OCEANSIDE – Vista surfer Tommy Pearson doesn't live within walking distance of the beach, but he prefers to compete against those who do.
Last weekend, the Rancho Buena Vista High junior proved he can hang with the beachside bunch, taking first place in the boys shortboard division of the Interscholastic Surfing Federation state championships at Oceanside Harbor South Jetty.
In the two days leading up to his individual title, Pearson helped the Rancho Buena Vista team finish third in the inland division.
By the third day of competition – which took place in 4-to 8-foot waves and excellent conditions, albeit under overcast skies – Pearson was eager to test himself against surfers from coastal division schools, considered by some to be a superior group.
“I would rather compete in the coastal division,” Pearson said. “Coastal kids are definitely better.”
The freckled surfer, with long eyelashes and floppy brown hair, then proceeded to prove himself wrong with three successful heats to dominate his opponents from coastal cities such as Carlsbad, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz.
Even with Pearson's strong showing, RBV coach Monica Schwaner said the school is aptly placed in the inland division. She's confident her surfers this year could compete with coastal schools but said the team's talent is likely to change from year to year.
“We're not like a coastal team where the chances of having consistent surfers is greater,” Schwaner said. “Our school is an inbetweener. Some of our surfers live a little more east because of the way our district's boundaries are drawn.”
In the regular season, RBV finished second behind Point Loma, a school located in coastal division territory that was allowed to compete against inland teams while its surf squad struggled. Next year, Point Loma High likely will move to the coastal.
Diane Steuer, executive director of the ISF, said although the organization uses a general measurement of 5 miles from the ocean to divide schools between coastal and inland divisions, competition directors allow schools to petition to switch.
“We take a lot of things into consideration,” Steuer said. “The strength of the team, for instance, and we put weight on where the kids live.”
La Costa Canyon High in eastern Carlsbad is an example of a school located in the inland district (5.8 miles from the ocean) with students who live mostly west of the campus.
After winning back-to-back state titles in the inland competition, LCC coach James Etheridge moved his team to the coastal division this year. He felt the team could take more pride in surfing against better teams than beating schools that sometimes couldn't field a full squad and some kids who didn't own their own boards.
“It was way more competitive,” Etheridge said. “We did get spanked once or twice, but it was a lot more fun than winning it all in inland.”
Longboarder Christian Clark, a junior at LCC, was glad his team moved to the coastal division. While the shortboarders and bodyboarders struggled, Clark continues to excel against the stronger opponents, winning the individual state title in the longboard last week. It never felt right to him to surf against schools such as Poway and Rancho Bernardo when La Costa Canyon students live so much closer to the waves.
“It's a totally different thing,” Clark said of the competition with surfers in the coastal division, “just because they live on the beach.”
While schools on the border of the 5-mile mark are more likely to have talented individuals than a deep roster, Steuer said that could change as surf P.E. classes gain popularity in the more western inland schools.
With traffic and gas prices on the rise, Pearson said RBV's disadvantage to schools whose surfers are a skateboard ride away from the waves won't disappear any time soon.
“I don't live that far into Vista,” Pearson said. “I'm right by (I-5), but that's still not as convenient as getting to walk to the beach.”
Gigi Alford: (619) 293-1829;
gigi.alford@uniontrib.com.
Interscholastic Surfing Federation State Championships
Team Results – Coastal Division
OVERALL
First: Carlsbad.
Second: Ventura.
Third: Redondo.
BOYS SHORTBOARD
First: Carlsbad.
Second: Torrey Pines.
Eliminated in semifinals: Soquel, Redondo.
Eliminated before semifinals: Aptos, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Palos Verdes, Mission Bay, Point Loma, Ventura, Palisades, La Jolla.
BOYS LONGBOARD
First: Ventura.
Second: Carlsbad
Eliminated in semifinals: Soquel, Santa Cruz
Eliminated before semifinals: Redondo, Palos Verdes, Santa Barbara, Torrey Pines, Palisades, Mission Bay, Point Loma
GIRLS SHORTBOARD
First: Ventura.
