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GO WITH THE FLOW PRO/AM CHALLENEGE

November 5^th, 2011

Results:

Junior Bodyboard

            Girls:

1. Madison Massey
2. Madison Lysaght

Boys:

1. Frankie Cordoba

Junior Flowboard

            Girls:

1. Madison Lysaght

Boys:

1. Mitchell Allen
2. Andrew O’Conner
3. Justin Johnson

Men’s Intermediate:

1. Angel Yoc Kim
2. Nick Sanchez
3. Edel Gonzalez
4. Anthony Biggs

Women’s Pro Flow

1. Austyn Bynon
2. Dee Daniels
3. Madison Massey
4. Kira Nash

Open Bodyboard Pro

1. Andrew O’Conner
2. Brad Spencer
3. Nick Sanchez

Men’s Pro Flow:

1. Brad Spencer
2. Luis Linares
3. Cody Morrow
4. Gilberto Hurtado

Best Trick Jam Session

1. Brad Spencer – Back flip board transfer

The US FLOW (Flowriding League of the World) Tour, presented by Wave Loch, has finally come to an end with the season ending championships at the Camelbeach Resort   in the Pocono Mountains.  The FLOW Tour set many records this year – attendance, # of competitors, prize money – but the most amazing byproduct of the FLOW Tour was the growth in the level of skill shown by the competitors.  From a return to the FLOW Tour by Kalahari Resorts, to visiting old friends like Waterville and Massanuttun, to the three tour stops in four days in Utah, the US FLOW Tour continues to reinvent itself with improved purses and programming.

In the Expert Flowboard Division, Sean Silveira continued his mastery of the FlowRider with 11 straight victories to finish the season for his 4th consecutive National Championship.  In doing so, he has embraced the legacy he is helping create within the sport, as he has ramped up the level of competition around him.  Nipping at his heels all season were Brad Spencer, Nick Nguyen, Eric Silverman, Brenden Fenske, J.P. O’Brien, and a host of others awaiting in the wings.  The level of expertise among these riders was evident at the season ending event, where in the final, a flawless couple of runs by any of the finalists would have taken down the event title.  But not one rider went conservative on us, instead pushing each other into extraordinary riding where the fewest mistakes won.

The Female Flowboard Division provided a different National Champion for the 3rd straight year, as Vanessa Arroyo put on an impressive display of power carves and finesse shuvits to wrestle the title away from Amanda McCormick, with five straight victories to end the year.  Vanessa, the 2007 and 2008 National Champion will be a tough match for anyone coming up against her in the FlowRider Division of the FLOW Championships, as her riding style utilizes the entire ride surface while incorporating shuvits, ollies, turns and spins from all angles to further enhance her scoring ability.

The Expert Bodyboard Division was, is, and may forever be completely dominated by Nick Nguyen.  Nick rolled off a lucky 13 – as in 13 straight victories this season, and while this writer likes to keep an objective viewpoint, Nick just killed it.  Along with a 3rd place finish in the Expert Flowboard season standings, Nick is truly the most versatile rider in the game, and this is to take nothing away from Sean or Brad (who are close # 2’s).   The guy is amazing, with the variety of spins, rolls, flips, shuvits, drop knee; it is absolutely crazy.   But as crazy as his riding is, there are plenty of excellent riders in this division, including the 2nd place finisher this season, Morgan Seabert.  Morgan, whose mother Cathy took home the Female Bodyboard top slot, combines an elegant grace with dramatic moves, and was impressive enough to be named Rookie of the Year.   She has also achieved the highest ranking of a female in the Expert division, so congrat’s to Morgan.

The JR Men Bodyboard National Champion, Cameron Lodge, will get a good push from 2011 newcomer Andrew O’Conner.  Andrew has been riding for only six months, so it will be fun to watch the fireworks next year between these two young men.  It will be their collective pushing of each other that will produce future champions to take on the Nick Nguyen’s of the world.   Seeing how Nick is helping mentor Andrew, that would be a bit of kismet – to teach the youngster who in some years time will be targeting you!  Watch out Nick!

