The NSSA National Championships may have moved to a lets just say, "less than ideal," location, but it didn't affect the drama. Southside Huntington Beach Pier is no Lower Trestles, but the coveted Governor's Cup trophies were still up for grabs in the Open Men's and Open Women's divisions respectively. Thus, as the contest reached the later rounds things began to heat up.

Let's start with the Men. Names like: Slater, Knox, Irons and Jaquias all graced the 2010 contest's awning because they have all won an Open title. Notice I listed the name Jaquias, as in the Hawaiian surf forced of the 90s, Kaipo Jaquias. Now, he ripped and everything (and still does), and spent a few years on the WCT tour, but he never really was in the same category as a guy like Kelly Slater or Andy Irons. The reason for the Kaipo Jaquias reference is his son Kaimana Jaquias won the Open Men's final this year.

The waves for the final were typical late afternoon Huntington mush, making for a wave catching competition. The three surfers surfing against Jaquias for Schwarzenegger's cup were Boys 18 and under champion, Evan Geisleman, and a double serving of Coffin, as in Conner and Parker Coffin. Conner Coffin had impressed me all contest, the powerful regularfoot was regularly throwing down man turns that looked more like WQS or WCT hacks than NSSA turns. His brother Parker was surfing great all contest too. If Conners's the ying, Parker's the yang. Unlike his brother he's a goofyfoot, unlike his brother he's more of a light footed surfer, and tends to like to let his fins breath more than his brother.

Than there's Evan Geiselman, who was coming off a big win last weekend at Lowers, and had been surfing great all contest long. He's got a Cory Lopez thing going in his surfing. Maybe it's because he's from Florida, whatever the reason his surfing style reminds me of another big Floridian export. Anyway, the kid can go huge, ands that's what he attempted to do in the final, which may have hurt him a little. There weren't many quality waves coming through, and since the waves weren't offering much Geisleman seemed like he was trying to win with one move. The Open Men's final looked like an Air Show with Air Geisleman flying all over the place, but never really sticking a big one.

With the lack of surf, and the lack of a landed full rotation reverse from the Florida camp, Jaquias was able to put together a few good scoring waves, and in the process win an Open Men's title and the Governor's Cup that goes with it. His play it safe strategy was able to edge out the Gieselman blitzkrieg of airs, and now there's two Open Championships in the Jaquias family.

Now, on to the Open Women's division. Defending champion, Lakey Peterson, made the final along with Nage Melamed, Catherine Clark and Alex Frantz. Melamed got off to good start and was able to hang on to the lead for most of the heat. With only a minute or so left, Peterson needed a 5 to win back-to-back Open Championships. The horizon spelled no sign of a 5 point wave in the near future, and it looked like Hawaii was going pull a full sweep of the Open Finals, whith Kauai's Melamed about to bring it home. That's when it happened, for no apparent reason Melamed dropped-in on Clark, and was given an interference, which bumped Peterson into first. It seemed like maybe a Nike (Peterson's head-to-toe sponsor) scuba diver popped up in the lineup and offered Melamed a kick back to take a fall. That's how random it was, she had the contest won.

That's it for the 2010 NSSA season. The first championships at Huntington pier in a decade, on the 4th of July no less, was pretty much dominated by Hawaii, had its moments. There was victory and heartbreak surrounded by Surf City holiday weekend