Dana Point, Calif. -- San Clemente's Kolohe Andino added another gem to his mantle Saturday by winning the U16 division of the Rip Curl Grom Search National Final at Salt Creek. As expected "Brother" tapped his full arsenal of progressive moves, including a rash of aerial reverses and a text book shove-it to revert that won him the H20 Maneuver of the Day Award, en route to his victory over Hawaii's Nathan Carvalho.

Andino pocketed $500 for the win, plus a new Nintendo Wii and and extra Benjamin for the maneuver award, but the biggest payoff comes next spring, when he will be sent to Australia to represent the USA in the International Grom Search Finals at the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach.

"That's like being put on Center Court at Wimbledon," says Dylan Slater, Rip Curl's Director of Marketing. "The Rip Curl Pro at Bells is the longest running contest in professional surfing, and the International Grom Search Final is likely to take place on the final day of competition in front of the typical crowd of 30,000 people."


"I'm so pshyched to be going to Bells," said Andino. "I've been to Australia a bunch of times, but never down to Torquay. It'll be fun to surf against the hottest guys from everywhere else in front of that kind of crowd." While Andino nabbed a lot of the spot light at Salt Creek there were a number of big standouts.

In the girls division Kauai's Nage Melamed came from behind in the closing moments of the final to overtake the nimble-footed Lakey Peterson of Santa Barbara for the win. Melamed's powerful brand of backhand surfing was the perfect match for the punchy lefthanders on tap at the Creek. Her turns were much more mature than her age.

In the U14 division La Jolla's Jacob Halstead was the one who yielded most of the power. Halstead's impressive rail work led to a healthy supply of rooster tails that, according to Doppler radar, might have actually ended the Southern California drought. While beating out Colin Moran for the win, he presented a strong argument for being the best surfer to come out of La Jolla in a generation.

Finally, in the hotly contested U12 division, it was Jacob Davis who nabbed the win over Nick Hdez, Kanoa Igarashi and Colin Deveze. The mini-groms were their usual cool selves, throwing warning shots over the bow of the older kids all day with their penchant for the progressive stuff.

Final Results of the Rip Curl Grom Search National Final

U16 Boys
1. Kolohe Andino
2. Nathan Carvalho
3. Taylor Thorne
4. Koa Smith

U16 Girls
1. Nage Melamed
2. Lakey Peterson
3. Chelsea Roett
4. Frankie Hararr

U14 Boys
1. Jacob Halstead
2. Colin Moran
3. Koa Smith
4. Taylor Clarke

U12 Boys
1. Jacob Davis
2. Nic Hdez
3. Kanoa Igarashi
4. Colin Deveze

If you were to take a step back and closely examine the current state of the World Tour title race, you'd see all of the elements necessary for drama ripe enough to warrant itself a slot on daytime television. Joel Parkinson, who opened the year in an unstoppable form, laying waist to his World Tour counterparts with reckless abandon, has fallen by the wayside on the 99-yard line, a lame ankle biting into his title hopes with every top turn and rail laid. When news of Parko's injury first made its way into the media, his handlers attempted to assuage the hype, stating it was only a calf sprain.... We bought in.

Nathan Paul Gibbs paints pretty pictures. So pretty, in fact, that they have been shown all over the country, including Washington, where he was originally born; Florida, where he lived in his teens (and learned to surf); and Southern California, where he has lived since 1999. So very pretty that he has published two books of his work, The Betrayal of Man and Define Art and Surf, and has frequent shows featuring his pieces, including one at San Clemente's Gallery 104 on November 20th. Artists such as Vincent Van Gough, Jackson Pollock, and Paul Cezanne have all influenced the way Nathan puts paint to canvas. As a surfer and artist, his paintbrush has taken him to some of the worlds finest surf destinations, Fiji, Tahiti, Costa Rica, Australia, Mexico, and Hawaii to name a few. His paintings are incredibly vibrant and colorful, yet abstract enough to blur reality. Check out the gallery above, or check out his website for even more.
http://nathangibbsart.com/

There's more swell on the North Shore right now than most of us know what do with. Trouble is, barely a lick of it is hitting Alii Beach Park, the home of the frontrunner of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, the Reef Hawaiian Pro. Aroused by a bit of west and some sweet talk, Haleiwa lay strangely dormant for the opening day of the million-dollar series today, with some meager 2- to 3-foot lumps showing themselves from time to time while triple-overhead sets donated themselves out to the east. Truth be told, it looked more like a South American beachbreak than one of the North Shore's most menacing haunts. But that's Hawaii and despite all of the preconceived notions you may have, it aint always perfect.

Finding gems amid the garbage today, the Brazilian contingency fared best with 44 percent (or four of nine) surfers surviving their heats. In contrast, the Hawaiian surfers didn't bode quite so well with 39 percent (or nine of 23) surfers gaining births into their next round. Blame it on the piss-poor conditions, pensions for groveling, or them being more talented than we all would like to believe, but the Brazilians looked to be the most dangerous group of surfers in the lineup, consistently finding the best peaks of the heat.

