OP Newport Classic: Day 5 Wrap Up
 Photos | Video

By: Alex Wilson

It was blue skies and sun right from the start this morning at the OP Newport Classic, the second stop on the Macy's California Trifecta Surf Series. After four straight days of pumping swell that had Newport's 56 th Street jetty grinding like Hossegor, it was back to reality today with the swell coming through at a more typical waist-to-shoulder-high. But that's not to say it didn't look fun out there. With light winds most of the day it stayed glassy well into the afternoon, and the sets that were coming through looked like mini-race-track-ramps with lips that called for a serious bashing.

The Men's Semifinal Heats went off at about 9:00 this morning, and in the first professional heat of the day, Nathaniel Curran was already looking unstoppable. With the lead flip-flopping multiple times, Curran looked composed and focused, starting off with a 7.25 that he earned through a series of big critical snaps. Nate then lofted a huge backside air on his final scored ride of the heat, connecting to the inside for a slam on the corner, a combo that would earn him an 8.75 and a birth into the finals. “I didn't know how good that wave was when I took off,” said Curran, “but I got up and saw this perfect little section. I just nailed it and was glad I hung on.” Advancing behind Nate into the Finals was Hawaii 's Hank Gaskell, who connected a pair of long runners to claim 2 nd .

Heat 2 of Men's Semifinals saw some serious cracking go on late, with Brett Simpson and Asher Nolan leading the pack. Simpson grabbed 1 st on a nice set wave that he hooked into for an 8.5, throwing a mean series of gaffs to top his backup 7.0. “When the sets started coming through towards the end, I knew that if I could add to that 7 things would be looking good for me,” said Simpson, “and when I got that 8, that's when I felt like I was in the drivers seat.” Advancing in 2 nd into the Finals was Nolan, who earned his birth into the last round with long floaters and big frontside fans. In 4 th was Andrew Gesler, who, despite not advancing, walked away smiling courtesy on a smooth lien air he stuck on request. Promising $20 to any competitor that could pull the tricky grab in their heat, announcer Ryan Divel threw down a challenge that Gesler happily accepted, pulling the tech trick cleanly with dollar signs in his eyes.

The Women's Semifinals came next, and in the first heat, Melanie Bartels shot out to a comfortable early lead on an 8.75. That score was not to be touched, and Bartels would advance into the Finals looking strong. In 2 nd was Dianna Mattison, who barely topped 3 rd place finisher Shea Hodges by 1/100 th of a point.

Heat 2 for the women was controlled by Kyla Langen, with Darlene Conolly advancing behind her in 2 nd .

After the Men's and Women's WQS Semis, the Finals for the Amateur Divisions got underway, and the highlight of those heats easily belonged to the micro-groms. In the 11-and-under Elementary School division, little man Kalohe Andino displayed chops well beyond his years, tearing around at top speed and connecting big bashes, floaters, and a frontside-air-reverse enroot to his 1 st place finish. Taylor Clark was also ripping as he blazed his way to runner up.

Andrew Doheny, in another amazing grom-fest, nabbed 1 st in the Middle School Division, while Jason Harris won the High School Final with Marty Weinstein placing 2nd.

In the Girls Open, Kaliegh Gilchrist took 1 st , while the Men's saw Jeff Barnett claim the top slot. Taking apart a running left on his forehand, Barnett raked up a 7.0, a score that was more than enough to reel in the win. “I just looked for a few good lefts and went with it,” said Barnett.

The Open Masters were won by Ronny Nelson, while the Senior's top dog was Eddie Flores.

Next came the OP Newport Classic Shop Off, and that heat pitted one team rider and one shop employee from three local surf shops against each other in a 6 man-heat. Competing for a prize package that contained free OP gear and a pair of brand new OP twin-fin fish, the Shop Off was taken down by Chris Schiavone and Tanner Gudauskas from Jack's Surf. “Chris carried the team,” said Gudauskas of his shop employee partner.

With the Shop Off closing down it was time for the WQS Finals, and in their last heat of the day, the ladies hit the water to duke it out for the $2,000 1 st place slot. Melanie Bartels, who commented yesterday that she was looking for a strong performance at the OP Newport Classic to help buoy her quest to re-qualify for the WCT, was unbeatable, comboing all her competition with an 8 and an 8.5. “I didn't think about having to make it through this thing,” said 1 st place finisher Bartels, “I just came out and surfed, and that really helped me mentally. And now, with this win, I can approach the rest of the year on the ‘CT with that same mentality.”

In the Men's Finals, Nathaniel Curran kept his dominance from the Semis rolling as well, posting a 7.75 and a 6.5 early on, a pair of scores that were enough to withstand a flurry of activity from the other competitors late in the heat. “I'm super stoked right now,” said Nate of his first ever WQS win. “It was an insane final cause all those guys surf so well. I knew any of them could make it happen on any wave, so I was just careful and picked what I thought were the good ones.”

With an awards ceremony that honored both the amateur and professional champs alike, the 2005 OP Newport Classic came to a close. After an epic run of swell and intense competition, this year's Classic was one for the ages. “This is the kind of year that we'll be talking about forever,” said one spectator after the ceremony. “We'll be like ‘oh remember that one year that the swell went nuts.' It'll be like 2015, and we'll probably still be frothing over it,” he said with a smile.

Results:
Men:
1st-Nathaniel Curran: $5,000
2 nd -Brett Simpson: $2,500
3 rd -Asher Nolan: 2,000
4 th -Hank Gaskell: $1,500

Women:
1 st -Melanie Bartels: $2,000
2 nd -Kyla Langen: $900
3 rd -Dianna Mattison: $600
4 th -Darlene Conolly: $500

Macy's California Trifecta Surf Series Standings After Stop #2
1st-Asher Nolan ( USA )
2nd-Nathaniel Curran ( USA )
3rd-Brett Simpson ( USA )
4th-David Weare (ZAF)
5th-Adrian Bucham (AUS)