Nelscott Reef Contest

Oregon coast locals inspired by competing against surfing legends
Published: December 20, 2005
By JOSH KULLA
The News Guard
One high-profile surf contest can go a long way toward garnering attention for surfers who have previously been anonymous to the rest of the world.
Such is the case both for longtime Lincoln City surfer Jason Garding and the now-famous Nelscott Reef. Garding, 32, began surfing the frigid waters of the Pacific Ocean in the mid-1980s, and such are the prevalent conditions along the coast - water temperatures in the mid-50s, stormy for much of the year, and the possibility of running into a white shark - that he says the number of dedicated surfers remaining at the coast has actually dwindled at the same time surfing has exploded in popularity around the world.
"There are a lot of fair-weather surfers in Oregon," Garding said last week. "Surfing has picked up in Oregon, but only at the beginner level. The number of hardcore locals has died off a bit."
And after the success of last week's first-ever tow-in surf contest at Nelscott Reef, one might expect that would change. But Garding and other locals don't necessarily think this will transpire.
"I don't think it will do anything with the crowds," Garding said. "As far as some locals thinking it's going to get crowded, well, go down and look at Canyons (a local surf spot near the Nelscott reef); there's no one out there."
Perhaps the fabled harshness of the Oregon coast will, in fact, deter the hordes from descending on Lincoln City and other Oregon locales. But for Garding and local surfers Keith Galbraith and Mark Builder, there is no going back following the success of the state's first professional surf contest. This is particularly the case with Garding, who would have finished eighth out of 30 surfers had each surfer been judged individually. Sponsored by Russo Surfboards and Valley Surf, Skate and Snow, of McMinnville, Garding stood out among a field of some of the world's best big-wave surfers, in part because of his local knowledge of the reef, but also because he is simply that good.
But you wouldn't know it from talking to him. Instead, like many other surfing professionals, he lets others gush forth with the accolades.
"Jason got eighth out of a field of 30 and that's frickin' unbelievable," said Roland Hoyle of Behemoth LLC, the driving force behind this year's event. "Some of the top guys in the world were there. Keith and Mark both did very well, also, they held their own for sure. They proved the locals, in fact, did belong in the contest. That was a big concern we had before, so we were really stoked that the locals did as well as they did."
For his part, Garding played up virtually all aspects of the contest during an interview last week - except his own performance. Far from boasting, he, instead, chose to focus on the importance of teamwork when it comes to tow surfing, as well as the camaraderie which was present in spades at Nelscott Reef.
"I pretty much got the butterflies out on Saturday," he said. "Don Curry (his partner for the contest) and I stayed out until sunset that day. I wiped out on the first wave and took a 15- to 20-footer on the head. But after that, we really started hooking up. Don's a really mellow guy, like me, so it really worked out well."
He added that instead of an ultra-competitive contest, the inaugural Nelscott Reef event seemed more like a friendly, free-surfing session.
"All these guys are so humble, all they really want to do is surf," he said of surfing legends such as Jeff Clark, Richard Schmidt, Peter Mel and others who have earned the lasting respect of their peers at such big-wave spots as Mavericks, near Half-Moon Bay in California, Ghost Trees, near Pebble Beach, and Todos Santos, found off the coast of Mexico.
"In the mid- to late-80s, I had only surfed for a few years, and Richard Schmidt was the guy," Garding added. "He was the best big-wave surfer from the U.S., and he was the one guy who could hold is own in Hawaii."
As for teamwork, it is paramount when surfers are towed into a wave. Not only is communication difficult given the noise and distance separating the driver and surfer, the timing has to be just right in order to catch the wave properly. Go too early and the wave will break behind - or directly on top of - the surfer. And if you get a late start, you will either miss the wave altogether or get swept "over the falls" and into a churning froth of whitewater.
What it comes down to, Garding said, is one simply has to quit thinking and let the body take over.
"When I first looked down at a solid 25-foot wall of water I didn't let go of the rope," he said. "And then I told myself ‘you're just going to have to shut your brain off.'"
Organizer Jim Kusz, who was responsible for making arrangements with North Lincoln Fire and Rescue and K38, a California company specializing in water rescue instruction, agreed the close-knit big-wave surfing community is far more responsible when it comes to safety procedures than the general surfing public. This, he noted, is partly due to the inherently dangerous nature of surfing waves with faces 30 feet or more in height. But it also comes from the uniquely intense nature of their sport, where one miscue can result in a surfer's death.
"It was really a group effort," Kusz said of the contest as a whole. "These guys aren't out beating each other. They watch out for each other. It's a real tight-knit community, and there are a lot of lessons to be learned from watching these guys compete."
Contest founder John Forse, who first "discovered" the wave at Nelscott Reef a decade ago, said the wave itself is at least partly responsible for the safety aspect, existing as it does in relatively deep water, where surfers who wipe out are in little danger of striking rocks or other potentially lethal obstructions.
"We had relatively smooth faces on the waves, and the reef is responsible for a lot of that," he said of the day of the contest.
Several days after the contest was over, the adrenaline rush of both the contest and the media coverage had yet to wear off for Garding.
"The whole thing was just incredible," he said. "The last few days have been kind of surreal. I think I just need to take the girls (daughters Marley and Madison) down to Otter Rock and get back into it."