That is, if you don't count...wait for it...Granger Larsen.

In fashion, Maui's pumping out phenoms like it's going out of style. Hot damn that Granger kid can surf. In conditions that offered up a less-than-ideal canvas, Larsen posted the day's highest score, a 9.33 and would back it up with a 6.

“I was in second place and Damien Fahrenfort was in first. That wave came and I was like, ‘which way do you want to go?’ I’m not going to battle, but I’m not really a (paddle) battler," said Larsen post heat. "He went left and the right
looked so much better. It had a little, nice wall, and I did a few turns and got a nine so I’m happy with that.”

Other heats saw last year's event winner and World Tour surfer Michel Bourez take an early fall. Last year, in some of the most idylic conditions on record at Haleiwa, Bourez took the win and a seat in the Big Leagues in the process. Unfortunately, it won't be a repeat for the Tahitian as he bowed out in the round of 128 to local boy Joel Centeio and Aussie James Wood.

We're looking at some squirrelly weather and swell in the coming days, so don't expect a "go" call tomorrow at Haleiwa. But in the meantime, stay posted to Grind TV.

Salt Creek has always been ruled by grommets. The lineup maintains one of the youngest demographics in the entire state. In fact, studies have shown that Creek legends like Pat O'Connell, Kevin Billy have Creek-Geeks Disease, which sounds pretty bad, but isn't, because it's really just a permanent bout of adolescence. Symptoms include being routinely still mistaken for 8th graders. So apparently, something in the water there keeps you fresh. Good thing, too, because it's not easy to be enthusiastic about a dumpy closeout. Don't get me wrong, Salt Creek has its magic moments, in fact, this Saturday could be one of them as the nation's hottest gremlins come to battle for the National Titles of the Rip Curl Grom Search.

The Rip Curl Grom Search, if you've never been to one, is 20 times better than opening day of Little League. That's becasue these kids are All Stars. Matter of fact, you should go get some autographs now because they'll be worth millions of pesos in 10 or 15 years (the dollar will be long gone as a currency but more on that later.)

At the Grom Search, the microscopes are truly busted out because 12, 14 and 16 years of age are the cutoff points for each division, which makes things highly competitive all the way across the spectrum. But the fun part is watching some of the tiny little circus freaks beat up on their older peers, which happens routinely. That's because these groms don't know what barriers are. They're pulling moves even guys on tour can't do. And in a few short years some of them will be out there on tour. And if you're not down there placing bets on who it's going to be, Well you're missing half the fun. But you will be able to tune in online. So stay tuned...

Surfer Magazine founder John Severson did more to reshape the California work environment than anyone else.

Some of the most unique cultural experiences in surfing are those rare uniting of our various tribes. For a tiny sliver of the surfing population surf contests actually facilitate this mixing of cultures, but for the vast majority of surfers, it's the surf movie that pulls us together best...and these days, surfing festivals, like next week's California Surf Festival in Oceanside, do the best job of getting all of our tribes in one place.

California's surfing community has always been a fragmented one. In a State as big as ours that's to be expected. Most of us settle into our familiar patterns and rarely roam beyond our favorite go-to surf spots. Ask yourself this, did you surf more than five spots last month? If you did, chances are you just got your drivers license or you were recently handed a pink slip. Regardless of the reason, you're hardcore, so congrats. And you deserve an even bigger pat on the back one if you drove more than 80 miles to one of those spots.

Sadly, we usually forget what we're missing until we go mingle. There's much to be said for touching, smelling and wandering a new horizon. And in California there is certainly no shortage of those. We also have a diverse surf culture. More diverse, surprisingly, than almost anywhere else in the world. Case in point: Newport Beach is a far cry from Oxnard, which is a light years away from Malibu, which is nothing like Morro Bay, and don't get me started on Encinitas vs. Huntington.

Next week, from the 19th through the 22nd, the California Surf Museum, a beautiful 5600 square foot space in Oceanside that houses much of our rich history, will be honoring all of them with their huge four-day celebration of our heritage. The festival will feature a healthy dose of surf music, surf movies, and surf culture, all the while raising money for a very worthy cause, the museum itself.

There are 12 feature length films on tap, along with 12 short films, including the first sneak peek at Kelly Slater's IMAX project. The flicks will be showing at one of three venues over the four-day event. But that's just the tip of the spear. Nat Young, who changed surfing back in 1966 at Oceanside during the World Contest, will be on hand to talk story on the opening night. Renowned ukulele strummer Jake Shimabukuro will be delighting the acoustic senses on Friday and Clark Little will be showcasing his groundbreaking photography over the weekend. Some of the "must see" films being shown include Sea of Darkness, HighWater, Still Filthy and Dear & Yonder. There's also a Hot Groms Shorts Film contest.

