The Pacific Beach Surf Club (PBSC) will host the 10th annual Pacific Beach Summer Longboard Classic Surf Contest June 14 at Tourmaline Surfing Park.
The tournament and surf festival is a fund-raiser for the civic-minded club, to benefit the Wild Coast foundation, according to Club founder Glen Paculba.
“What’s different about our contest is that we have a lot of fun, there is a lot of good local surfers in action, plus we have some special events; a tandem competition, standup paddle session, kneeboard heats and ‘cat & dog’ heats,” Paculba said.
Paculba explained that the “cat & dog” heats are back by popular demand.
“Once people are eliminated from the contest, they can still get into a cat & dog heat. The concept is that there are no rules ” people cut each other off, jump on their boards. It gets crazy,” Paculba said.
Surfers will be grouped into seven divisions; boy’s Menehune 14 and under, Junior Men’s 15-19, Men’s 20-34, Seniors 35-49, Masters 50+. The Women’s divisions include Juniors and Seniors with the age-break at 30.
A fund-raising raffle will feature 3 surfboards, plus wetsuits, T-shirts, skateboards and other surf items donated by sponsors. Tickets are $1.
The first heat will start at 6:30 a.m. The top 6 surfers in each division will receive a trophy.
The longboard contest has been held for 18 consecutive years at Tourmaline, honoring the traditions of surfing dating back to the early ’60s. Since 1999 the PBSC has hosted the event.
Longboard surfing features the more artful styles of wave riding on boards at least three feet taller than the rider. Walking on the board and nose riding is mixed with floaters, reverse take-offs plus other tricks and athletic board-handling.
The PBSC has a history of support for local charities, including children’s care, cancer research, the Lifeguards, scholarships, clean water programs and other community service donations approved by the membership.
Guests are advised to bring their own food and drinks, chairs and lotion. Contest-related T-shirts programs and souvenirs will be on sale to also raise funds.
An awards ceremony and the raffle drawings for the surfboards will complete the afternoon.
Information about the contest and PBSC is available at local surf shops or at www.pbsurfclub.org or from Paculba at Star Surfing, 4652 Mission Blvd.