Yamaha penalized

Release 05-27 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEDecember 16, 2005 CONTACT:Jerry MartinGennet PaauweDimitri Stanich(916) 322-2990Karen Caesar(626) 575-6728www.arb.ca.govAttorney General Files $20 Million Complaint Against YamahaSacramento - On behalf of the Air Resources Board (ARB), the CaliforniaAttorney General's Office has filed a $20 million complaint againstYamaha Motor Corporation, USA, and two of its dealers for allegedlycircumventing air pollution control laws and importing more than 400motorcycles not certified for sale in California."We have worked extremely hard to improve California's air quality andhave made great strides," said ARB Executive Officer CatherineWitherspoon. "We simply can't afford to let manufacturers and dealerssell vehicles that do not meet our emissions standards, which is whatYamaha appears to have done.We need to send a powerful message that this will not be tolerated inCalifornia."Several dealers involved in the case have already reached mutualsettlements with the Air Resources Board. The parties that could notreach a settlement were referred to the California Attorney General'soffice for civil prosecution. The civil complaint filed in Orange CountySuperior Court seeks penalties totaling $19,610,000.00 from Yamaha MotorCorporation, USA, San Jose Yamaha, and South Seas Cycle Exchange ofHonolulu, HI.It is a violation of California law to import new motor vehicles forsale, use or registration which are not certified to meet California'sstringent emissions standards, the toughest in the nation. According tothe ARB investigation, Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA, imported more than100 illegal non-California-certified motorcycles, registered them toYamaha Motor Corporation, USA in California, obtained California licenseplates, and then eventually sold some of them to California residents.In most cases, these were popular motorcycles that were in great demandand were hard to acquire in California.It was also discovered during the investigation that representativesfrom Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA were informing their dealers inCalifornia that if they needed these specific models they could obtainillegal, non-California-certified versions from other Yamaha dealersoutside of California. One dealer imported nearly 200 and sold all ofthem to California residents."We regret having to resort to litigation in this case, but it wasnecessary because our negotiations failed to reach a settlement. We arehoping that this case will have a deterrent effect on manufacturers anddealers who may intend to elude our strong emissions laws," addedWitherspoon.The Air Resources Board is a department of the California EnvironmentalProtection Agency. ARB's mission is to promote and protect publichealth, welfare, and ecological resources through effective reduction ofair pollutants while recognizing and considering effects on the economy.The ARB oversees all air pollution control efforts in California toattain and maintain health based air quality standards.

K38 Award given to Schmidt

Local surfer Jason Garding shines among big names
By Gail Kimberling Of the News-Times

Pablo Schulte and his surfing partner, Davey Smith, 980 miles straight from Santa Barbara, Calif. to participate in the inaugural Nelscott Reef Tow-In Contest held off Lincoln City Sunday. "It was well worth it," Schulte said, as he showed off his specially-made surf board. (Photo by Gail Kimberling) As the finalists surfed their last heat for the inaugural Nelscott Reef Tow-in Contest held Sunday, Pablo Schulte stood on the beach off Canyon Way Wayside in the waning afternoon sun and reflected on the day's events.