Second: Carlsbad
Eliminated in semifinals: Santa Barbara, Point Loma.
Eliminated before semifinals: Torrey Pines, Palos Verdes, Aptos, Redondo,
GIRLS LONGBOARD
First: La Jolla.
Second: Carlsbad.
Eliminated in semifinals: Santa Barbara, Point Loma.
Eliminated before semifinals: Ventura, Torrey Pines, Palos Verdes, Redondo, Aptos.
COED BODYBOARD
First: Redondo.
Second: Carlsbad.
Eliminated in semifinals: Aptos, Palos Verdes.
Eliminated before semifinals: Point Loma, Soquel, Santa Cruz, Palisades, Torrey Pines, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Mission Bay.
Inland Division
OVERALL
First: Los Alamitos.
Second: Wilson.
Third: Rancho Buena Vista.
BOYS SHORTBOARD
First: Rancho Buena Vista. Second: Los Alamitos.
Eliminated in semifinals: Wilson?, Cathedral Catholic.
Eliminated before semifinals: Capistrano Valley, Tesoro, University City, Thousand Oaks, Aliso Niguel.
BOYS LONGBOARD
First: Capistrano Valley.
Second: University City.
Eliminated in semifinals: Los Alamitos, Cathedral Catholic, Wilson, Tesoro, Rancho Buena Vista, Thousand Oaks, Aliso Niguel.
GIRLS SHORTBOARD
First: Wilson.
Second: Los Alamitos.
Eliminated in semifinals: Rancho Buena Vista, Capistrano Valley.
Eliminated before the semifinals: Thousand Oaks, University City, Cathedral Catholic, Tesoro.
GIRLS LONGBOARD
First: Wilson.
Second: Los Alamitos.
Eliminated in semifinals: Rancho Buena Vista, University City.
Eliminated before semifinals: Capistrano Valley, Capistrano, Tesoro, Thousand Oaks.
COED BODYBOARD
First: Tesoro.
Second: Los Alamitos.
Eliminated in semifinals: Capistrano Valley, Wilson.
Eliminated before semifinals: Cathedral Catholic, Thousand Oaks, University City, Rancho Buena Vista.
Individual Results
BOYS SHORTBOARD
1, Tommy Pearson, Rancho Buena Vista; 2, Gabe Donatelli, Cathedral Catholic; 3, Austin Smith-Ford, Soquel; 4, Charley Stevens, Carlsbad; 5, Mike Lonson, Santa Barbara; 6, Kyle Buthman, Soquel.
BOYS LONGBOARD
1, Christian Clark, La Costa Canyon; 2, Jon Hoover, Grossmont; 3, Maxx Dexter, Aliso Niguel; 4, Charlie May, Army Navy Academy; 5, Chris Zambetti, Carlsbad; 6, Larry Ugale, Ventura.
GIRLS SHORTBOARD
1, Sophia Sarlo, Malibu; 2, Heather Jordan, El Camino; 3, Chloe Seaman, Malibu, 4, Savannah Shaughnessy, Scotts Valley; 5, Sophia Bartlow, Wilson, 6, Lexie Wilson, Scotts Valley.
GIRLS LONGBOARD
1, Kaitlin Maguire, Torrey Pines; 2, Kasie Perkins, Oceanside; 3, Chelsea Zaniboni, Santa Barbara; 4, Sophia Sarlo, Malibu; 5, Natalie Pompa, Rancho Buena Vista; 6, Tatiana Young, La Jolla Country Day.
COED BODYBOARD
1, Collin Chambers, Oceanside; 2, Casey Heitchew, Carlsbad; 3, Brett Curran, Los Alamitos; 4, Walli Sani, El Camino; 5, Cody Hemmah, Dos Pueblos; 6, Chris Bathurst.
