THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 30, 1995 TAG: 9508290130
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 18 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, BEACON SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Medium: 54 lines
ANOTHER BUDWEISER East Coast Surfing Championship has come and gone, leaving behind memories and lessons - and several new champions.
The 33rd annual event saw some pretty good surfing conditions compared to years past, but they came with a price - windy, rainy weather for Sunday.
Unfortunately for the Virginia Beach Jaycees, the organization that annually puts on the event, Sunday is the biggest revenue day.
``But we had a great day yesterday,'' one Jaycee official said.
The highlight of the weekend was undoubtedly the heroic efforts of California pro surfer Chris Ward and local pro Wes Laine.
Friday afternoon, the two helped rescue a man riding a SeaDoo personal watercraft after the man had been knocked off the vessel by rough seas.
While the crowds for the beach party were sparse Sunday, the action in the water was anything but. With a nice southeasterly swell setting up outside the First Street Jetty at Rudee Inlet, surfers in the final rounds of the Bud Surf Tour pro division had plenty to work with. Accordingly, they put on a great show for the 100-or-so fans watching from the sand.
``Am I pleased with this weekend?'' asked Bud Tour director Ian Cairns. ``Oh, yes. We got incredibly lucky with the surf. It's too bad it was raining out here, but we had some very good waves and I'm trying to run a surfing contest.
``I'll take the rain if I can get the waves.''
On the amateur side - run by the Eastern Surfing Association - things were just as good.
``This has been one of the smoothest-run surfing championships I've been around for a long time,'' tournament director Paul West said. ``The beach setup was fantastic, and we had good surf. The surfers were very happy.
``It's too bad about the weather, but I'll take surf over good weather every time.''
Champions were crowned in men's and women's professional divisions and in 13 amateur divisions. There also were champions named in skimboarding, volleyball, a 5K run and multihull racing.
The rain, and a power outage, also forced the cancellation of an afternoon of free music and the popular women's swimsuit competition. ILLUSTRATION: EAST COAST SURFING CHAMPIONSHIP
Photo by L. TODD SPENCER
Dino Andino cuts back on a wave Sunday during the finals. The waves
were good despite the rain.
by CNB