Hawai‘i’s Desiree DeSoto of Makaha, O‘ahu may have taken top honors in the Women’s Open Division at the final Converse California Classic over the weekend, but Hanalei’s own Janna Irons came in second place, followed by Californians Schuyler McFerrin and
Hawai‘i’s Desiree DeSoto of Makaha, O‘ahu may have taken top honors in the Women’s Open Division at the final Converse California Classic over the weekend, but Hanalei’s own Janna Irons came in second place, followed by Californians Schuyler McFerrin and Kim Hamrock.
Josh Baxter, San Clemente, took the $4,000 first prize in the Men’s Open division with Christian Wach, 13, also of San Clemente, taking second, and Wach winning the hearts of spectators and judges with a skillful display of noseriding and solid turns on his nine-foot-plus board.
Oliver Parker of Santa Barbara took the specialty noseriding segment with Schuyler McFerrin placing first in the women’s competition.
The Converse California Classic is the richest longboarding event on the U.S. mainland, and the Westfield United States Professional Longboard Surfing Championships is the only professional surfing series in the world to stage men’s and women’s divisions at the same time and with a contest format that offers equal prize money for both sexes.
