Point Loma resident Nate Cintas Jr. claimed the National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) surf contest at Huntington Beach earlier this month to notch a No. 3 rank in the Southwestern Conference. The high ranking qualifies the 17-year-old for the national contest to be held in San Clemente in June. “The San Clemente event is one of the biggest amateur series in the United States, as well as one of the hardest events to win,” Cintas said. Cintas is quickly becoming one of the top amateur surfers in the country, going from a rank of 30th at the start of the NSSA Explorer season to his current rank of third in the Southwestern Conference. His rise through the ranks of amateur surfers did not occur overnight. In the eight contests of the Explorer season he went from 30th to 26th, then to 15th and 10th. When Cintas earned the No. 10 spot he made his first quarterfinal appearance. The next contest he improved by making the semifinal which boosted him to the No. 8 spot. He cracked the top five with a win in an Ocean Beach contest and finally the Huntington Beach victory propelled him to his current No. 3 position. Cintas has been surfing since the age of eight months. “I learned how to surf before I learned how to swim,” Cintas said. “My dad would go surfing and put me on his board. He would also stand me up on the board,” Cintas said. Nate Cintas Sr. recognized his son’s potential. “Nate is super creative and is one of the upcoming young surfers in the country. It is amazing how much talent there is in this area (Ocean Beach) that does not branch out to surf internationally,” said the elder Cintas. Prior to competing in the NSSA events, Cintas Jr. surfed on an amateur level since the age of 8. Nate Cintas Sr. surfs and owns a local surf store, the Point Loma Boardroom at Liberty Station. Surfing is not only a sport or a hobby to Cintas Jr. He said he surfs as much as six hours a day. His typical schedule is surfing in the morning with the Point Loma High School surf team, then attending charter school and doing schoolwork from home before surfing again in the evening. The NSSA is the top level of amateur surfing in the United States. It was founded in 1978 by Chuck Allen, John Rothrock and Tom Gibbons to unite American amateur surfers in one association. The NSSA includes student surfers who must maintain a certain grade-point average. The NSSA is broken into nine conferences: Hawaii, Southwest, Gold Coast, Northwest, Northeast, Southeast, Southeast/North, Florida Gulf and Mid-Atlantic. Cintas’ qualification for the nationals in June has allowed him to secure sponsors that include Matuse, Sector 9, Oakley, Reef, Plus One, Freestyle, Point Loma Boardroom and Julie Designs.