Monday, March 10, 2008

By FRED SWEGLES

SUN POST NEWS

San Clemente High has a new surf hero.Doug van Mierlo, a 16-year-old junior, came out of nowhere Sunday to capture the 2008 NSSA state high school men’s surfing title at San Onofre’s Church Beach.

“Best result I’ve had – pretty much ever!” he said.

It was his first victory ever in an NSSA contest – not that he hasn’t surfed solidly. He is No. 11 in the NSSA Open Men’s standings this season, out of 91 competitors.

At Saturday and Sunday’s tournament, wave selection made the difference as van Mierlo picked off long, reeling waves that allowed him to show what he could do, busting the tail frontside and lining up one vertical crack off the top after another, backside.

“I was really patient,” he said. “My dad was telling me about patience. So I just wanted to wait for the good one. After that I was just thinking, ’start to finish … don’t fall!’ “

San Clemente’s other top honorees:

Jason McIlwee: For the second year in a row, took the state collegiate shortboard title.

Troy Mothershead: As a college freshman, captured the state collegiate longboard title. He’d taken the high school title a year ago.

Ian Crane: For the second year in a row, won the NSSA state middle school boys’ title.

Melina Smith: Won the state middle school girls’ title.

Shorecliffs: For the second straight year, took the state middle school title.

At the high school level, defending champ San Clemente had a rough weekend, finishing fourth out of 12 schools.

“It wasn’t our talent. It was our wave selection,” said John Dowell, the coach. Huntington Beach High won the title, earning 108 points to 82 for runner-up Carlsbad. San Dieguito Academy was third.

San Clemente started out strongly enough, advancing four of its six shortboarders out of the first round but losing the top-rated Triton surfer, Chase Brady, on a pair of interference calls that team members questioned. In Round 2, three of the four shortboarders went down, leaving only van Mierlo, who said the Brady interference incident gave him more of a motivation to excel from there on out.

“He had a check of a run,” Dowell said. “His confidence level hasn’t always been there. His talent has been there. The confidence hasn’t let him excel. With the crowd behind him – with the support he had on the beach – it allowed him to step up and take that leadership role. I’m so proud of him. Hopefully he can use this as a springboard and continue on with that success.”

Dowell said van Mierlo’s victory put a positive mark on what had been shaping up as a disappointing weekend. Scott Brandenburg’s fourth place showing in longboarding was the team’s other highlight, but van Mierlo taking the premier title at the conclusion of the two-day tournament gave the team a mental lift.

“He turned it around for us,” Dowell said. “Coming back (to school Monday), they were just all fired up. There’s that confidence level again.”

The Tritons still have the ISF State Championships, NSL’s The Game and NSSA Nationals this spring.

MIDDLE SCHOOL RESULTS

Shorecliffs dominated, racking up 138 points to just 77 for runner-up Sowers Middle School of Huntington Beach. There were 10 teams. Shorecliffs’ second team placed third.

Five of the six boys’ shortboard finalists were from Shorecliffs – Crane, Josh Giddings (third), Breyden Taylor (fourth), Trevor Thornton (fifth) and Wyatt Brady (sixth). Carpinteria’s Parker Coffin (second) was the only non-Seahawk finalist.

In longboarding, three of the six finalists were from Shorecliffs – Zach Stabley (second), Andy Nieblas (fourth) and Mason Klink (fifth). In girls’ surfing, Smith won and teammate Emmy Lombard (fifth) was a finalist.

COLLEGIATE RESULTS

San Clemente High graduates McIlwee and Mothershead captured two of the three available individual titles. Both McIlwee and Mothershead are back-to-back winners of NSSA state titles. McIlwee is two-time winner for Saddleback College. Mothershead won last year for San Clemente High and this year for Point Loma Nazarene.

Triton grad Chris Smith was a finalist in two divisions. He placed second to McIlwee for the state collegiate shortboard title and finished fourth in longboarding, a division he had won a year ago. He attends Cal State San Marcos.

Mothershead combo’d nearly all his rivals.

For immediate release 3/06/2007

Factor54 announces the addition of Nate Sherwood to head up Skate team.

Factor54 is pleased to announce the addition of professional skateboarder and industry stalwart Nate Sherwood. Sherwood, a regular on Fuel TV’s “American Misfits” and feature skater in 411VM’s “Up for Grabs” will be coming in to run F54’s growing skate program.

“We were getting input from everyone we knew and then while talking to Tony Reddington (editor of FTK Mag) at ASR he yelled for Nate to come over and we just dug his whole approach to the industry right away” said F54 co-chief Ted Wueste from his office in Newport Beach.

“We have a lot of talent on this team and the program is at a point where it needs solid focus” said F54 founder and CEO Todd Miller. Miller went on to point out that to really build a skate program of any kind of serious scope it needs someone who has lived and breathed as a professional skateboarder as well as someone who knows what a team needs to be successful.

Sherwood will be helping pick talent both at the pro and amateur level as well as reviewing what events the Factor team will be attending. Nate is currently sponsored by ‘eS Shoes, Ironic Skateboards, Kontrol wheels, and Willy Santos’ Willy’s Workshop. Sherwood also contributes to www.Olliemag.com.

About F54.
Factor54, based in Costa Mesa California is a lifestyle brand that is wholly owned and run by surfers, skateboarders and musicians focused on forward thinking design and the continual progression of skate and surf in both its team members and brand identity. “Value is not a screen on a Tee”…

Nate