National Surf League | The Game

Ready To Battle

Riders Cup Central Florida Finals Today

By John Calkins, Florida Today

A familiar rivalry has returned, and this time it is taking place in the ocean.

At the Red Bull High School Surf Challenge held at Pelican Beach Park on Wednesday, both Cocoa Beach and Satellite won their semifinal matches and will face off today for the title.

“It’s an old-fashioned rivalry,” said Peter Polansky, a Cocoa Beach sophomore. “There’s nothing like it.”

The winner of today’s competition, which is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. at Pelican Beach Park, moves on to the national finals in California.

Both Satellite and Cocoa Beach were dominant in the extremely windy and choppy conditions, with the Scorpions beating Melbourne, and the Minutemen defeating Sebastian River.

The format, dubbed “The Game,” is the same used in the X Games. The game is divided into three 24-minute periods, with both four-surfer teams surfing for 12 minutes each. Each surfer’s one best wave is then counted toward the team’s final score.

“This format is all about working together,” said Brad Gerlach, a pro surfer from California who originated the system. “It’s a lot more fun sharing waves then competing for them.”

In Wednesday’s first semifinal, Satellite won 65.5-58.1, a score that was closer than the numbers indicate because the Scorpions, who surfed second, needed only 12.2 in the third period to seal the win, and did so just over a minute into it.

Satellite essentially sealed the win with its 23.5-point performance in the second period that gave the Scorpions an 8-point lead over the Bulldogs going into the final period.

“Melbourne is a great surf and team and very competitive,” said Satellite surfing coach George Seguna. “But we surfed extremely well today, and this win was especially sweet for us because Melbourne knocked us out of this tournament last year.”

Now, the Scorpions face the team that won this tournament last year.

The defending champion Minutemen dismantled Sebastian River 60.6-46.7, a score that included a second-period tally of 24.5 for Cocoa Beach, the day’s highest single-period total.

“They made us proud today, that’s for sure,” said Cocoa Beach coach and surfing star Todd Holland. “They’ve been working hard, and it showed today.”

Sebastian River needed 29.2 points in the third round to overcome its deficit, which meant each of its surfers would have needed to score an average of about 7 points, a feat that would have been nearly impossible to pull off. Both teams say they’ll come to today’s final feeling confident.

“If we’re on our A-game,” said Cocoa Beach freshman Tyler Thornsley, “then we’ll beat (Satellite) for sure.”

Scorpion freshman Chad Ellington was a little more blunt with his prediction.

“I don’t consider (Cocoa Beach) a threat,” he said. “We’re definitely the favorites.”

Polanski, after hearing his teammate’s bold forecast, was a bit more diplomatic with his.

“We’re feeling good, we have a lot of momentum now,” he said. “We just need to surf like we did today and we’ll be fine.”

Holland said he expects a competitive battle in the water today, but thinks his team has the edge to win.

“Satellite is a solid team,” he said. “They surfed well, but so did we. I know my guys will be ready. We’re as confident as can be.”

Steady winds from the north eventually blew a small storm over Pelican Beach just before Cocoa Beach’s third period began, but the surfers remained in the water and the action wasn’t stopped, which was a relief to organizers because the tournament was supposed to have started on Tuesday but had to be postponed due to a lack of waves.

Those involved are expecting near-ideal conditions today.

“We’re hearing the waves should be just about perfect (Thursday),” Segunda said. “It’s going to be a good test for both teams, and the best team will win.”