UCSB’s nationally ranked surf team won the first event at Black’s Beach in La Jolla on Nov. 3, with a total of 126.5 points, just edging out Cal State San Marcos by half a point. UC San Diego followed in a close third, with 123 points.

Despite only placing one team member in the finals, the UCSB A team came home with the victory. This was due largely in part by a strong showing from all team members in the earlier rounds.

National Scholastic Surfing Association states that performance is based on radically controlled maneuvers in the critical sections of a wave with speed, power and flow to maximize scoring potential. Innovative and progressive surfing and a variety of maneuvers are taken into account when rewarding points for waves ridden. The surfer who executes these criteria with the maximum degree of difficulty and commitment on the waves is rewarded with the highest score.

Top shortboarders for UCSB were Charlie McMahon and Mike “Jacuzzi” Poole, who each made it to the semifinals.

Corey Hartwyk made it all the way to the semifinals of the men’s longboard division, while stylized Woody Robinson had a shocker of a loss in the first round.

Lipoa Richards-Kahaleuahi won every heat in the women’s division, gaining many points for the team, until her final, during which she could not catch a wave and placed sixth. Waves weren’t coming through to her advantage as often as they were in the other heats, forcing her to give away the final, but her surfing was definitely at the top throughout the contest.

It looks like another promising year for the UCSB surf team, as many new and returning riders have signed on for the 2007-08 season. The UCSB surf team does not have a bold reputation on campus, but it goes big when it comes to game day. The team’s season will continue with the next event at South Mission Beach in San Diego during the weekend of Dec. 8-9.