In the remaining divisions, Luigi Vargas captured the Men’s Bodyboard Division, while Chuck Wright collected the Men’s Flowboard season’s top slot.  Master’s Bodyboard winner Tracy Carroll was also 3rd in the Master’s Fowboard Division, which was seized by Shaun Hancock, in a tight victory over Steve Salmon.  With Steve’s powerful style of riding, if he starts nailing  shuvits, it will be a mega tight division.  In Drop Knee, Brad Spencer ran away with the seasons honors, and in the Youth Division, Drey Dennis rode with power and confidence in taking the top slot into custody.

As the planning for the 2012 US FLOW Tour season starts to progress, we are looking to increase prize money, and expand the schedule to incorporate more events located near each other, like Utah this year.  We have also seen some firsts this season – Sean Silveira being sponsored and paid to ride full time by Fantasy Surf, sponsorship opportunities for Vanessa Arroyo (Maeva Surf), Billabong’s sponsorship of the Asian FLOW Series (and sponsorship of multiple riders out of Wave House Singapore), Eric Silverman’s sponsorship with Duece Brand that allowed him to compete on the US FLOW Tour, and growing interest from the endemic brands that will further legitimize our beloved sport.

As the US FLOW Tour Champions, Vanessa, Nick, and Sean will represent the US FLOW Tour at the FLOW Championships, which will be going down on Oct 5th-9th at Wave House, Durban, South Africa.  We wish them well in the FlowRider Division, and hope they will represent the US well and bring home the gold!

August 13-14, 2011: CamelBeach Mountain Waterpark – Tannersville, PA.

Deep in the Pocono’s, Camel Beach Mountain Waterpark set the stage for the Wave Loch 2011 FLOW Tour season ending National Championships. Practice started Friday under a clear sky, and with four hours of practice and 90+ competitors from 15 states, everyone was fired up to strut their stuff, and the usual and unusual hi-jinx prevailed!

Saturday’s preliminary runs started out under cloudy skies, and as the event worked its way into the Semifinal runs, the threat of weather became the prime topic of conversation. With impending thunder and lightning, event organizers Chris Granone and Rob Chalfant made the decision to get several finals run as the competition was threatened with continued weather updates. In a very competitive Youth Division, Drayden Denis carved his way to victory with an incredible power attack.

We weaved our way through the balance of the semis, but thunder and lightning approached during the Expert Flowboard semifinal #2, leaving the combatants with a dry ride surface as strict regulations regarding the safety of everyone in the park had to be enforced. As the park was being evacuated and with few options available, Rob, Chris, and competitors were huddled under tents as the storm approached. With pouring rain, thunder and lightning, and technical experts trying to guard their equipment from the onslaught, Rob and Chris contacted Chuck Dickenson of Split Rock and he volunteered his indoor venue to get as much of the event completed as possible.

With competitors, staff and spectators racing off to Split Rock, the entire waterpark had to be evacuated as well. 8500+ traveling down a one way road had everyone nervous about how long it would take to get to Split Rock, normally a 20 minute drive. About an hour later, we all pulled up at Split Rock and Chris, with his frenetic energy going at a frantic pace, had everyone dialed in to restart the event at 7:45 PM promptly with the Expert Flowboard Semi #2 that was left high and dry by the Pocono lightning bolts.

With Split Rock’s accommodating style, and the owners Art Berry and Ken Ellis of CamelBeach in attendance offering moral support, the event ran until midnight to get us to the Finals set for the following morning …Yawn… 8AM start here we come.

After a few hours sleep, Chris and Rob were at it again, accommodating riders that overslept or were unaware of the revised, mega early start time. The incredible elasticity allowed everyone to compete, as heats were juggled based upon availability – it was a true test of sportsmanship and flexibility by everyone involved. And under a constant drizzle, or the “Pocono Fog”, the balance of the Championships were contested.

