Ala Moana Bowls Fires During Oakley Surf Shop Challenge Regional Qualifier
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After their heartbreaking loss to Hi-Tech Surf Sports in 2018, Hawaiian Island Creations (HIC) of Kailua has officially won the 2019 Hawaiian regional title to secure a spot in the Oakley Surf Shop Challenge National Championship event at Playa Colorado in Nicaragua.
Conditions were clean with 2-3ft waves at Ala Moana Bowls on Oahu’s South Shore for stop five of the 2019 Oakley Surf Shop Challenge series.
Round one saw eleven teams battle it out for the four coveted spots in the finals. Reigning regional champs Hi-Tech Surf Sports had the high score in round one (37.29) while the squads representing HIC Kailua, T&C Surf Designs 1, and Town & Country Surfboards also put up strong first round performances to clinch a berth in the finals.
With swell increasing throughout the day, the final would turn out to be an action-packed heat. Standout performers Dustin Quizon (T&C Surfboards), Kekoa Bacalso (T&C Surfboards), Rob Grihlo (T&C Surf Designs 1), and Sean Moody (T&C Surf Designs 1) all scored waves in the excellent range. However, it was HIC Kailua’s whammy surfer Josh Moniz who locked in the high score of the day, a perfect 10 (for a total wave score of 20), while his fellow team rider Joel Centeio immediately followed suit with a 9.1. At the final horn it was HIC Kailua’s sitting comfortably in the top spot with a total team score of 37.57.
Congratulations to HIC Kailua team members Sean Sugihara, Josh Moniz, Joel Centeio, and Nakoa Sabate!
“This year was pretty fun,” said HIC’s Josh Moniz. “The final went smooth. Sean started off with a 5, then I lucked into a good one and got a 10, then Joel dropped the next one and got a 9, and Nakoa got the last score. We’re pretty stoked to win!
Tue 16th Jul, 2019 @ 6:15 pm
