In my haste to get the San Clemente Journal spring release, I cut short three exceptional surfing performances by local San Clemente surfers. Not only did apt Patrick Gudauskas win a pressured first place in the World Qualifying ‘O’Neill Sebastian-Inlet contest off Florida, his victory over 192 contenders including splendid free surfing stylist Mike Losness, who placed a challenging second. Even more ironic is that both of these surfers had been sidelined for over a month with ankle injuries. 

NateYeomans closed out the day with a fine fifth place showing for San Clemente stating, “To have three of the eight finalists from San Clemente knocking off so many other quality surfers, speaks well for our locals in Florida.” 

One should remember also, this was not like a home surfing contest against a team of surfers from Huntington Beach or Carlsbad. This was the very best of competition from that force of young world be qualifying surfers all trying to be the power ripper on a Florida ocean few had experienced during their daily training sessions. Yet, it was our local surfers who managed to be the best on that day leaving many of the other WQS surfers wondering “When will those three from San Clemente with their talented wave carving actions chop into them again?” 

The growth of surfing has found another of San Clemente’s talented surfers, 24-year-old Greg Long, winning a $75,000 ‘Big Wave’ contest at Mavericks Half Moon Bay earning a daring perfect ‘10’on an incredible wave plunging ride in front of hundreds along the shoreline. All of this adds to the display of colorful San Clemente surfers and how well they are doing almost daily. Those Gudauskas brothers, Long Brothers, Mike Losness, Gavin Beschen and Nate Yeomans also demonstrate their talents enhanced by long hours of practice. 

Even more, it is the feeling these surfers seem to carry within themselves in more pressing contests. Here you will find them partly soul surfer, but more so, hard competitive surfer displaying their accountability through toughness and power controlling actions. 

It is also here in San Clemente that one finds groups of youthful encampments with short boarders, long boarders and big wave riders. Add to this the ever improving beauty and designs of newer faster lighter boards. This gives surfing a multi-dimensional display like track, swimming, and X-games crowd pleasing aerial contests. Surfing skills are pressed further by pressures from countless young gremmies and calls for change. 

Note the addition of events from those colorful X-Games being added to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing China, plus “Open Water” swims… Maybe the Olympics of 2016 will find room for the challenging sport of surfing. Why not? People enjoy the natural beauty of this colorful sport. Like downhill skiing, nature supplies flashes of live color seldom if ever found in indoor arena sporting events. Where else can you witness a pale mauve sea basking under the warm glow of a morning sun? It is in this blissful environment that the surfer plays and competes. Is it any wonder they never want to leave? Would anyone really … playing in such ‘a ripping good life’? Living and exercising outdoors as they do daily, has enriched both their physical and mental well being as nature desired it to be. This frees them from too many indoor digital entrapments. One doesn’t find Nature Deficit Disorder with surfing! 

THINKING OUTLOUD:

Congratulations must go to Colin McPhillips who is again competing in international long board tours….also Christian Wach. 

Saluting once again the San Clemente girls’ 2008 Water Polo team. Add to this the girls’ swimming team and one finds good coaching and swimming done here. Girls like – K.Jaramilo, J.Hoiland, C.Boring, Klein, C.McCammon, K.Poladian,C.Ternasky, A.Freeman, N.Spurgeon, and M.Mosk. Hard working Brady Mosk, Thomas Dollar and a very talented Michael Chamoures add power to the Triton boys’ swimming team. 

Meanwhile Mike Losness goes from a month’s photo shoot in Bali to a second place showing in a surfing contest off Florida and is also selected for further photo shoots off Senegal, West Africa, and far off exotic Brunei. Lucky indeed are those surfers chosen for these educational world surfing photo shoots learning about other nations, and perhaps even more about themselves… 

Glad to see surfing and community leadership is following my stories of the past few years, pressing for surfing championships via future Olympic and Pan American Games and 

placing an honor plaque at the pier entrance or T-Street ramp crossing, paying tribute to San Clemente surfing greats of merit… b