In Female Bodyboard, Caitlin Clifford took down the top spot as Cathy Seabert was the FLOW Tour Season Champion (FTSC) in the discipline. Cathy lodged a victory in Masters Bodyboard on her 50th birthday weekend as Tracy Carroll took the FTSC. Men’s BB saw Mateo Hernandez come in first with Brenden Fenske as the FTSC. Drop Knee had Noah Holmes in the top slot as Brad Spencer was the FTSC. Men’s Flowboard saw Chuck Wright hit the daily double with victories in the event as well as the FTSC. Shaun Hancock also pulled off the daily double in Masters Flowboard with a tightly contested, split decision of Steve Salmon’s power attack.

The future of our sport was on full display at the Nationals, as in the JR Men Bodyboard saw Andrew O’Conner, who has been riding six months, take the top slot from FTSC Cameron Lodge. It was a smooth, radical, impressive display. In Jr Men FlowBoard, Theo Koby took down the win in a close contest over FTSC Nicholas Sanchez. This final was a taste of things to come in the expert division, as these kids were stomping kick flips and shuvits at will. Theo is an amazing competitor who has undergone several heart surgeries and actually rides with a pace maker. An inspiration to everyone involved in the sport and with the complete support of little bro Bubbie (who placed 4th in the event) and mom Sandy, Theo was a very deserving winner. Please read this inspirational piece at: http://www.jhsmiami.org/workfiles//JHSConnectionsJune10.pdf.

As of press time, this writer has lost track of how many National Championships Nick Nguyen has won. With 13 straight victories this year, and another FTSC under his belt, Nick is poised and ready to go to Durban, South Africa to take down all comers at the FLOW Championships. While Nick dominated the division this year, the gap is closing as Patrick Boyce put in a strong bid in the final event, and Rookie of the Year Morgan Seabert, the runner up to Nick in the division this year, continues to improve with an elegant, graceful attack.

The Female Flowboard division came down to the final event of the year, with Vanessa Arroyo carving her way to victory and winning the event and the FTSC over last year’s champion Amanda McCormick. Vanessa came charging back in the last half of the year to garner the Championship with a graceful yet powerful attack that utilizes the entire ride surface and incorporates multiple shuvits on all areas of the ride surface. Former Tour Champ Jessica Nichols came in third, and local fan favorite Rebecca Keller came in fourth.

The Expert Flowboard Final saw Sean Silveira win a tightly contested heat, as all the participants threw conservatism out the window and went for it! With multiple falls by everyone involved, it came down to Sean nailing a switch 360 kickflip, and 360 kickflip shuvit for the victory. As the Four Time Tour Champion, Sean was a gracious winner, acknowledging that he didn’t ride his best, but it was a true testament to the nature of JP O’Brien, Brenden Fenske, Brad Spencer and Sean that saw them not holding back at all and going for it on all accounts. While Sean has dominated the Expert Division for four years running, the riding of Brad, Brenden, JP, Eric Silverman, and Nick Nguyen should keep Sean motivated.

The post event ceremonies got underway as everyone ran to the lodge under a downpour. As the results were being tallied, break dancing and chicken fights broke out as the restless and hungry crowd awaited. While 8500+ people were in the park on Saturday, with record numbers of spectators for the event, the horrible weather saw less than 100 people in the park on Sunday. As Ken Ellis and Art Berry scrambled to find every bit of food in the park, it was instantly devoured by the hungry, restless, troops. Ken had some extra fun as brownies and cookies were flying like candy from a piñata, with combatants diving for every morsel. The awards ceremonies got underway with an impassioned introduction on the importance of the sport of Flowriding from Wave Loch COO, Marshall Myrman. As he said “it’s all about the sport.”

The 2011 Wave Loch FLOW Tour was the most successful yet, as a record number of people competed. The venues involved this year really showed their spirit in supporting the events and riders. There was a record $30,000 up for grabs this year. The events at Split Rock and the National Championships at CamelBeach were just another indication of that. The camaraderie on the Tour is a credit to everyone that logs all of those miles to get from event to event, for the love of the sport. 2011 has been a year in which expert riders across the world are gaining sponsorships as our beloved sport grows.

