OCEAN CITY- The Eastern Surfing Association’s Delmarva District earlier this month held its first amateur surfing contest of the ESA 2016 Summer Series at 46th Street in near perfect conditions.
Roughly 20 athletes competed in 19 surfing division in the first ESA Eastern Surfing Championship qualifying event of the 2016 season. Surfers will compete in a summer-long series for points to advance to the regional qualifier for the 2017 east coast championships in Nags Head.
“After weeks of rain, wind and poor surf, we were so lucky to start the season off with waist-high surf and a great beach day,” said ESA Co-Director Mark Donohue. “We even had some nice, chest-high sets come through during the incoming tide, just in time for the Masters and open short-board divisions.”
Aidan Kypreos finished first in the boys under-14 division, while Ben Skelley was first in the boys’ under-16 division, Ben McCabe was second and Kypreos was third. Skelley finished first in the junior men’s division. In the Masters division, Drew Rathbgeber was first, Brian Winkbauer was second and Chris Kennedy was third. Dwayne Dunlap took first in the senior men’s division.
In the open short-board division, Rathgeber was first, Donohue was second, McCabe was third, Skelley was fourth, Wess was fifth and Dunlap was sixth. Julia Wess finished first in the junior women’s longboard division, while Aria Dileberto and Victoria Mickens finished first and second in the women’s longboard division.