Cam Richards and Leila Hurst took the Open titles at the 2011 NSSA National Championships in Huntington Beach, California on July 3, 2011.
“I feel awesome right now, I wasn’t expecting this,” beamed Richards. “I did really bad in my main divisions; I lost Open Juniors and the Explorer so I was mad and wanted to redeem myself, I guess this was a good way to do it.”
Hurst was similarly stoked with her performance.
“I’ve wanted this for so long and this was my last chance to get it, so I’m so stoked,” Hurst said. “Now I can walk away with more than the Explorer title. I’ll go for the CT and all that fun stuff but I’m just going to cruise for the rest of this summer.”
Parker Coffin took home the Juniors title. For the rest of the story follow the jump, or click here for all the photos, video, and results.CAM RICHARDS WINS THE NSSA NATIONALS OPEN MENS TITLE,
LEILA HURST TAKES HOME THE OPEN WOMENS TITLE
San Clemente, CA (July 3, 2011) — Cam Richards won the 2011 NSSA National Championships Open Mens title on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier today while Leila Hurst triumphed in the Open Womens title. Also taking home a career boosting title in his division was Open Juniors winner Parker Coffin.
Establishing an early lead in the 30 minute finals with a solid 6 point wave, Richards performed consistently throughout the heat. Both Kalani David and Taylor Clark put in valiant efforts to catch up, but the 15 year old from South Carolina aggressively maintained his lead with every set that rolled through.
“I feel awesome right now, I wasn’t expecting this,” beamed Richards. “I did really bad in my main divisions; I lost Open Juniors and the Explorer so I was mad and wanted to redeem myself, I guess this was a good way to do it.”
Hurst staked her claim halfway through the Womens Open final with the highest scoring wave of the round, a 7.25 left that she connected through the inside reform. Tatiana Weston-Webb scrambled to answer back with a fast outside wave that brought in a respectable 5.75, but never quite caught up to Leila’s solid lead.
Leila Hurst Enjoying Her Big Win
“I’ve wanted this for so long and this was my last chance to get it, so I’m so stoked,” Hurst said. “Now I can walk away with more than the Explorer title. I’ll go for the CT and all that fun stuff but I’m just going to cruise for the rest of this summer.”
Parker Coffin took home the NSSA National Open Juniors title in full form as he picked off waves that had the most push on the outside and was consistently able to do the “Huntington Hop” and connect to the inside section and score big.
To check out highlights from the 2011 NSSA Nationals, log onto www.nssalive.com for photos, videos and more. For a complete list of the NSSA’s season results, go to www.nssa.org.
A huge thanks to official event partners; Nike 6.0, SURFING Magazine and official event forecaster, Surfline.com, for their instrumental help in the collective execution and dissemination of this event. Their support is greatly appreciated.
2011 NSSA National Champions:
Open Mens Champion: Cam Richards
Open Womens Champion: Leila Hurst
Open Junior Champion: Parker Coffin
Open Boys Champion: Jake Marshall
Open Girls Champion: Dax McGill
Open Mini Grom Champion: Tyler Gunter
Open Longboard Champion: Steve McLean
