The atmosphere was as different as the day.
The only people at the beach were the surfers, coaches of the six teams, parents, officials from the Core Scholastic Surf League and park rangers.
 Michael Joshua, riding a wave on a shortboard, won the longboard competition Saturday. He was third in shortboard. |
“To see those guys ride those waves was pretty sick,” said Half Moon Bay’s Austin Murison. “I can’t imagine what they are feeling, riding those waves. I have a lot of respect for those guys.”
Murison and his Half Moon Bay teammates made some noise at Saturday’s meet.
Michael Joshua won the boys’ longboard title with Murison third, and Matt Tolar fourth. Joshua was also third in the boys’ shortboard.
Hannah Tonnessen won the girls’ shortboard. Audrey Bullwinkle qualified for the girls’ shortboard semifinal.
Zac LeBlanc was fifth in the coed bodyboard semifinals.
Half Moon Bay fell to Soquel in the team competition, 67-54.
Saturday’s waves were not as big as a week earlier, but the waves presented their fare share of challenges.
Murison and Joshua know about the Mavericks waves, having surfed there in the past.
“No one pressures us to go out and surf there,” Joshua said. “We just go out and push ourselves.”
The two say those who challenged Mavericks are their idols.
“Those guys are insane, but in a good way,” Joshua said.
The girls have a different attitude toward Mavericks.
“I’m not sure if I will surf there some day,” Tonnassen said. “Maybe I will.”
Bullwinkle says she will never ride on waves as huge as those that were at Mavericks.
“For me, surfing is more about relaxing and having fun,” she said. “If my friends call me to go surfing, I would join them.”
The team will be surfing next at the state championships in Huntington Beach, March 6-7.
In Sunday’s Junior High School competition, Half Moon Bay defeated Aptos, 67-54.
Konrads Wallace was fifth in the boys’ longboard with Jason Cagle taking sixth.
Kyla Kemp was third in the women’s longboard with Helen Fisher taking fifth.
Thomas Lundgard was fifth in the bodyboard.
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