ESKA – The Eastern Surf Kayaking Association

ESKA and INTERFERENCE SURF have announced two new surfing events for the 2013 season; Battle For Folly and Battle For Nags Head.  See details HERE.

Folly Surf - Matt Faust and Mike Stockton

Parade of Nations led by Valley Kayaks and the US East Team - photo Spencer Cooke

US East is doing pretty well in the individual competition leading into the quarter and semi finals.  We still have 4-5 competitors vying for placement in the next rounds.  However, we have been eliminated from the Team competition.  We were edged out by the US West by literally one point.  Our team has no Junior competitors which cost us at least 4 points.  Let’s get some youth into these competitions!  We congratulate the US West, Basque and England teams for moving on to the team finals.

Please enjoy the photos in the gallery below of our US East team.  These are a mix of shots taken by Lynn Usher, Russ Buskirk, Spencer Cooke and Shari Robins.

Thanks again to Sea Kayak Carolina for helping us choose the 2011 US East Team.  We look forward to another great surf kayak event in the fall of 2012 back at Folly Beach with the SKC crew.

Follow the event at http://worldchampionshipsofsurfkayaking.com

Thanks to Sea Kayak Carolina for hosting an ESKA sanctioned event at the Folly Beach Washout.  This fun event not only chose the US East Surf Kayak Team for the 2011 World Championships of Surf Kayaking (being held now in Nags Head, NC) but also served as a fun filled gathering for kayakers of all kinds.  Sea kayaks, sit-on-tops and surf kayaks all competed in their respective classes and everyone had a wonderful time on the beach and back at the Sea Kayak Carolina kayak shop.  Thanks again to everyone who attended and for helping the US East team on their way to the World Championships.

Social gathering at Sea Kayak Carolina

Dog and Burger grill-off featuring Yonton from Astral and Mary Ross from SKC. Good time!

Scott Szczepaniak takes off on a wave in the Sea Kayak class.

Major awards were given!

See the rest of the fun in the gallery below.  Please follow us at the Valley Kayaks Presents: 2011 World Championships of Surf Kayaking, at Nags Head, NC.

Hello Surfers, below you will see a schedule of events for the upcoming Sea Kayak Carolina Surf Competition, US East Team Trials at Folly Beach on September 10-11.

Registration closes on September 4th so be sure to enter asap to secure your spot.

Enter the event at Active.com http://www.active.com/outdoors/folly-beach-sc/us-east-coast-team-trials-2011

Friday, September 9th
- 8-9:30 pm – Competitor check in at Sea Kayak Carolina from 8-9:30pm.  Find them or get directions here.

Sea Kayak Carolina
1731 Signal Point road
Charleston SC 29412
phone – 843.225.7969

Saturday September 10th
- 8 am – Competition starts at 8am, unless otherwise notified at check-in.  That means the first heat is in the water competing at 8am.
- Competition runs until 6:30pm if necessary for the number of competitors
- 7 pm – Saturday evening food and social gathering at Sea Kayak Carolina

Sunday, September 11th
- 8am – Competition begins, unless otherwise indicated at Saturday evening social.
- Competition until 6pm if needed.  We will finish as early as we can.

- Awards will be given 20 minutes after the last heat is completed on Sunday.

*No scheduled lunch breaks for either day, if we’re running on time we may break for 20-40 minutes, but people should plan on eating at the site and not going out for a long lunch.

The ESKA is pleased to announce team trials for the 2011 World Championships of Surf Kayaking. The event will be held the weekend of September 10th, 2011 at Washout, a popular surf break at Folly Beach.  Thank you to our host, Sea Kayak Carolina.

Enter the event at Active.com http://www.active.com/outdoors/folly-beach-sc/us-east-coast-team-trials-2011

The ESKA is pleased to announce team trials for the 2011 World Championships of Surf Kayaking. The event will be held the weekend of September 10th, 2011 at Washout, a popular surf break at Folly Beach.

Enter the event at Active.com http://www.active.com/outdoors/folly-beach-sc/us-east-coast-team-trials-2011

Sea Kayak Carolina (SKC) offers daily, custom, and adventure kayaking tours as well as on the water and indoor roll classes. SKC is the premier sea kayak store in South Carolina, which carries everything you’ll need. Sea Kayak Carolina’s instructional staff enjoys working with paddlers of all levels.

The 8 categories that will count towards team trials are as follows: men’s long and short, women’s long and short, junior’s long and short, and master’s long and short. There will also be two fun categories: sea kayak and sit on top. (will not count towards team qualification) The event will be $50 dollars for the first 2 categories and $5 dollars for each additional category. Everyone is invited to compete in the event but must be registered as an ESKA member. Team slots will be reserved for ESKA surf kayakers.

Early registration will take place until August 27th.   Entry fees will be adjusted for late registration beginning on August27th. Entry fee refunds are not available after September 4th, and registration will fully close on September 4th.

The rules for the eligibility of classes are the same as the WSKA rules.