"Everyone was super nice, super polite," Schulte said of his brief stay in Lincoln City over the weekend. Schulte and his surfing partner, Davey Smith, had driven 980 miles straight on Friday and Saturday from Santa Barbara, Calif. to participate in the first contest of its kind in the Northwest. "It was well worth it," Schulte commented, even though the duo didn't make the finals.

"They all loved it," Stan Michelsen, a contest judge and local surfer, said of the 30 surfers who came from afar to ride the massive wave more than one-quarter of a mile off the Nelscott district of Lincoln City. Placing eighth (individually) among these world-class competitors was Lincoln City's own Jason Garding.

"It was pretty cool," Garding said about a contest of this caliber taking place in his own back yard. "Most of these guys are so cool; they're super friendly, they just love to surf like we do. It was neat." Garding, 33, was paired with Don Curry, a Carmel Beach surfer who appeared on the cover of Surfer Magazine this past spring. Though a little apprehensive at first - "I wasn't too comfortable with getting a new tow partner the day before a big event like this," Garding said - Curry's laid-back attitude soon put Garding at ease and the pair placed "pretty high up" in team scoring. Conditions for Sunday's contest were "near perfect" reported event sponsor actionsportsnw.com. "We had (a) 12-foot swell hold steady all day with sunny skies and light offshore winds," the website stated.

"The swell could have been bigger, but who's going to complain about 20- to 30-foot waves?" asked Garding, and Schulte added, "They were definitely 'A' caliber waves."

Participants were towed to the offshore reef area by wave runners or jet skis. All personal watercraft were equipped with rescue sleds, and every surfer wore safety vests and other required equipment. "I probably have $15,000 invested in all this," Schulte, who is also a partner in K38 Water Safety, said. His company specializes in the use of personal watercraft or jet skis for towsurfing and managing water safety for big wave surfing competitions. After a series of preliminary heats the hour long final was called "close," with less than a point separating the top three placers.

Overall winners of the contest were Zach and Jake Wormhoudt, of Santa Cruz, Calif.; second place went to Shane Desmond and Tyler Fox of Santa Cruz; in third were Peter Mel and Anthony Tashnick, also of Santa Cruz; and taking fourth were Jeff Clark and Mike Brummett of Half Moon Bay. Richard Schmidt was awarded the K38 most valuable player award for best driver of the contest.

The event - which came together at the last minute when conditions finally cooperated in a set "window" - turned out "way beyond my expectations," said Adam Wagner of actionsportsnw. "We had great weather, great showings. Everybody had a great time."

"The community (of Lincoln City) was excellent. There were tons of volunteers, and they were invaluable," Wagner added. "At the awards party (at Chinook Winds Golf Resort Sunday night), all those guys said they were definitely coming back next year," Garding said. "They liked how friendly everybody was, and they loved the wave - it's just a high performance wave. "A lot of big waves you're just surviving ... this (Nelscott reef) wave is just perfect. It has an open wall, it just begs you to turn. You can really show off your surfing in a wave like that," Garding explained. A surfer for most of his life, Garding recalls watching the wave off Nelscott as a teen. "I remember being 16 years old and watching that break outside the (Nelscott) canyon. We were fascinated by that big, giant peak. We didn't have a name for it back then, we didn't even know how far out it was." Then tow surfing evolved, and Garding began riding the Nelscott Reef wave about three years ago.

"As a kid we would just look at it and think, 'No way.' It's weird to finally be surfing it." Garding said he wasn't surprised at the hundreds of spectators at Sunday's contest, since word of the event quickly spread over the Internet. In spite of some grumbling by local surfers who want to "protect" their home turf, Garding isn't worried about the Nelscott Reef gaining this kind of notoriety.

He said, "All the surfers know about Oregon, but it's a tough place to be a surfer. There were actually more surfers (here) when I started 20 years ago. Now there are more valley surfers who are mostly fair weather surfers. Oregon (weather) itself keeps the crowd down." Sponsors and surfers are already looking forward to next year's Nelscott Reef Tow-in Contest, with a window set for sometime between Oct. 15 and Dec. 15. "There are so many variables that have to fall into place for it to work. For it to happen (like it did Sunday) was just incredible," Garding said. http://www.newportnewstimes.com/articles/2005/12/14/news/news02.txt

K38 Rescue

Own It!