OCEAN CITY — Professional surfing returned to Ocean City with some of the top longboard riders on the east coast competing in the Ocean City Surf Club’s 14th Annual Longboard Team Challenge, a weekend-long festival of contests and parties at different venues around the resort.
The annual event opened with an Ocean City Legends party at the Barn 34 last Friday evening during which the local surf community honored selected local surfers with a Legends induction. On Saturday, the festivities continued with the Longboard Team event on the beach at the Castle in the Sand on 37th Street. The contest featured five-man teams from surf shops and local businesses with local surfers young and old competing in the fun event. For the record, the Log Jammers took first in the Longboard Team event, while Team Malibu’s finished second.
On Sunday, the weekend’s festivities took on a much more serious tone with professional surfers from up and down the east coast competing in the “Walk Da Plank” professional longboard invitational. With decent waves, the professionals put on a longboard show with cash and prizes at stake.
Mike Melchiorre took first in the professional longboard contest and was awarded $1,500 in prize money. Tony Silvagni was second and earned $1,000 in prize money. Justin Quintal was third and took home $750, while Ocean City’s own Wyatt Harrison took fourth among the professionals and was awarded $500. Rounding out the top eight were Kevin Dewalt, Tom Cannon, Roland Gerachis and Grey Copenhaver.
The weekend’s festivities were sponsored by Peligroso Tequila, the Bank of Ocean City, the Castle in the Sand and Coconuts, Atlantic Shoals Surf Shop and 1st Home Mortgage.