Surf Team Starts the Season Off Strong

On the morning of Friday, Mar. 12 the surf team began yet another great season as they paddled out for their first competition in roughly a year. Since the reopening of the Dana Hills athletic program, the team has been given the all-clear to compete again. They started the season off strong as they took on Aliso Niguel this past Friday down at T-Street. The conditions were good and the sky was clear after a week full of rain. The tide was high and there were some long lulls which made the waves more challenging to catch but better for competing. Ryann Daly admits “It was a little nerve racking at first” due to the long gap in between her last competition but once she was out with all her teammates she felt at ease and confident again. Micah Abadie, who placed first in both the boys shortboard and longboard heat said, “It felt good to be back in the water surfing in a competition since it’s been almost one year.” It is clear that the surfers are excited to finally start competing and showcasing their skills again.

The boys short boarders were the first to compete and participated in a total of three heats. The competition was tight for the first two rounds with a score of 8-9 for both and Dana began to fall closely behind their competitors. However, they pushed back as the girl’s shortboarders took on the waves and defeated Aliso by a long shot with an astounding score of 15 to 6. When asked about her performance, junior short boarder, Elle Emery, explains, “I was happy with the way I surfed in my heat and I’m proud of the girls for how well we did!” Up next was the boys longboard heat in which Micah Abadie and Andrew Szkiba dominated 11 to 6. Likewise in the girls longboard heat Dana championed scoring 15 to 6. The boys shortboarders concluded the competition for the day with the sixth heat in which we lost 7 to 10. O’Shea Walder states, “We didn’t surf too well but we still tied Aliso.” According to surf coach Mr. Sampson, “Overall I was pleased with the performance given the limitations that we had with regards to who was eligible to surf and who was not.” The surfers that did compete did really well and despite a few shortcomings the team was able to finish off strong and take home the victory over Aliso. The boys tied in the end with a total score of 34-34 and the girls took 1, 2 and 3 in both short and longboard with a final score of 30-12.

Now a member of the team for three years, Casica Collings was pleased with her team’s performance and sums it up perfectly: “Everyone performed great and we are excited for our next contest this Wednesday against San Clemente.” The surfers are stoked to be back competing and are in for another great season ahead.