National Surf League | The Game

Locals Rule

Puerto Locals put on great show with a spot in the big show at stake 

 

The annual local’s surf match went off today in Puerto Escondido, Mexico. Surfers were getting barreled, tossed and pummeled and the waves are only going to get bigger. 

Two teams, the Tiburones and the Malaguas, faced off at the crack of dawn. The Tiburones won the coin toss and opted to paddle out first. Charging hard into one of the first sets, Rogelio Ramirez caught a lefthand barrel but went down hard when the wave closed out. After being escorted to the shore by medical, Ramirez sat out the rest of the period before rallying back to join his team for the rest of The Game. The Tiburones had a rough start, only scoring 11 points during the first period. When the Malaguas took to the water at the bottom of the first and turned in a score of 16.5, the waves seemed to be in their favor. The Tiburones fought back with a killer third period, though (highlighted by Chritain Corzo’s HUGE lefthand barrel and highest score of the day—a 9.5), and ultimately they cinched the gold hardware, 52 to 47.

The biggest news of the day, though, was when local sensation David Rutherford earned an invite to join the World Team at X Games 13. While he was not the highest scoring surfer of the day (Rutherford’s highest score was a 6.0), World Team coach Martin Potter commented on Rutherford’s sportsmanship and attitude. "David surfed really smart," said Potter. "He is a team player, and he knows the sport really well. On top of that, he is an absolutely fantastic surfer."

Rutherford, 24, grew up surfing the Mexican Pipeline, and he currently competes on the World Qualifying Series. At X Games 13, he joins The World, an international posse that includes the best surfers from Indonesia, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Later this week, they’ll take on the U.S.A. in a fight for the hardware.

The Home Team—Los Tiburones

Las Malaguas