San Clemente clinched bragging rights for another year at the U.S. Board Riders National Championships held on home turf at Lower Trestles.
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The four-day event that ran through May 16 drew surfers from across the nation to compete, the first two days dedicated to the West Coast clubs, the last two days also including surfers from the East Coast, Southern states, and Hawaii.
“Surfers from across the country came together for what has become much more than a contest. It was a gathering of the tribes,” said Chris Moreno, co-founder of the West Coast Board Riders and U.S. Board Riders.
The event, held at the future site of the 2028 Olympic surf competition, drew 20 surf clubs from around the country to compete at one of the mainland’s best surf breaks, just south of San Clemente.
Teams were a mix of young surf groms, legends, rising stars and longtime community leaders who surf for their hometowns.
Friends Casey Wheat, Ziggy Williams and Chris Moreno inspired the hometown surf teams when they created the West Coast Board Riders Club a decade ago, as a way to unite communities, much like the popular clubs in Australia. Surf clubs in Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and Seal Beach were among the first to form.
San Clemente clinched the first-ever national championships in 2016.
The grassroots effort grew across the country and is now the largest club surfing organization in the United States, spanning about 50 clubs with thousands of members nationwide.
“The format is exciting and powerful,” Moreno said. “Hometown clubs. Team pride. Generations surfing together. A shared purpose of keeping local surf culture strong.”
The clubs that came to compete this year were met with plenty of swell and sunshine throughout the event.
“From longtime powerhouses to emerging clubs, each arrived carrying hometown pride and representing the communities behind them,” Moreno said. “For four days, Lower Trestles became a village on the sand.”
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Team tents lined the beach and families gathered under club banners. There were rivalries, but also old friends reconnecting and new friendships formed.
“Generations mixed together on the beach and in the water while nonstop action unfolded from sunrise to sunset,” Moreno added.
The week began with the West Coast Board Riders Wheat Cup Finals, featuring top clubs from across the region battling for West Coast bragging rights for two days, San Clemente clinching that title.
The advancing clubs went on to the U.S. Board Riders National Championships on Friday and Saturday.
In the end, it was the San Clemente Board Riders Club that “delivered one of the most dominant performances in recent memory,” sweeping both the West Coast Board Riders Finals and the U.S. Board Riders National Championships in front of their home crowd at Lower Trestles, according to an event recap.
San Clemente dethroned last year’s national champions, the Encinitas Board Riders.
“Winning one title at Lower Trestles is difficult. Winning both in the same week against one of the deepest fields ever assembled made the accomplishment even more significant,” Moreno said. “From opening heats through the finals, San Clemente consistently rose to the occasion and delivered when the pressure was highest.”
The team posted final scores of 64.97, besting Encinitas’ team score total of 62.83. Santa Cruz came in third spot, while Huntington Beach Board Riders clinched fourth place with a 59.20.
“This event has never been about a trophy alone. It has always been bigger than a contest,” Moreno said. “It is about community, friendship, culture, competition, and bringing surfers together from every corner of the country through a shared love of surfing and the ocean.”
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