By Brian J. Brady
It was a gorgeous March day, in Ocean Beach, for the Scholastic Surf Series this past Sunday at the locally-well know surf spot – Avalanche. About 60 middle school-aged, boys and girls, competed in in the long board, short board, and body board categories.
Oceanside, Waldorf in San Diego, Calavera Hills in Carlsbad, Muirlands in La Jolla, St. James and Santa Fe Christian in Solana Beach, Pacific Beach, and Imperial Beach were represented.
Waves were shoulder to head high most of the day and most of the middle school surfers took their qualifying waves in the white water while some of the more aggressive surfers paddled out to the break.
The morning, qualifying heats saw the tide running out but the afternoon semis and finals enjoyed a kick after the tide turned around 1PM.
True to form, locals stopped by and watched the Series and welcomed the visitors to OB. Visitors raved about the breakfast burritos from WOW café and sandwiches and carne asada burritos from Nico’s and the Village Kitchen.
Volleyball players enjoyed hours of games behind the spectators at the competition. The sunny day encouraged a few spectators to catch cat naps on the beach, between heats, and the soft ocean breeze tempered the unseasonably warm weather.
At the end of the day, there were a lot of smiling faces as the victors were handed their awards. Every competitor though went home smiling with great memories of the beach and break at Avalanche.
The Scholastic Surf Series is a division of the Western Surfing Association dedicated to bringing team surf competitions to High Schools and Middle Schools.
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