Press Release:
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA (February 12, 2012) – Eleven teams from the National Scholastic Skateboarding League (NSSL) converged upon a non-descript warehouse space behind Quiksilver’s corporate office known as Door 33 on Friday night. The competition, at the invite only indoor skatepark was the first public event to take place at the coveted location.
Night 1 of Round 2 at Door 33 presented a new challenge for even the most experienced NSSL skateboarders as they familiarized themselves with the sprawling street and bowl courses. For many, Friday was the first time that they had set foot in the skatepark and the anticipation was palpable.
As the sun began to set, kids representing Irvine, Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, Costa Mesa and San Clemente began to formulate their lines in front of over 200 of their closest friends and family.
Huntington Beach’s Aaron Kim impressed all the way to the podium taking 1st in the Vert/Bowl followed closely by Edison’s Gage Boan placing 2nd. Costa Mesa’s Sarah Thompson secured 3rd by just one point over Northwood High School’s Zack Royal. Jordan Hollis also helped Northwood’s team join the others on the podium.
Head Coach, Tristan Stegmaier commented on the close scoring that “Jordan Hollis and Zack Royal had a strong showing in the bowl competition executing frontside and backside boneless lipsildes. A highlight of the evening was when Zack electrified the crowd by pulling off a backside air to disaster on the extension.”
On the street course, the middle schoolers didn’t disappoint with crowd favorites Michael Schmidt from Costa Mesa and Kouhei Kito from Dwyer taking 1st and 2nd respectably.
Team Dwyer and Sowers from Huntington Beach took home overall awards with a one-point margin bumping Dwyer into 3rd. Sowers team rider Liam Macias can be credited with racking in the points for his team in both street and bowl rounds.
However, the returning 2011 Costa Mesa Middle School team showed diversity on both courses and couldn’t be ousted out of 1st place ranking.
When asked to sum up the evening, Quiksilver Skateboard Program Manager Jamey Beeson said, “This was our inaugural event to kick off the season and the first time we’ve done something like this. Everyone had a blast and the kids walked away with some great memories. We can’t wait to do it all over again next Friday.”
The rest of the NSSL teams will compete at Door 33 on February 17th. High School teams skateboarding on Night 2 of Round 2 are: El Toro, East Lake, Newport Harbor, Canyon Crest, San Clemente and Corona del Mar. Bernice Ayer, Ensign, St. Edwards and Earl Warren middle schools will round out the evening.
Official Winners from Fridays contest are as follows:
High School Teams Combined
1. Huntington Beach
2. Northwood
3. Fountain Valley
High School Street
1. Chris Chavaria – Huntington Beach
2. Alex Barragan – Northwood
3. Chris Riechers – Fountain Valley
4. Aaron Kim – Huntington Beach
5. Johnny Richardson – Fountain Valley
6. Nhat Vo – Huntington Beach
7. Braedan Weekes – Northwood
8. Ivan Rios – Northwood
9. Sean Pinsonneault – Northwood
10. Devin Ells – Estancia
High School Bowl
1. Aaron Kim – Huntington Beach
2. Gage Boan – Edison
3. Sarah Thompson – Costa Mesa
4. Zack Royal – Northwood
5. Jordan Hollis – Northwood
6. Thomas Waale – Edison
7. Chris Reichers – Fountain Valley
8. Andrew Bowen – Fountain Valley
9. Ethan McTague – Costa Mesa
10. Juan Alvarado – Estancia
Middle School Teams Combined
1. Costa Mesa
2. Sowers
3. Dwyer
Middle School Street
1. Michael Schmidt – Costa Mesa
2. Kouhei Kito – Dwyer
3. Mason Ryan – Shorecliffs
4. Sam Swanson – Costa Mesa
5. Chase Sawyer – Sowers
6. Imanol Ramos – Masuda
7. Sam Phegley – Shorecliffs
8. Liam Macias – Sowers
9. Kevin Funasaki – Masuda
10. Matt Whetstone – Dwyer
Middle School Bowl
1. Colby Franz – Sowers
2. Michael Schmidt – Costa Mesa
3. Donavan Leibelt – Masuda
4. Gavin Alsop – Dwyer
5. Kouhei Kito – Dwyer
6. Liam Macias – Sowers
7. Chase Johnson – Masuda
8. Micah Davis – Shorecliffs
9. Paige LaBare – Costa Mesa
10. Sam Phegley – Shorecliffs
About The National Scholastic Skateboarding League
The National Scholastic Skateboarding League (NSSL) is a non-profit charitable organization founded in March 2010 as the Orange County Skateboarding League. In September 2011, the name was changed to the National Scholastic Skateboarding League and the addition of the San Diego Skateboarding League (SDSL) comprises its newest region.
The NSSL supports high school and middle school teams, along with student skateboard programs and facility improvements. The NSSL was designed as a way for students to participate in non-traditional school sports programs. It is an excellent way to showcase individual skateboarding talents in a team environment. For more information on NSSL, visit nsskateboardingleague.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
