Quiet Storm 2008 Delaware State Surfing Championships Press Release and Images June 14,2008
Tower Road, Dewey Beach, DE
Captions and photo credits are below each high resolution image.
All Photos Gunner Hughes
delmarva@surfesa.org
Emily_Ruppert Emily_Ruppert2 Matt_Meinhardt
Emily_Ruppert.jpg Emily_Ruppert2.jpg Matt_Meinhardt.jpg
Quiet_StormBanner Raffle_Winnerjpg Traves_Knight
Quiet_StormBanner.jpg Raffle_Winnerjpg.jpg Traves_Knight.jpg

NEW DIRECTORS PRODUCE A WINNER FOR 2008 ESA KICKOFF

PRESS RELEASE

The Quiet Storm Delaware State Surfing Championships was the first Delmarva District Eastern Surfing Association contest of the 2008/2009 competition season and it was a first in more ways than one. Scheduled for June 14th, a time period when waves are notoriously temperamental, deciding on whether or not to hold the event was a challenge for the new director, Chris Vaxmonsky, and his co-director Chris Makibbin, for whom this would be their first contest as directors. Both guys are seasoned, accomplished surfers in their own right, but having to make a decision on whether or not the small, virtually non existent waves at high tide would get any better as the day wore on and the tide dropped out put their local wave knowledge to the test with a lot of surfers counting on them to make the right decision..

Turns out, Vaxmonsky coolly held off until 7am, watching the high tide surge gradually start to become better formed and then wisely made the call to run it. By the time the contestants and their families started the long trudge through the sand to the contest site from the Tower Road parking lot, the 2008 Quiet Storm Delaware Championships had some fun looking, waist high peelers breaking cleanly in the light offshore breeze. The waves were definitely contestable and stayed decent all day long.

A couple of months before Vaxmonsky and Makibbin had been tapped to replace out going director Art Baltrotsky, who had successfully commandeered the district for the last five years, bringing it to its current status as one of the largest districts of the ESA in the country. According to Chris Makibbin, they saw it as an opportunity to start giving back to the organization that had played such an integral part in their lives. "Now it's our turn to give something back", Makibbin said with a smile. They both have some big responsibilities coming up this season as they try to juggle families, jobs and now one of the most important volunteer positions in amateur surfing in this region.

Dale and Kelly Loeser, owners of Quiet Storm Surf Shops in Rehoboth, Lewes and Ocean City sponsor the Delaware Championships as they have for the last few years. It's always one of the favorite events for local and traveling surfers, especially due to the generous prize packages and gift certificates for Open division winners and this year did not dissapoint with over 125 competitors traveling from Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and Florida. Also, every year they raffle off a new surfboard to one lucky competitor, and this year young Richie Donofrio of Dagsboro, Delaware won it for the second year in a row.

The Junior Men's shortboard event usually takes center stage at the ESA contests, primarily due to the competitors being on the threshold of the future and reaching a certain level of accomplishment at that age. Matt Meinhardt found the small waves to his liking as he seamlessly put together one radical maneuver after another taking first place. The other hotly contested event is the Open Men, which is open to all age groups. Travis Knight found a couple of good lefts and one nice backhand right to put away all the other contestants in the late afternoon.

The next Delmarva ESA event is Chauncey's Surfabout on June 28th at 30th Street in Ocean City, MD. Call the toll-free contest info-line at 1-888-632-4742 for the latest contest update and location. Check out the Eastern Surfing Association Delmarva District's web-site at www.DelmarvaESA.org for more information and to view a schedule of upcoming events.

Results for The Quiet Storm 2008 Delaware State Surfing Championships are:

Open Shortboard (all ages)
1. Travis Knight of Ocean City, MD- 2008 Delaware State Surfing Champion
2. Matt Meinhardt of Ocean City, MD
3. Roy Harrell of Ocean View, DE
4. Dillon Harrington of Ocean City, MD
5. Jamie Crosby of Berin, MD
6. Chris Makibbin of Ocean City, MD

Open Longboard (all ages)
1. Chris Makibbin of Ocean City, MD - 2008 Delaware State Longboard Champion
2. Matt Meinhardt of Ocean City, MD
3. Jake Buchler of Fenwick Island, DE
4. Joe Gillan of Virginia Beach, VA
5. Ted Smith of Ocean City, MD
6. Noah Vaxmonsky Ocean Pines, MD

Open Women's (all ages)
1. Emily Ruppert of Indialantic, FL - 2008 Delaware State Women's Surfing Champion
2. Kelsey Willison of Berlin, MD
3. Rachel Harrell of Ocean View, DE
4. Danielle Ariano of Lewes, DE
5. Jenna Landon of Newark, MD
6. Kelly Powell of Ocean City, MD
7. Laurel Harrington of Berlin, MD

Open Bodyboard (all ages)
1. Matt Landon of Newark, MD- 2008 Delaware State Bodyboard Champion
2. Jacob Lahr of Berlin, MD
3. Caleb Buchler of Fenwick Island, DE
4. Josh Mitchell of Berlin, MD
5. Craig Chatterton of Dagsboro, DE
6. Zeus Rodriguez of Berlin, MD
7. Jake Buchler of Fenwick Island, DE

