By Ciera Battleson<\/p>\n
The smell of salt, a crisp fall breeze and\u00a0 6-foot high swells would make any surfer\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
On Nov 14, the DSC team placed 3rd <\/sup>overall surfing against 14 other schools,<\/p>\n including Florida State University and University of Central Florida. Brandon Onesky and Pat Gingras placed 2nd and 3rd<\/sup> respectively in Men\u2019s Short Board, Robert Burns placed 5th in Men\u2019s Longboard<\/p>\n and Ashley Capitola and Sarah Rodriguez placed 3rd and 5th respectively in Women\u2019s Short Board capping off a very successful morning.<\/p>\n These aren\u2019t the first accomplishments for DSC\u2019s wave riders. The team placed within the top five teams competing in last year\u2019s overall conference in the NSSA (National Scholastic Surfing Association).<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a lot of potential to compete at a national level\u201d, 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\u2019s Southeast Conference.<\/p>\n Each member on the surf team is anticipating a good outcome this year in their conference. The team consists of nine\u00a0 participants, seven men and two women. They practice on their own on a weekly basis preparing for each competition.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be good, you really need to spend a lot of time on that water.\u201d says Matt McGuirk, who has been surfing since he was a toddler.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n Advisor Bruce Cook, being a surfer himself, takes great pride in the Daytona Surf Team and supporting them. \u201cI really like seeing them win,\u201d says Cook, \u201cThey really do make the most of their talent.\u201d<\/p>\n As good as these wave riders are, they are currently looking for sponsorships to help them achieve their goal to compete nationally. \u201cIt would be a dream to surf the competition in California!\u201d 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\u2019re just waiting to fly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Ciera Battleson The smell of salt, a crisp fall breeze and\u00a0 6-foot high swells would make any surfer\u2019s 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 Continue reading DSC Surf Team making waves<\/span>