San Clemente surf contest doubles as a beachfront toy drive for Marine Corps families

Surfers from Orange County, and from up and down the coast, hit the waves at the San Clemente Pier recently – enjoying a weekend of sizable surf while helping Marine Corps families enjoy a nicer Christmas at Camp Pendleton.
The waves were at times were big and crunchy, other times small and gentle, during the competition over the weekend, Dec. 2 and 3, the fifth stop on the Western Surfing Association’s 10-event 2017-18 tour. Meanwhile, the WSA conducted a Toys for Tots drive from a booth on the beach.
The association filled more than eight Toys for Tots collection boxes, Andrea Swayne, beach marshal, said via e-mail. Anyone who brought a toy got a competition T-shirt.
Out in the surf, Orange County athletes won 13 of the contest’s 24 divisions. Nine division winners were from San Clemente, two from Dana Point and one each from Huntington Beach and Laguna Beach.
Dana Point’s Bella Kenworthy won two divisions. Other winners included Petey Romaniuk of Huntington Beach, Tess Booth of Laguna Beach and San Clemente surfers Aidan Sautner, Pedro Todaro, Kai McPhillips, Jeff Jesse, Philippe Chagas, Jack Hopkins, Indie Hoffman, Makai Bray and Mia McLeish.
Kai McPhillips of San Clemente goes for the barrel on what proved to be a close-out wave Dec. 2 at the San Clemente Pier. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)Travis Booth of Laguna Beach lands an air-drop at the Western Surfing Association’s annual San Clemente Pier contest Dec. 2. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)When a barrel outraced Mathis Martinelly’s surfboard, the competitive surfer visiting from France decided to abandon the board … and then imagine what happened. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)Mathis Martinelly goes for a barrel, minus his board. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)Mathis Martinelly, visiting from France, slotted in the barrel, San Clemente Pier, Western Surfing Association contest, Dec. 2. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)Huntington Beach’s Sage Guinaldi rockets off the lip Dec. 2 in a Western Surfing Association contest at the San Clemente Pier. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)Bella Kenworthy from Dana Point smacks the lip during Western Surfing Association competition Dec. 3 at the San Clemente Pier. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)Every year, the Western Surfing Association invites its hundreds of competitors and families to donate a gift to Camp Pendleton’s Toys for Tots campaign during a two-day December surf contest in San Clemente. This year’s filled up numerous plastic bags that were offloaded into eight Toys for Tots boxes. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)Carlsbad’s Makaiah Spiess scores a barrel ride at the San Clemente Pier during Western Surfing Association action Dec. 2. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)Nicole Economos of San Clemente avoids a bashing as a wave is about to collapse ahead of her Dec. 3 at the San Clemente Pier. It proved to be a good move. She took second in her heat. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)Visiting from France, Sam Piter executes a clean carve at the San Clemente Pier in a Western Surfing Association contest Dec. 2. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)What surf contest? For some, climbing the San Clemente Pier was more fun than watching surfers compete next to it in a Western Surfing Association contest Dec. 2-3. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)San Clemente’s Jack Hopkins performs a backhand slash at the San Clemente Pier on Dec. 2 during Western Surfing Association competition. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)Many of the powerful waves that reared up Dec. 2 at the San Clemente Pier were close-outs, leaving little room to ride. Orion Lehrmann from Carlsbad bailed his board just in time on this one. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)Families gathered on both sides of the San Clemente Pier on Dec. 2-3 for the fifth stop on the Western Surfing Association’s annual surf tour. Competition areas were set up on both sides of the pier. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)San Clemente’s Niko Ripley slams off the top on Dec. 3 at the San Clemente Pier, where the Western Surfing Association held its fifth event of the 2017-18 season. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)JuJu Romaniuk of Huntington Beach slices a cutback Dec. 3 at the San Clemente Pier during a Western Surfing Association contest. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)Dana Point’s Cascia Collings banks off the top during Western Surfing Association competition Dec. 3 at the San Clemente Pier. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)Cascia Collings of Dana Points gets props on the beach as she emerges from winning her six-girl heat Dec. 3 at the San Clemente Pier. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)If only San Clemente’s beach could have looked this nice last summer. A soft carpet of new sand this fall has covered up fields of cobblestones that plagued the beach during summer. But for how long? Winter erosion is likely lurking and waiting to pounce. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)San Clemente’s Reese Hartnett slices a cutty during WSA action Dec. 3 at the San Clemente Pier. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)A tender moment at the end of a hard-fought heat. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)Nico Coli of San Clemente is about to take a serious elevator drop during Western Surfing Association competition Dec. 2 at the San Clemente Pier. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)Surfers, Marines, elves and an inflatable Santa Claus paused to pose for a picture as part of the Western Surfing Association’s annual two-day Toys for Tots drive accompanying a surf contest. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)Alexandra Economos of San Clemente gouges a section on the south side of the San Clemente Pier during a WSA contest Dec. 3. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)Check out arguably the best seat in the house for watching a surf contest. Of course, you have to be able to make the climb, too. Could you? (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)Hana Johnson of San Clemente carves hard at the San Clemente Pier. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)Show Caption of Expand
Source: Oc Register