Panesi said grinning ear-to-ear.  “I did two big hits on the outside and then the wave lined up really good.  I finished it off with a whitewater 360.  I’m really motivated right now.  I want more 10’s!”  Panesi would later get his wish, when he pulled off his second perfect score in the Juniors final. 

The 25-minute final was hard fought between Brogie and older brother Kadin along with Noe McGonagle from Costa Rica and Seth Nowlin from Aptos.  In a high scoring and super close final, Brogie edged out both Kadin and McGonagle by a half point for the win.  Kadin took the tiebreak decision over McGonagle for second. 

Panesi, at 11-years-old, is one of the youngest surfers ever to secure a win in the Open Juniors and is quickly establishing himself as Norcal’s hottest young performer.  “It’s nice to surf a contest at home,” Panesi remarked.  “When I have a heat with my brother it’s just like when we are free surfing, whoever is position gets the wave.  Kadin and I were sitting out there and the first wave came and he was deeper so I let him go.  Then the second one came and it turned out to be a much better wave.  It allowed me to do a lot of good turns.”

With the Juniors win in the bag, Brogie went back to work in the Boys final against McGonagle, Tenzin Mendenhall and John Mel.  Despite a slow start, Brogie rose to the occasion with seven minutes left destroying a near perfect 9.5 and then without delay followed it up earning another outstanding 8.5 score to cement his second win of the day.  “I was pretty tired in the Boys final,” Panesi said. 

“Seven minutes into the final, I just wanted it to end.  Paddling hard in heats all day in cold water just wears you out but I surf in this everyday so that helps.”  Noe McGonagle, who also ripped to two finals, placed second followed by Mendenhall in third and Mel in fourth.  A drained, but happy Panesi said after the final, “I got a lot of short waves at first and then with about seven minutes left I caught a good right. 

With a couple minutes left, I caught another good one which lined up all the way in.  It feels great to get a lot of high scores to start the season off.”  John Mel, who is just shy of his ninth birthday, surfed impressively in the Mini Grom final posting a 15.0 heat total on his way to his first ever NSSA victory.

In Women’s final action, Sahara Ray took a close 6.5-5.5 win over Asia Carpenter.  In the Longboard, Kevin McNicol was the standout with a solid two wave of 15.5 which sealed the win over runner-up Audrey Bullwinkel.  

The NSSA West Coast Conferences are proud to have support from, No Fear, Nike 6.0, Huntington Surf and Sport, Surfing Magazine, WaveWatch, Sex Wax, Channel Islands Surfboards, S4 Optics and the Sugar Shack.

COMING UP IN CALI 

AN OCTOBER FEST OF NSSA EVENTS!  The Southwest Conference Explorer Season will go back-to-back with event #2 at D Street in Encinitas on October 4-5 followed by Explorer #3 at Ninth Street in Huntington Beach.  The Gold Coast event #4 and Northwest event #2 will go off at Morro Rock on October 18-19.  The Southwest Conference will kick off the 2008-09 College Season with event #1 on October 18-19 at Blacks Beach in San Diego.  The Southwest Conference Open Season will resume with event #3 on October 25-26 on the south side of Huntington Beach Pier.

RESULTS NORTHWEST CONFERENCE OPEN SEASON EVENT #1 LINDA MAR BEACH, PACIFICIA

OPEN MENS
1. Britt Galland-Rancho Santa Fe 11.0
2. John Wilson-Santa Cruz 9.5
3. Kadin Panesi-Pacifica 7.0
4. Anthony Dunn-Santa Cruz 6.5

OPEN JUNIORS
1. Brogie Panesi-Pacifica 16.5
2. Kadin Panesi-Pacifica 16.0 tiebreak
3. Noe Mar McGonagle-Del Rey Oaks 16.0 tiebreak
4. Seth Nowlin-Aptos 6.5

OPEN BOYS
1. Brogie Panesi- Pacifica 18.0
2. Noe Mar McGonagle-Del Rey Oaks 11.0
3. Tenzin Mendenhall-Davenport 6.5
4. John Mel-Santa Cruz 5.5

OPEN MINI GROM
1. John Mel-Santa Cruz 15.0
2. Akea Tolentino-Hillsborough 4.5

OPEN WOMENS
1. Sahara Ray-Santa Cruz 6.5
2. Asia Carpenter-Davenport 5.5
3. Glennie Rodgers-Santa Barbara 5.0

OPEN LONGBOARD
1. Kevin McNicol-Moorpark 15.5
2. Audrey Bullwinkel-Portola Valley 8.0
3. Liam Hession-Redwood City 4.5
4. Carlos Carpenter-Davenport 1.0

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