Special thanks again to Art Berry and Ken Ellis and their staff (Tony, Scott and all) at Camelback Mountain Resort, Chuck Dickenson from Split Rock for allowing us a venue change at the last minute due to weather, Rob Chalfant and Chris Granone for working their tails off from dawn until midnight, all of the volunteers who did an excellent job (again), our event sponsors Liquid Lightning and The Loft, and our season sponsors Wave Loch, WCB, Deuce Brand, and Versa Grip Traction. See you in 2012!!

Fresh off a 3 event weekend series in Utah, the 2011 Wave Loch US FLOW Tour stops on the East coast in LBI on July 30th,2011 – home of the “Flow House Thundering Surf”, a popular venue that features a state of the art double FlowRider® wave machine. Uniquely positioned in an arena style spectator stadium, the Flow House was a perfect match for the National FLOW Tour as it processed over 60 national traveling competitors in their inaugural Flow tour event, while close to 2500 people saw the competition at one point or another.

Tour leaders, as well as aspiring contenders, were all on hand as the 2011 FLOW Tour nears its end with two events remaining before crowning National Tour champions. As valuable Tour points were on the line, Tour veterans battled it out with up and coming local talent. The home court advantage proved to be the difference in the Men’s Flowboard, with Manny Rayo (LBI local and Flow House team rider) unanimously earning the victory in an enormous field of riders. Rayo stood atop the podium and requested the mic for a victory speech and simply said “I want to thank Dan, Chris, and Julie, the venue manager and owners who sponsor me and are responsible for having this US FLOW Tour event.”

Veterans had an impact as well as Nguyen earns another Expert BB victory making it 10 straight victories, keeping his quest for an unbeaten season alive and defending his current National title in the process. Silveira, another Pro with eyes focused on defending his National title, is going for an unprecedented fourth peat in the Expert FB. Sean is fully dialed in, earning another victory by emphatically nailing his runs with his switch kick flip exclamation points! As the divisional races wind down, Vanessa Arroyo narrowed the gap in the Female FB with her back to back victory efforts on her quest to take the Female FB title this year. Pressure is on with two events remaining. Split Rock, PA August 11th and National Champs at Camel Beach, PA August 13 & 14th.

Flow House, NJ: July 30th, 2011 Results

The 2011 Wave Loch FLOW Tour went into a state more known for its shimmery slopes full of powder, but instead landed at three venues that provide the liquid slope alternative.  Lindon City, Provo Beach Resort, and the Salomon Center in Ogden, UT each hosted FLOW Tour events, in a four day span, marking the first time Utah has hosted three events in a FLOW Tour season.  The results were impressive, as a record number of competitors swarmed the “Beehive State.”

Each event hosted 60-70 riders, with the Junior division providing the deepest rider pools.  In the first event at Lindon City on July 22nd, Carter Wood made a huge impression on the Expert Riders and Judges by landing technical tricks (big spins and clean kick flips) with style in route to the victory.  He then followed that up with two 2nd place finishes at Provo Beach Resort on the 23rd and the Salomon Center on the 25th.

Both the Expert FlowBoard and the Female divisions provided plenty of entertainment and action, as there is a huge battle for the seasons top slot. With the opportunity to go to Durban, South Africa to compete in the FlowRiding League of The World (FLOW) championships that brings the best riders in the world together once a year, the competition will be fierce for who will be the National Champions.

In the Expert FlowBoard race to the finish, Sean Silveira dominated the weekend, capturing all three events to overtake ratings leader Brad Spencer (who finished in 2nd place in all three events).  Sean is in prime form heading into the final three events of the season, and it should be a battle to the finish.

