The 2010 Quiksilver Newport Beach Surf
Championships, wrapped into one photoThe 22nd Annual Quiksilver Newport Beach Surf Championships took place this past weekend and channeled the 80's from head-to-toe and rail-to-rail. Newport magically transformed into Echo Beach, the birthplace of the Southern California surf movement in the early 80's. Florescent colors, crazy neon prints and twin-fins were the norm during the weekend's festivities. Highlights of the weekend, such as the Zinka war paint contests and "The Echo Beach Girls" took the crowd back to a different time, while contestants showed off a mix of 80's and modern surf style.

Saturday's kick off continued the retro celebration into the evening at the official Echo Beach after-party. The infamous Blue Beet bar played host and served up food and drinks while the crowd reminisced over historical Mike Moir photos dating back to the original Echo Beach era. Upstairs, Quiksilver's famous retro polka dot boardshort print created photo fun. Meanwhile, outrageous 80's clad cover band, CoverMeBadd, got the crowd covered in neon on the dance floor.
80's cover band CoverMeBadd rocked the Blue Beet"It was great to return to Newport Beach as a sponsor of this year's Championships, especially the 'Echo Beach Challenge,'" says Bob McKnight, Quiksilver CEO. "We held this event nearly 30 years ago and it was really neat to bring back the original format; pairing up pros with young amateurs in a team. We are glad to have Quiksilver's stake back in the sand in Newport and we are looking forward to making this an annual event."

This year's contest focused on the community's commitment to local surfing, hosting a wide range of competitors from 8-year-old groms to 45-year-old boarding veterans, and 138 amateurs participating in seven different divisions.

Photo: Sardelis
Quik Team Manager Chad Wells can talk the talk, and
surf the surf"We're really happy to have signed on as title sponsor for the Newport Beach Championships," said Chad Wells, Quiksilver Surf Team Manager / event announcer. "Quiksilver has such a deep history in the area and bringing back the Echo Beach Challenge made sense because it was such an iconic event in Orange County and for the sport of surfing."

With classically mild conditions and a slight swell increase throughout the weekend, highlights included local stalwart Erik Heirmsteadt taking the prestigious Men's Division, Shelby Detmers winning the Women's Division, and perhaps most notable of all, young ripper Tyler Gunter claiming both the Elementary School and Middle School divisions.

This modern contest was inspired by the past - Echo
Beach OGs
The invite-only Echo Beach Challenge consisted of 8 teams, each pairing a professional surfer with a grom. Quiksilver's two teams saw Skeeter Zimmerman with Tyler Newton and Craig Anderson with Billy Hopkins. Team RVCA had the father / son combo of Matt and Ford Archbold, while Analog brought in Nick Fowler and Josh Hoyer. Representing Reef was Dylan Goodale and Nick Rozsa, with Jack's Surf Shop choosing Dave Post and Taylor Thorne to represent their cause. At the end of the weekend, it came down to Chase Wilson and Nick Skawinski of team Surfside, and Team Rip Curl's Quinn McCrystal and Colin Moran. McCrystal and Moran ultimately claimed the Echo Beach Challenge, winning $3,000 dollars and a retro Wave Tools surfboard. About his new board, Colin Moran said, "It was weird to go from my normal board to basically learning how to ride a twin-fin while in the water. It's super different than anything I've ever ridden. I'm stoked to have it now and I'll be riding it often."

The Echo Challenge finalists, flanked by Echo Beach
girls
Commenting on the contest's heritage, Echo Beach film director Jeff Parker said, "The original contest was really inspirational because of the format. The top surfers in the world would come to Newport for this contest and Quiksilver sponsored them. It gave the up-and-comers a great opportunity to surf with the pros and learn from them. We've brought that back and we added a new twist with the retro Wave Tools."

After a weekend full of brightly colored outfits, friendly competition, and lots of reminiscing, the final results for the Quiksilver Newport Beach Surf Championships are as follows:

Open Men:
1. Erik Heirmsteadt
2. Chase Wilson
3. Joey Head
4. Bobby Okvist

Open Women:
1. Shelby Detmers
2. Lee Rodelo
3. Mia Collins
4. Meisha Maghanoy

Echo Beach Challenge:
1. Rip Curl (Quinn McCrystal and Colin Moran)
2. Surf Side Sports (Chase Wilson and Nick Skawinski)

Legends:
1. Chad Wells
2. Darren Limbach
3. Scott Banuelos
4. Skip Snead

Masters:
1. Parker McNaughton
2. Larry Christiansen
3. Grant Collins
4. Chad Chamberlain

High School:
1. Bobby Okvist
2. Colin Moran
3. Porta Hogan
4. Ryan Croteau

Middle School:
1. Tyler Gunter
2. Dexter Preston
3. Chase Davis
4. Alex Schwartenbach

Elementary School:
1. Tyler Cunter
2. Meah Collins
3. Michael Bonds
4. Spencer Fanticola