By Ciera Battleson
The smell of salt, a crisp fall breeze and 6-foot high swells would make any surfer’s mouth water, and on a recent morning at Bethune Beach, the Daytona State Surf Team proved their shredding skills as they swept away the competition.
On Nov 14, the DSC team placed 3rd overall surfing against 14 other schools,
including Florida State University and University of Central Florida. Brandon Onesky and Pat Gingras placed 2nd and 3rd respectively in Men’s Short Board, Robert Burns placed 5th in Men’s Longboard
and Ashley Capitola and Sarah Rodriguez placed 3rd and 5th respectively in Women’s Short Board capping off a very successful morning.
These aren’t the first accomplishments for DSC’s wave riders. The team placed within the top five teams competing in last year’s overall conference in the NSSA (National Scholastic Surfing Association).
“We have a lot of potential to compete at a national level”, says captain Patrick Gingras. With eight short boarders and one long boarder, the team has proven to be one of the best teams with in the NSSA’s Southeast Conference.
Each member on the surf team is anticipating a good outcome this year in their conference. The team consists of nine participants, seven men and two women. They practice on their own on a weekly basis preparing for each competition.
“To be good, you really need to spend a lot of time on that water.” says Matt McGuirk, who has been surfing since he was a toddler.
Don’t let that scare you though, the team is discussing the possibility of opening lessons to beginners later this year, and they are also looking to recruit new surfers.
Advisor Bruce Cook, being a surfer himself, takes great pride in the Daytona Surf Team and supporting them. “I really like seeing them win,” says Cook, “They really do make the most of their talent.”
As good as these wave riders are, they are currently looking for sponsorships to help them achieve their goal to compete nationally. “It would be a dream to surf the competition in California!” explains Ashley Capitola during a surf meeting. With the southeast conference becoming increasingly competitive year after year, the Daytona State surf team has managed to remain at the top of the chart. These falcons have already proven they can surf; now they’re just waiting to fly.