Likewise, in the Female division, Amanda McCormick was leading the Tour going into Utah, but a strong performance by Vanessa Arroyo (1st place finishes at Beach Resort and Salomon Center), and an excellent performance by Dee Daniels (1st at Lindon and two 2nd’s) has left Amanda looking up from 2nd place in the season standings.

The Masters Division was also heavily contested, with a record 15 contestants, and proved that the older riders on Tour are just as focused and competitive as any division.  And…. Before we forget (yawn), Nick Nguyen continued his utter domination of the Expert Bodyboard division by achieving his 8th, 9th, and 10th consecutive victories!!!  Congratulations Nick.

All three venues showed both the competitors and the spectators that they are behind the sport of FlowRiding 100%, and they put on some of the best events on the tour to date.  We want to thank the hosts of the Utah games for putting on such a wonderful event, including the 1st ever cash prize in the woman’s division.

Lindon City, UT: July 22, 2011 Results

Beach Resort, UT: July 23, 2011 Results

Salomon Center, UT: July 25, 2011 Results

What better way to mark the half way point of the Wave Loch FLOW tour than having the 7^th stop in America’s playground… Wave House San Diego.

Competitors from across the country flocked down to one of the most popular stops on the tour. With Sun, Sand and of course the FlowBarrel ^® wave machine, it is no surprise the hard-core tour travelers made sure that San Diego was on their itinerary. All week long competitors were arriving and getting some practice in before the kick off of the event on Friday, July 8th. The Wave Loch FLOW tour has been considered the grass root of the sport as it provides a platform on which riders can enter flowriding at any level and learn the fundamentals on route to the top. With riders like Sean Silveira and Nick Nguyen heading this group of devoted travelers, it is no surprise that the biggest divisions of the day were junior flowboard and junior bodyboard. The junior division not only had travelers from the United States, but also globetrotter and up and comer Max Sokolov, who flew in from Dubai last week. Unfortunately, his absence from the tour showed as Max ended up in fourth place behind local ripper Daniel Tarapchak and Carter Wood, who placed second in both junior divisions. Nick Sanchez and Cameron Lodge took home the gold in their respective junior divisions.

Also keeping their winning streak alive is Nick Nguyen and Tracy Carroll as they both took first place in Expert bodyboard and Masters bodyboard. Sean Silveira once again “out flowed” Greg Lazarus, Brad Spenser and Nic Nguyen, and took home those all-important first place points. For full results see wavehouse.com.

The second half of the tour kicks off on July 22^nd for the three stop Utah leg, and riders will be focused on those points as this all important part of the tour will play a big role in the final standings. Be sure to check out all the updates on wavehouse.com and waveloch.com

Also, for more pictures from this event visit our Facebook page.

“The increased cash seemed to have attracted more female travelers this year,” Jerry Cunningham – Maverick’s co owner admitted. “I recognized an annual increase in participation and this was our best turn out in 5 years, so we plan to do it again and offer even more next year. The riding level was off the hook, and it was great to see our local riders holding their own against the more experienced traveling competitors.” The event drew over 40 competitors and over 1,000 spectators saw the event throughout the day.

Local knowledge did prove to be a significant factor on the Maverick’s FlowRider ^® as the Female, Jr and Mens FB winners where all local riders. Local Expert Flowboarder Zachary Penington nearly made it four victories for the locals by earning a second place finish. Zach looked right at home with the veterans, posting three solid scores in route to his amazing second place finish. “I just started riding 2 months ago and this was my first time riding in a competition”, Penington says earning $ 300.00 in his rookie debut. Defending Tour Champ Sean Silveira was on site though, and thwarted Zach and all challengers, earning another First place finish and making it 4 for 4 this season; Sean is riding in peak form and looking unstoppable.

Special thanks to Shelby & Jerry Cunningham & staff. As always, we couldn’t do it without the continued support of Versatraction, WCB, Blackstrap, Hola, Victory and Deuce Brand. Next stop is Wave House San Diego, July 8TH. The beach is smoking and in peak, mid-July form, with sun, surf, sand, FlowRider and FlowBarrel’s in ABUNDANCE!