The event will consist of two separate competitions, one on Saturday, Sept 10, and one on Sunday, Sept 11. The two will be averaged for the final results.

Competition seating is determined based on prior ESKA sanctioned events. Sunday’s competition will be using Saturday’s results to seat the competition.

The top ranking man from the ESKA competition circuit will automatically be awarded the 1st slot of 4 in the men’s long and short team positions. The remaining 3 in each category will be awarded to the top 3 placed men.

There are also 2 women’s long boat and short boat slots, 1 junior’s long boat and short boat slot, and 1 master’s long boat and short boat slot available.

Check out all more information about the event at ESKAsurf.com.

To become a member of the ESKA please go to eskasurf.com/join-the-eska/.

Contact the ESKA directly: Email Joey Hall at Deadmanprd@gmail.com.
Further press related inquiries should be sent to TorrentPRD@gmail.com.

The competitor meeting for the Battle of the Blades will be held at 6:30pm tonight, Friday May 13th, at Flaming Amy’s Burrito Barn in Wilmington, NC

Updated on 4/26/2011

The United States East Surf Kayak Team represents the United States, along with the US West Surf Kayak Team, at the World Championships of Surf Kayaking, held every other year in countries around the globe by the World Surf Kayaking Association.

The team consists of Men, Women, Masters, and Junior representatives, selected based on circuit rankings and team trial placements over a two year period.

On May 14-15th 2011 the ESKA will be hosting the Battle of the Blades in Topsail Island, Surf City North Carolina.

In preparation for the 2011 World Championships of Surf Kayaking (hosted in NC by the ESKA) the May Battle of the Blades event will serve as part of team selection for the US East Surf Kayak Team. A portion of available team positions will be awarded to the top finishers at this event, with the remaining team slots being awarded at an extra special blowout team trials extravaganza event to occur Sept 10-11 2011 (location TBA). To encourage a wider field, these two events will be open to any competitor that meets the requirements for competing in a particular class. (i.e. age, boat type, gender, etc). Seeding for these team trials events will be based on circuit ranking.

As usual, the top Men’s HP slot and top Men’s IC slot will be awarded to the circuit champion in those respective divisions.

We hope to drive interest in the May event, and encourage the most competitive field for that event, and offer an intense pre-World’s warm up at the September event to select the most competitive US East team to represent our coast at the World Championships of Surf Kayaking taking place Sept 28th-October 9th 2011.

ALL Junior IC and HP and Master IC and HP team slots will be awarded at the SEPTEMBER team trials event.

At the May 14-15th Battle of the Blades event, the following team spots will be contested:

Mens HP:
1 spot, to be awarded to top finisher in the Men’s HP class

Mens IC:
1 spot, to be awarded to top finisher in the Men’s HP class

Women’s HP:
1 spot, to be awarded to top finisher in the Women’s HP class

Women’s IC:
1 spot, to be awarded to top finisher in the Women’s IC class

At the September 9-10th Team Trials event the following positions will be contested:

Mens HP:
2 spots, to be awarded to top finishers in the Men’s HP class

Mens IC:
2 spots, to be awarded to top finisher in the Men’s HP class

Women’s HP:
1 spot, to be awarded to top finisher in the Women’s HP class

Women’s IC:
1 spot, to be awarded to top finisher in the Women’s IC class

Junior IC and HP and Master IC and HP and the other remaining team slots for Men’s and Women’s IC/HP will be awarded at the September team trials event.

If one person wins multiple spots (i.e. the same person win’s Men’s HP and Men’s IC) at the May event, or the September event, that person will select the spot he/she wishes to surf in for the team and the next highest qualifier in the contest results (for that event) for the remaining category will be awarded the slot.

In the event that the circuit champion in Men’s HP and Men’s IC winds up being the same person, that person will choose which position to take and the additional team position will be awarded to the next highest finisher at the September team trials event.

In the event that the May Topsail competition is canceled due to lack of surf or acts of nature, all open spots will be awarded at the September event. If both events are canceled for any reason, the team will be selected from circuit rankings.

All US East team trials competitors must be members of the Eastern Surf Kayaking Association.

We encourage any competitor who plans to attend the World Championships to enter the individual classes when registration opens for the World Championships event early this summer.

View Larger Map
The Battle of the Blades will be held on May 14th, with a possible second day on the 15th, in Topsail Island, Surf City NC.

We’ll have our usual kayak divisions plus SUP, waveski, and surf what U Brung. Cost will be $35 for any and all divisions that you want to enter, save for SWUB which is an additionl $10, the pot from which will go to the winner of that division. We ask that competitors not enter division that they can’t see through to the final, or until elimination.  Again we are including SUPers and there will be a waveski/SOT class as well. – Gordon Rock

There will be a competitor’s meeting on Friday May 13th at Flaming Amy’s Burrito Barn http://www.flamingamysburritobarn.com/

The ESKA 2010 National Championships of Surf Kayaking and Battle 4 Hatteras ran smoothly, with fantastic waves, nice weather and good friends surfing with one another. Some people won and some lost, but everyone had a good attitude about it. Below you will find a journal of the weekend’s events as well as the competition results. We look forward to seeing everyone this time next year, same location, for the 2011 World Championships of Surf Kayaking.

