The Bodyglove USBA Tour

Event: The SCION NYBB Pro presented by Atlantic Bodyboards
Dates: September 1-9, 2009

Sponsors: Bodyglove, Atlantic Bodyboards, Ocean Current Clothing,

The SCION NYBB Pro delivered once again for the 5th year straight with 2-4 foot surf and great competition from around the country, around the world. The weather made for a trying day for Day 1 of the event, with 50 mile offshore winds and rain squalls. The local crew was out to defend their territory and did a great job with guys like Bob Baldwin, Matt Clark, John Heyman, David Kessler, Brian Vitalo owning their home surf break.  Local talent eamed with USBA tour top 10  talents like Jacob Romero (Maui), Brian Stoehr(MD), Shea Sevilla (Maui) ,Pedro Rosario (Puerto Rico)  and Puerto Rican crew made for a high level of competition at this years event.

The early rounds were held at Lido Beach and as the tide filled in the semi & finals moved to the famed surf spot  Point Lookout.  The semifinal  standouts where by far Jacob Romero who back flipped his way to the final . Following Jacob’s lead was Dave Kessler putting together a combination of clean spins and rolls to prevail to the final.  Semi two saw some great surfing from Brian Stoehr who was maneuvering his way right through the heat and local man Mike Andosca. Shea Sevilla also surfed great in semi two and just missed the final. great performance and a stand out in the contest.

The final was set with the NY boys representing in their own back yard with two locals in the final, Brian Vitalo and Dave Kessler. The two surfed the wave to the best of the ability but fell just short of top USBA tour riders Brian Stoehr and Jacob Romero.  Stoehr put together a combination of Air Roll Spins and back flips to pull off a second place finish at the NYBB Pro, but it was Romero who had the final locked down with flip to roll combos, surfing solid from start to finish.

Following the Open Pro final was the Dropknee final as the tide was going out. Brian Stoehr  the current US Dropknee pro tour champion was able to take the win gaining high scores with snap turns to back up up his recent with at the Scion Jenks Pro.  Miguel Aguilar gave him a good run for the prize money in the final. Noah Brooks and  local Jason Kubelle holding it down for the local NYBB crew took the 3rd and 4th place spots.

The Amateur event was held on Sunday morning at Lido Beach in fading but clean waist-stomach offshore conditions. Heat #1 of the semi-final round featured local NY’ers Brian Vitalo and Dave Fava, along with Australian transplant Ian Harbison. Semi-final #1was a real nail-biter and came down to the wire with mere fractions of a point making the difference, with Vitalo taking the heat, Fava clinching second, and Harbison  3rd place. Semi-final #2 included Mike Andosca, Mo Cunha, and Jesse Destefano all going for it and putting on a good show with clean maneuvers and good style. In the end, Mike Andosca took 1st place and Jesse Destefano just edged out Moacir Cunha to secure second and advance to the final.

The stage was set for an all out battle for the AM title heading into the final and local bragging rights to the SCION NYBB Amateur. Dave Fava struck first with a strong el rollo to set the pace, but Brian Vitalo quickly answered with a solid scoring wave of his own. Jesee Destefano was ripping as well, showing good style and powerful maneuvers. Andosca got a bit of a late jump onto the score board but answered back with clean spins and strong rolls. The final came down to the wire, with Fava and Vitalo pulling away from the pack and going wave for wave gunning for victory. The best waves seemed to be finding Dave Fava and in the end they earned him the first place spot in The SCION NYBB Amateur division. Brian Vitalo continued to impress with strong surfing and powerful, stylish maneuvers, taking second by a narrow margin, Destefano riding very well along with Andosca finished 3rd and 4th respectively.

The 5th Annual SCION NYBB Pro concluded with the under 12 AM final, the final featured locals Teddy Reinhard and James Snell. Both competitors exhibited great skill and determination, and based on their performance, show great promise for the future of New York Bodyboarding. Both traded barrels and clean waves but in the end it was Teddy Reinhard who took the victory and James Snell finishing a close second.

Congratulations and thank you to all competitors, staff, sponsors, and fans who helped make the 5th Annual SCION NYBB Pro a great success. We look forward to seeing everyone again next year!

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USBA/NYBB Pro STAFF