Dos Pueblos Surfers Charge to State Championships

By Staff

Above: Vinnie Leonelli is flanked by teammates. Photo: Jon Shafer

Other Local High School Teams also Preparing for Battle

“After years of coming up short in scholastic surf events Dos Pueblos Surf Team is number one. There has been a noticeable shift in the sport of surfing, and our team is leading the charge here in beautiful Santa Barbara. Although there is a shortage of actual surf in Santa Barbara County, there is no shortage of talented, competitive, ocean warriors who have dedicated their time to making the good land of Goleta an easily recognizable area of promise in the future of the surfing world.

The recent competitive domination is almost all due to the fact that there has been a large differentiation in the infrastructure of our team. The DP Surf Team this year is mostly comprised of young fresh talent contrary to last year in which almost all team members were upperclassmen. Freshmen Short Boarders Vinnie Leonelli and Parker Waugh, Long Boarder Trae Candy and Arianna Wallis Girls Short & Long Board. Who would have guessed that this year’s line up of any team we have had so far, would have become League Champions?

DPHS would not have had a surf team this year if it hadn’t been for the conjoining of San Marcos, Bishop, and ourselves. The annexing of Bishop and SM has not only contributed to our victory but has created new friendships, spread the influence of surfing to new levels, and demonstrated the ability we all have to come together as one in a time of surf reform. I am proud of every person on our team, what we have accomplished, and what we will accomplish. We are looking forward to State Championships next weekend in Oceanside.”

- Captain Tavis Boise

Is this guy stoked, or what?

A Few Words From SBHS Coach JP Garcia

Of all the sports seasons that are offered to the high schools, Surfing has to be the longest one of all. The season starts in mid-September and finishes usually in late April early May. Most teams have to deal with early heats, cold mornings, poor to really poor conditions, and judging calls made that aren’t always in your favor. So why do we put ourselves through this? I think it is because some of us regard surfing as more than a place to escape, and to many, we like to represent our local tribe as being more than a group of one dimensional athletes. By one dimensional, I mean that there are other interests that stem either from surfing or outside of surfing all together. I know that within my surf school (Santa Barbara Seals), I have worked with athletes from all sorts of backgrounds and more often than not, there usually exists some kind of overlap of my students at surf contests. This year the SB Seals have had a very successful year coaching athletes like Emy Yates, Isabelle Radis, Evan Trauntvein, Kelli Litchfield, Tate Larrick, Vinny Leonelli, Matt Maheri, Trae Candy, Sean Moffett, Danielle Carter, Francis Grafton and Matt Becker. One noteworthy fact about all these athletes are their achievements not only in surfing, but also outside of the water. This year both Emy and Francis won a prestigious award for their artistic talents through the MAD Academy. Matt Becker qualified for the World SUP surf contest series this year, came in second at the Cold Current downwinder in Santa Barbara this year, and won the shoot out event in Santa Cruz. Isabelle Radis is a track star as well as a blossoming photographer, Danielle an undiscovered artist , Trae Candy a BMX enthusiast, and Vinny Leonelli has a vast understanding of Macaronni and cheese and CostCo Pizza. All kidding aside, the surfers being mentored today are the first step in changing the historic perception of surfers. This new generation of surfers has aspirations that stretch beyond just surfing and it is that balance that as adults we strive to have and hope that our children will embrace.

Typically, most of the schools that are dominating the High school circuit are from Orange County or San Diego County. This is for a few reasons. One, the schools in those areas support surfing as a sport and give letters to their athletes as would be given for football. At present, San Marcos is the only high school to my knowledge that offers a letter to their athletes for surfing. The second reasons that there is more consistent surf down there which allows for more practice in all types of conditions. It would be great if Santa Barbara could catch up to the programs being offered to the schools down south so that our kids can continue to enjoy the fact that we area coastal community. However, despite the continued success of the other schools at the States championships, Santa Barbrara County has continued to put forth some amazing athletes to turn heads and remind the world of surfing that though we are a small town, we have the ability to make big waves. We do have soul and a lot of talent in our area. This year is no exception and both SBHS and DP are bringing some talent to Oceanside this weekend where the States Championships are being held.There will be 11 schools competing at the event this weekend. A follow up story will be coming soon. This year, the DP shortboard team, SBHS womens longboard and Body board team have are strong contenders.

Editor’s Note: A great deal of credit must be awarded to our local coaches (DP’s Dave Johnson and SB’s JP Garcia), for without their knowledge, wisdom, guidance, and support, this would not be possible…

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DAVE JOHNSON COURTESY PHOTOS