Dawn at the Outer Banks

The rising sun peeks over sand dunes, sea oats and through a gap between beachfront homes.

2010 National Championships of Surf Kayaking: Event Scene on Finals Day

Urko Otxoa flies off the lip in the Short Boat Quarter Finals

Joey Hall drops in during Short Boat Quarter Finals

Garazi Iturralde drops under a heavy lip during Womens Short Boat Finals

Spencer Cooke drops in during Short Boat Semi Finals

England's Mark Woolward hops out after an intense Semi-Final in Short Boat

Xabi Olano drives off the lip in the Short Boat Finals

Anthony Bell and Edu Exteberria come in after a very heated Short Boat Finals

Thanks to our very committed judges. Top notch job!

Andy Gates & Joey Hall set up trophies for the award ceremony.

Pretty Maids all in a row. As you may notice in all the award ceremony photos, the ESKA has taken strides to be an environmentally conscious organization by recycling old trophies. They're more fun than new ones anyway...

SPECIAL AWARDS

Best Wave of the event award went to Garazi Iturralde from Basque Country.

Worst Crash award went to Buck Johnson who broke his big toe by accidentally kicking a rock on the beach.  No photo available.  He limped up to the award stand to receive his trophy.

BATTLE 4 HATTERAS AWARDS – Click HERE to learn about this event.

Battle 4 Hatteras - 4th Place Team "Low Tech"; Ted Morris (wave ski), Andy Gates (long boat), Tom May (short boat)

Battle 4 Hatteras - 3rd Place Team "Whack Wing"; Buck Johnson (long boat), Mark Woolward (short boat), Charles Salters (wave ski)

Joey Hall shows off the Murky Water fins that were given as prizes for the 2nd and 1st placing teams in the Battle 4 Hatteras event. Huge thanks to Ed and Mariola from Murky Water Paddling Supply - What a valuable prize for surfers!

Battle 4 Hatteras - 2nd Place Team, "RSX;" Russ Buskirk (long boat), Matt Radis (short boat), Steve Riordan (wave ski)

Battle 4 Hatteras - 1st Place Team, "The Death Eaters;" Gordon Rock (wave ski), Anthony Bell (short boat), Spencer Cooke (long boat), these guys will be the keepers of the lighthouse until the next B4H event!

2010 NATIONALS AWARDS

Grand Masters Long Boat - 1st Buck Johnson (US National Champion), 2nd John Tarbell, 3rd Matty Kinsella, 4th Kris Whitmore

Matty Kinsella has been surf kayaking (also competing) for almost 30 years. He admitted that his relic, Perception Sabre just doesn't hold its own anymore with all the new boat designs. Very nice fella to meet.

Masters Long Boat - 1st Charles Salters (US National Champion), 2nd Buck Johnson, 3rd John Tarbell

Womens Long Boat - 1st Lindsay Usher (US National Champion), 2nd Kris Whitmore

Wave Ski - 1st Steve Riordan, 2nd Gordon Rock, 3rd Mark Pastic, 4th Ted Morris - Thanks to Island Wave Ski for giving three $200 gift certificates for our winners.

Ted Morris is from Canada and he's serious about it.

Grand Masters Short Boat - 1st Tom May (US National Champion), 2nd Ted Morris, 3rd Russ Buskirk, 4th Kevin Hughes

Womens Short Boat - 1st Garazi Iturralde, 2nd Ainhoa Tolosa, 3rd (US National Champion) Kris Whitmore

Masters Short Boat - 1st (US National Champion) Matt Radis, 2nd Mark Woolward, 3rd Charles Salters, 4th Tom May

Mens Long Boat - 1st (US National Champion) Anthony Bell, 2nd Spencer Cooke, 3rd John Tarbell, 4th Charles Salters

Mens Short Boat - 1st Edu Exteberria, 2nd Urko Otxoa, 3rd Xabi Olano, 4th (US National Champion) Anthony Bell

Julen Arriz was the only Junior paddler in attendance at the event, though he competed in the Men's events and advanced to Semi-Finals. Expect some very competitive surfing from this 17-year-old in the near future! He's already very talented and he surfs with Edu and Urko regularly - a recipe for great surfing.

The Basque Team: An incredible bunch of athletes, nice folks and great sports.

Thanks to everyone for coming.  It turned out that our Nationals was an International event instead, with competitors from the East and West Coasts of the US, Canada, Spain and England.  Thanks to our excellent judges, event sponsors, volunteers, families and friends.   Please support us again and come see us next year when we host the World Championships at the Outer Banks.  We’ll leave you with a video that tells a bit more about the 2011 World Championships of Surf Kayaking.