Of course, one of the biggest celenrations will take place on Saturday night, when Surfer Magazine will be celebrating its first 50 years. Festival organizers are paying tribute to the sport's longest running print publication. As part of the celebration, almost all of the past editors and several of the past photo editors, including John Severson, Jeff Divine, Drew Kampion, Art Brewer and editor-turned-historian Matt Warshaw will be there in attendance talking story and answering questions about the magazine's rich history.

So if you've been looking for an excuse to escape your home town for a day or so, next weekend might be a good one to try Oceanside. Hey, for what it's worth, there's always a fun wave to be had there.

A schedule of events for the California Surf Festival is listed below. For more information and ticket purchases, go to the California Surf Museum website at www.surfmuseum.org or call 760-721-6876. Films and schedule subject to change.

The Three downtown Oceanside screening venues:
CSM = CALIFORNIA SURF MUSEUM
GRACE = Grace Theater (at the Grace Chapel), 102 N. Freeman St.
BROOKS = Sunshine Brooks Theatre, 217 N. Coast Highway

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19
BROOKS
7:00 to 8:30 An Evening With Nat Young

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009
CSM
6:00 – 7:00 Jake Shimabukuro VIP reception.
GRACE
5:00 – 6:30 Short film: Madera. Feature film: Shaped.
8:00 – 10:00 Jake Shimabukuro in Concert
BROOKS
6:00 – 7:30 Short film: Verve. Feature: Dear & Yonder.
8:00 – 9:30 Short film: Gum For My Boat. Feature film: Still Filthy

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
CSM
The Museum is open 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
6:00 – 7:00 Surfer Magazine 50th Anniversary tribute VIP reception.
GRACE
12:00 to 1:00 = to be determined
1:00 to 3:00 Short film: All Points South. Feature film: Waveriders
3:00 to 4:30 Feature film: Sea of Darkness
5:00 to 6:30 Feature film: HighWater
8:00 to 10:00 Surfer Magazine 50 Year Anniversary Tribute

BROOKS
12:00 – 1:00 Hot Grom Shorts
1:00 to 2:30 Clark Little champagne reception.
2:30 to 4:30 Short film: Tom’s Creation and Plantation. Feature film: Hanging Five
5:00 to 6:00 Feature film: Echo Beach
6:00 to 7:30 Feature film: The Drifter
8:00 to 9:00 Short film: Inundation. Feature film: Lost Prophets

NOVEMBER 22, 2009
BROOKS
12:00 to 1:00: Hot Grom Shorts
1:00 to 2:30 Feature film: BS!
3:00 to 4:30 Short film: El Día Despues. Short film: Shaping A Life. First “Silver Surfer Award” presented to Gary Linden
4:00 to 5:30 Awards ceremony.

Funds raised from the California Surf Festival will assist the California Surf Museum in its growth and outreach to the community. The California Surf Museum is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located at 312 Pier View Way, Oceanside, Calif. 92054; (760) 721-6876; www.surfmuseum.org. Open daily 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and until 8:00 p.m. on Thursdays. Admission.

CONTACT:
MARKETING AND SPONSORSHIP: Lou Niles, (760) 579-3826, lounbr@pacbell.net
FESTIVAL PROGRAMMING: Keiko Beatie, (949) 395-0879, keikobeatie@gmail.com
TICKETS AND EVENTS: California Surf Museum, (760) 721-6876, CSM@surfmuseum.org

With the dow breaking 10,000, there's been a lot of talk about the country's frozen economy showing signs of a thaw. Although not quite as telling as the numbers on Wall Street, the numbers in the surf industry seem to dictate that there's money to burn. On the heels of the ASP's more lucrative restructuring and Hurley's $100,000 back-to-back purses, the Vans Triple Crown has just announced that they're dropping a cool million on their trifecta this year. According to the Triple Crown, it is the most prize money ever awarded for a contest. We spoke with the marketing director for the Triple Crown, Sean Wingate, to get the details.

Hasn't anyone told you guys that there's been bit of...uhm...downturn in the economy?
[Laughs.] Yeah, we're calling it the Triple Threat this year and we're really trying to step it up for the surfers. It's been a great year on the tour and with the race for the title coming down to Hawaii, we really wanted to go big and give back to the surfers.

Did the idea to up the prize money have anything to do with Hurley stepping it up at the U.S. Open and again at Lowers?
No, not necessarily. We had the funds to do it this year and, like I said, we wanted to give back to the surfers. It'll be the most prize money ever for a professional contest.

So how's it work. What do you have to do to win the million?
Normally, the winner of the Triple Crown gets $10,000. This year, it's $50,000. We're also giving away $50,000 to the winner of the Pipe Masters and another $50,000 to the winner of the ASP title. So let's say that either Joel or Mick or someone wins at Pipeline, wins the Triple Crown, and wins the title. When it's all said and done, they're looking at $230,000. And the winner for the women's Triple Crown also gets $25,000.

So all that adds up to a million?
The normal prize purse is $825,000, but with the additional money we're putting into it this year, it'll be a million.

1st peak