SHORECLIFFS MIDDLE SCHOOL SURF TEAM

BY JAKE HOWARD

It’s NSSA Nationals season, and that can only mean one thing: It’s time for Shorecliffs Middle School to climb the podium. Last weekend, the school’s surf team won a historic 19th NSSA national title.

Led by coach Dave Hennings, the team roster included Noah Lavik, Bodhi Aguilar, Gerrit Bakker, Finn McCarty, Nash Rice, Harvey Nelson,

“What makes our journey so special is sharing it with people you love,” Marks said. “My brothers haven’t been to an event in a couple of years, so maybe I should bring them everywhere now. We got the Olympics and the Final 5, and I want to be in both of those. I’m feeling good, and I’m really motivated. I feel like I put the work in, so I’m like, ‘Let’s do this!’ ”

On the men’s side, reigning world champ Toledo avenged his loss to Colapinto at the Surf Ranch to take the win, proving once again that in 3- to 5-foot, right-hand point surf, he’s darn near impossible to beat.

“We’ve been meeting every Final. It’s been fun,” Toledo said about the brewing rivalry with Colapinto. “I was just super focused. I was concentrating on what I was doing and what I wanted to do.”

“I woke up yesterday and my back was feeling kind of weird,” Toledo continued. “I tried to surf, and it was bothering me, so I took a break in the afternoon yesterday. This morning, I woke up even worse. I could barely walk. But I’m grateful for the whole team that I have. And shoutout to my mom. It’s her birthday today. That’s for you, mom. That’s your present. Love you.”

It’s worth noting, Colapinto beat Toledo in the final in El Salvador, and while he couldn’t go back-to-back, Colapinto

Marlo Leigh Harris, Happy Sager and Rex Kraus.

The competition at the middle school level has never been fiercer, and Shorecliffs’ continued success is a testament to the program Coach Hennings has built and the caliber of surfer who comes through the school year in and year out.

“Shorecliffs Middle School shatters the National Championships record winning their 19th National Title. The former National Interscholastic Championships record of 18 National titles held by Huntington Beach High School was broken by Shorecliffs today, when they claimed number 19 at Salt Creek,” reported the NSSA over the weekend.

“Head Coach Dave Hennings was there for 18 of them! In honor of this milestone moment, we want to congratulate Coach Hennings and the nine-member team who accomplished this incredible achievement. It will be a day you will always remember,” the school continued.

Huge congrats to all the surfers, coaches, does leave Central America atop the rankings in the yellow leader’s jersey. Toledo, meanwhile, sits in second, followed by countryman Joao Chianca in third.

“(Filipe) and I have had the best battles over the last year and this year,” Colapinto said afterward. “It was a really close final last year. Every time we surf against each other, we just go all out and go for big stuff.”

For the women, Carissa Moore currently sits in first on the WSL leaderboard, with Wright in second, followed by Marks in third. With the race to the Rip Curl WSL Finals heating up, there are only three more regular-season events left on the schedule.

Up next, the tour heads to South America for the Rio Pro, which runs from Friday, June 23 through July 1. After that, the Championship Tour will move to South Africa and Tahiti before the WSL Finals land at Lowers this September. SC

Jake Howard is a local surfer and freelance writer who lives in San Clemente. A former editor at Surfer magazine, The Surfer’s Journal and ESPN, today he writes for several publications, including Picket Fence Media, Surfline and the World Surf League. He also works with philanthropic organizations such as the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center and the Positive Vibe Warriors Foundation.

Surf Forecast

Water Temperature: 63-65 Degrees

Water Visibility: 8-12’ supporters, parents and friends who have made this feat possible. It’s been a total team effort every step of the way. SC

Thursday: Easing blend of SSW and NW swell shows most size in the morning, with good spots seeing waist to chest high waves, (3-4’), as best breaks hit head high, (5’). Light SE winds in the early morning, veer to light+/periodically moderate SW-W onshores for the afternoon.

If you have a candidate for Grom of the Week, we want to know. Send an email to jakehoward1@gmail.com.

Outlook: Trend towards smaller surf continues for Friday, with most spots dropping into the thigh-waist high range. Similar waves heights hold for the weekend, until a fresh SSW swell starts to nudge up the surf Sunday afternoon. The pattern of light southerly winds in the early mornings, followed by a low-end moderate level westerly sea breeze in the afternoons, prevails for Friday through Sunday.