Menehune Shortboard (boys/girls 11 & under)
1. Patrick Ruppert of Indiatlantic, FL
2. Evan Conboy of Bishopville, MD
3. Tyler Clazey of Chestertown, MD

Girls Shortboard (14 & under)
1. Emily Ruppert of Indiatlantic, FL

Boys Shortboard (12-14)
1. Seth Conboy of Bishopville, MD
2. Brad Flora of Ocean City, MD
3. John Moore of Berlin , MD
4. Avery Seig of Ocean Pines
5. Dallas Harrington of Ocean City, MD
6. Richie Donofrio of Frankford, DE

Jr. Men Shortboard (15-17)
1. Matt Meinhardt of Ocean City, MD
2. Jamie Crosby of Berlin, MD
3. Andrew Stewart of Ocean City, MD
4. Dillon Harrington of Ocean City, MD
5. Caleb Buchler of Fenwick Island, DE
6. Jake Buchler of Fenwick Island, DE

Men Shortboard (18-24)
1. Travis Knight of Ocean City, MD
2. Roy Harrell of Ocean View, DE
3. Aviad Sasi of Ocean City, MD
4. George Vitak of Berlin, MD
5. Dane Wooleyhan of Millsboro, DE
6. Scott Tetzner of Lewes, DE
7. Andrew Mercer of Bishopville, MD

Women Shortboard (18-29)
1. Laurel Harrington of Berlin, MD
2. Kelsey Willison of Berlin, MD
3. Sloane Doud of Rehoboth Beach, DE
4. Chelsea Remines of Berlin, MD

Masters Shortboard (25-34)
1. Ted Smith of Ocean City, MD
2. Chris Makibbin of Ocean City, MD
3. Gatey Dawkins of Chincoteague, VA
4. Jack Thomas of Chincoteague, VA

Ladies Shortboard (30+)
1. Danielle Ariano of Lewes, DE
2. Bonnie Preziosi of Berlin, MD

Sr. Men Shortboard (35-44)
1. Joe Gillan of Virginia Beach, VA
2. Chris Vaxmonsky Ocean Pines, MD
3. Craig Garfield of Ocean City, MD
4. Dave Clazey of Chestertown, MD

Legends Shortboard (55-64)
1. Bill Helmuth of Ocean Pines, MD
2. Brett Buchler of Fenwick Island, DE

Menehune Bodyboard (boys/girls 14 & under)
1. Carter Michael of Ocean View, DE
2. Michael Murray of Ocean City, MD
3. Joey Gillan of Virginia Beach, VA
4. Ben Vaxmonsky of Ocean Pines, MD

Menehune Longboard (boys/girls 14 & under)
1. Brad Flora of Ocean City, MD
2. Tyler Clazey of Chestertown, MD
3. Noah Vaxmonsky of Ocean Pines, MD
4. Joey Gillan of Virginia Beach, VA
5. Carter Pruitt of Frankford, DE
6. Ben Vaxmonsky of Ocean Pines, MD

Jr. Longboard (15-17)
1. Jake Buchler of Fenwick Island, DE
2. Matt Meinhardt of Ocean City, MD
3. Colton Clazey of Chestertown, MD

Men's Longboard (18-34)
1. Chris Makibbin of Ocean City, MD
2. Aviad Sasi of Ocean City, MD
3. Ted Smith of Ocean City, MD

Women's Longboard (29 & under)
1. Chelsea Remines of Berlin, MD
2. Kelsey Willison of Berlin, MD

Ladies Longboard (30+)
1. Bonnie Preziosi of Berlin, MD

Masters Longboard (35-49)
1. Chris Vaxmonsky of Ocean Pines, MD
2. Joe Gillan of Virginia Beach, VA
3. Craig Garfield of Ocean City, MD
4. Dave Clazey of Chestertown, MD

Legends Longboard (50+)
1. Bill Helmuth of Ocean Pines, MD
2. Bill Thompson of Ocean City, MD
3. Brett Buchler of Fenwick Island, DE


For more information about the DMV Eastern Surfing Association contact:
Chris Vaxmonsky
Delmarva District ESA Director
http://www.DelmarvaESA.org
P.O. Box 207, Ocean City, MD 21843
delmarva@surfesa.org

The Eastern Surfing Association (ESA), founded in 1967, a non-profit, IRS tax-exempt corporation, is the largest surfing organization in the world with more than 11,000 members. It is dedicated to the sport of surfing, to the operation of a program of competition for surfers of all ages and abilities, and to the establishment and preservation of public access to a clean shoreline and ocean environment. The association's activities are organized in a total of twenty-seven districts, which extend along nearly 2,000 miles of coastline, stretching from Maine through the Gulf Coast of Florida and Alabama and also including the Great Lakes and Puerto Rico. The Delmarva District currently has more than 650 active members and is operated by a non-paid, all volunteer staff. Visit the Delmarva ESA on-line at www.DelmarvaESA.org.