Deep Thoughts, Swell’s new interview series, takes a look from the shallow-end at Billabong and Swell’s team rider, Ryah Arthur.
Come back next Monday for more Deep Thoughts from the shallow end.
Judging by is immense amount of career wins, intense training schedule, heavy involvement as a city lifeguard-not to mention his dedication to San Clemente High’s varsity surfing, swimming and water polo teams-you’d think there were actually two Scott Brandenburgs.
As it turns out there is, sort of. Scott has a twin named Steve, and while we’re not exactly sure of his lookalike’s super powers, we’re pretty sure he’s equally competitive. That sort of thing seems to be the norm with twins.
But whether it’s intense sibling rivalry, personal ambition or some other driving force, Scotty has it in spades. His career highlights are nothing short of amazing, with titles such as the 2009 NSSA Open Longboard Points Champ, 2009 NSSA West Coast Champ, 2009 South Coast League Longboard Champ, 2008 WSA Longboard Champ, and 2008 NSSA Explorer Longboard Points Champ. (Actually that’s less than half the wins Scotty mentioned, but we stopped typing when we began to feel bad about ourselves.)
With so much gold on his shelves you’d think he’d have stars in his eyes for life on the pro circuit. But once again his aspirations go beyond the norm. Way beyond. Should Scotty’s career path pan out as well as the rest of his goals he’ll soon be serving in the U.S. Coast Guard as a rescue swimmer. Talk about your everyday heroes.
Hit the jump for more insider information on one of SCHS greatest athletes of all time.
Who’s the best surfer in Orange County? You decided. The annual Orange County Surfer of the Year Awards have got everyone’s trigger finger hot and bothered with an online poll that has fans voting for the best pro male and female, as well as the best male and female up-and-comer. If you’re an avid fan of this blog it should come to no surprise that we’re pulling for Greg Long as best shortboarder and SCHS standout Marissa Shaw for brightest emerging star.
The Register salutes the best each year with the annual Orange County Surfer of the Year Awards. The online poll plugs into fans who vote for the best male and female professional rider - maybe a contestant in the worldwide Association of Surfing Professionals circuit or a lone wolf seeking out the biggest waves wherever they form in the oceans of the earth. A prize goes to the best of the longboarders who cruise the waves in their big boards, keeping alive the “hang ten” tradition of their zinc-nose slathered forefathers and mothers. The awards also honor the next wave of top surfers - the up and coming boys and girls who surf for the fun of it or for their high school or surf team spirit, with perhaps an eye to one day taking on the Kelly Slaters, Andy Irons and Layne Beachleys of the world.
Fans, vote early and often. The last waves of votes will hit the ballot at midnight on July 9. Then the horn blows. The excitement peaks during the U.S. Open of Surfing at Huntington Beach, where the awards ceremony will be held at the Walk of Fame at Jack’s Surfboards on July 23.
Last Friday evening saw the end of an incredible season of historic wins and personal bests as San Clemente High honored their 2009 varsity and junior varsity surfing teams. Held at the Surfing Heritage Museum, the awards banquette included the athletes’ families and friends who came out in support of the teams’ strong and rich talent. Special recognition was given to the eight students who earned academic excellence by consistently mainitaining a 3.5 GPA or higher, further proving their bright futures in and out of the water.
Swell.com also received special acknowledgement for their committed sponsorship and resourcefullness in promoting individual team members.
Additional photos after the jump.
The Orange County Regional Championships, the seventh stop of the 2009 Red Bull Riders Cup season, took place this week in sunny, albeit “small” conditions. This leg saw Orange County’s best high school surfers battle it out in a series of close games. Participating high schools included San Clemente High, Newport Harbor High, Edison High, and Huntington Beach High.
In 1- to 2-foot surf at best, the SCHS team fought fiercely in some of the worst conditions they’ve had to compete in the entire year. Surfing against the local favorites of Huntington Beach, the SCHS team was plagued with high tides and drastic lulls. The event did see some highlights for the team as Dane and Patrick Gudauskas, WQS warriors and SCHS alumni, came down to root the team on and make sure the boys were focused. Dane gave an incredible speech to the team leading into the third quarter of the game.
Their trophy case must be getting pretty crowded. This past weekend the SCHS surf team took home their second state title of the season with big wins at the Interscholastic Surfing Federation championships in Oceanside. Both the boys shortboard team and bodyboard team won their events, while the boys longboard team and girls shortboard teams were runners-up in their divisions.
The team will compete again this weekend in Huntington Beach at a regional qualifier of the Red Bull Riders Cup, followed by the year-end showdown for the NSSA’s national team title on June 17-20 at Salt Creek in Dana Point.
Extensive photo coverage appears after the jump. Special thanks to Fred Swegles. (more…)
“I will kill anyone for a trip to Indonesia.”
- Adam Goldstone, SCHS Varsity Team Surfer
Those nine very telling words sum up Adam Goldstone to his core: He is a viscous murder and he really digs the scene in Southeast Asia. Need we say more?
Okay fine, here are some other interesting facts: When he’s not busy performing heinous acts of violence around San Clemente, he can be found working at the Toes on the Nose surf shop or eating a breakfast burrito.
He already has the varsity and JV State Championship trophies on his mantle. Let’s see if he has enough room for the NSSA Coach of the Year award. San Clemente High School’s surf coach John Dowell was singled out earlier this week for his professionalism, attitude, and special contributions which have guided his teams through an outstanding season.
“Coach Dowell has done a fantastic job leading his team to be a top contender for the National title this June,” said Janice Aragon, Executive Director for the NSSA.
We so called it. And if we haven’t said this lately, we’re beyond stoked to have SCHS as our official school team.
Living a life of contradiction isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it can give you an incredible advantage over your competition. Take Jeremy Carter for example. To his friends he’s known as being incredibly unpredictable. But to his opponents, he’s recognized as one of the most consistent amateur surfers in the nation. And having recently earned the title of JV State Champ, this dynamic is clearly working for him. Surprisingly, Jeremy has been surfing for less than six years, and competing for only two. But with the steady amount of success he’s already achieved, he’s well on his way to securing a spot on the 44.
Hit the jump for Jeremy’s complete bio.
Quick: What’s “short, funny and frothing”, and currently reigns as the NSSA High School State Champ?
That would be none other than San Clemente High School’s Shaw Kobayashi.
But State Champ is just one of many victories. Shaw has earned in his impressive 10-year competitive career. However, it’s the title of being a top ranking ASP pro surfer that currently has Shaw’s full attention. Which is exactly what his team managers and coaches are positioning him for. (more…)
