The 2010 Surfing America USA Championships came to a dramatic close today in firing surf at Lower Trestles in San Clemente, CA.
From the youngest groms to seasoned juniors performance levels were at an all time high. The future of surfing is secure in the hands of promising young surfers like Jake Marshall, Boys U12 Champ, Ian Gentil, Boys U14 Champ, Mahina Maeda, Girls U12 Champ, Tatiana Weston-Webb, Girls U14 and U146 Champ, who all put on stellar performances today.

Champions were crowned today in a total of nine shortboard divisions. The Boys U16 and U18 as well as the Girls U18 heats had been particularly competitive all week long with former and reigning Champions looking to reclaim the glory among fresh talent striving to stake a claim of their own.

Attempting to defend both, his 2009 Boys U16 and U18 USA Championship Titles, was Kolohe Andino. He dominated all week long taking first in all, but one of his heats. However, today after surfing two back-to-back heats in both, the semis and the finals, he walks away Champion of the Surfing America USA Boys U16 Division.

After advancing through his Boys U18 Semi-Final heat with an interference deduction, Evan Geiselman trailed Andino by fractions of a point throughout the first half of their Boys U18 Final. Geiselman ultimately upset Andino’s quest for repeat double championship titles and captured the 2010 Boys U18 Championship Title with a remarkable display of power surfing and technique. “Good job to Evan,” says Kolohe about the result. “I was stoked to be a part of it.”

“I was sweating [the semi-final], but I pulled it off and I’m stoked,” said Evan Geiselman. “I always love surfing Lowers with only three guys out.”

Similarly, defending Girls U18 Champion, Kaleigh Gilchrist, peaked at the right moment to take the Girls U18 Surfing America USA Championship Title for the second year in a row after spending the better part of the week under the radar; taking it one heat at a time. “I was just getting mediocre scores to get by,” admits Kaleigh. “Luckily, everything turned on for the finals.”

Turn on they did. Kaleigh, dominated her Girls U18 heat dropping two strong scores right off the bat and leaving standouts Courtney Conlogue, Lakey Peterson and Nage Melamed attempting to chase her down.

“I’m speechless I’m so stoked right now!” smiles Kaleigh. “Defending [my Surfing America USA Championship] Title was a huge goal of mine. This is the best month ever: graduation, this and then Indo next month!”

Victory today not only earned surfers a USA Championship Title, but the top two surfers in the Boys U16 and U18 and Girls U18 divisions surfed their way onto the 2011 PacSun Surf Team. The additional three slots are filled by the Surfing America’s Selection Committee. These selections will be announced later this evening at The Dick Baker Memorial Awards Banquet to be held at the Casino in San Clemente.

Additionally, the winners of the Boys and Girls U18 divisions were awarded the 10th Annual California State Parks Governor’s Cup Award which ran concurrently with the 2010 Surfing America USA Championships.

Providing the perfect close to a week of progressive surfing was the Challenged Athletes Division. The passion and dedication of each of the participating athletes: John Davis, Patrick Ivison, Dana Cummings, Mark Thorton, Ryan Levinson and Barney Miller, was inspiring.

Log onto surfingamericalive.com for complete results, daily highlight videos, photos and more.

Webcast and event sponsors such as Verizon, Billabong, Hurley, O’Neill, Vans, New Era, Gidget, Got Milk and Kicker as well as media partners SURFER, SURFING, Fuel TV, Transworld SURF, ESM and official event forecaster, Surfline.com, are instrumental to the execution and dissemination of this event. Their support is greatly appreciated.

RESULTS:

Boys U12: Semi-Finals
Heat 1: Jake Marshall 16.17, Log Ng 12.50, Micky Clarke 9.47, Kei Kobayashi 9.00
Heat 2: Griffin Colapinto 15.10, Kaulana Apo 14.00, John Mel 10.77, Finn McGill 7.53

Boys U14: Semi-Finals
Heat 1: Ian Gentil 16.50, Joshua Moniz 13.17, Skip McCullough 10.50, Kanoa Igarashi 9.63
Heat 2: Kalani David 10.97, Imaikalani Devault 10.50, Jacob Davis 9.83, Colin Deveze 7.07

Boys U16: Semi-Final
Heat 1: Parker Coffin 15.60, Ian Gentil 12.50, Keala Naihe 11.34
Heat 2: Kolohe Andino 18.00, Colin Moran 11.73, Trevor Thornton 10.83

Boys U18: Semi-Finals
Heat 1: Kolohe Andino 16.16, Tanner Hendrickson 13.84, Conner Coffin 12.17
Heat 2: Ezekiel Lau 11.50, Evan Geiselman 10.17, Andrew Doheny 4.03

Boys U12: Finals
Jake Marshall 16.16, Kaulana Apo 13.33, 13.10 Griffin Colapinto, Log Ng 8.94,

Boys U14: Finals
Ian Gentil 16.37, Imaikalani Devault 12.83, Kalani David 11.40, Joshua Moniz 10.44

Boys U16: Finals
Kolohe Andino 14.90, Parker Coffin 13.26, Colin Moran 11.16, Ian Gentil 9.07

Boys U18: Finals
Evan Geiselman 15.37, Kolohe Andino 15.14, Ezekiel Lau 13.77, Tanner Hendrickson 13.23

Girls U14: Semi-Finals
Heat 1: Kulia Doherty 16.27, Tatiana Weston-Webb 14.44, Jenna Forti 6.24
Heat 2: Bailey Nagy 11.73, Frankie Harrer 9.77, Kylie Loveland 5.37

Girls U16: Semi-Finals
Heat 1: Quincy Davis 15.40, Harley Taich 10.46, Nikki Viesins 10.36
Heat 2: Tatiana Weston-Webb 13.84, Brianna Cope 13.83, Bailey Nagy 5.66

Girls U12: Finals
Mahina Maeda 17.43, Dax McGill 13.70, Katie Gordon 10.76, Mainei Kinimaka 6.53

Girls U14: Finals
Tatiana Weston-Webb 15.34, Bailey Nagy 13.24, Kulia Doherty 10.23, Frankie Harrer 6.10

Girls U16: Finals
Tatiana Weston-Webb 13.83, Brianna Cope 13.63, Quincy Davis 13.44, Harley Taich 8.93

Girls U18: Finals
Kaleigh Gilchrist 15.67, Courtney Conlogue 14.23, Nage Melamed 13.00, Lakey Peterson 11.03

SOURCE: Surfing America