Surf Finishes Second

The surf team finished their season second in league.

In League Finals last month on Thursday, Oct. 31 and Tuesday, Oct. 29, freshman Callan Emery had the most success, placing sixth in finals. His performance was especially spectacular since he had to surf a repechage heat in order to even make it to finals. In this heat, Emery surfed against five San Clemente students and successfully placed second.

Sophomore Pat O’Connor was scheduled to compete in the number one seed this meet, but due to illness was unable to make it. O’Connor typically surfs both men’s longboard and shortboard and was the best chance of winning, so his absence caused momentary panic. In his place surfed freshman Dominic Salaverry, who made it to the finals in men’s longboard.

Coach Tim Sampson remarked that it was “very confidence-inspiring to see teammates step up in times of need.”

“very confidence-inspiring to see teammates step up in times of need” -Head Coach Tim Sampson

For girls, sophomore Ryann Daly placed fourth. Daly, who primarily competes in short board, said of her fourth-place finish: “There were good, consistent waves for every contest, and I’m really proud of the team as a whole.” Next year, she hopes to practice long board so the team has sufficient backup in case of an emergency. She continued, “The team did well at working together, getting close to beating San Clemente, and the boys communicated very well.”

Sophomore Cascia Collings noted that the “freshmen stepped up and the seniors performed well, proving that the team is strong even without last year’s graduating class.” She thinks team bonding can help surf have an even stronger season next year.

Both Collings and Daly have been surfing for eight years and enjoy being in the ocean and around nature, motivating them to continue pushing and perform to the best of their ability.