Cole_Richards.jpg	Ian and Jake sta...	Ian Tilghman.jpg	KCoast_open_hr.jpg	Mike Dedrick.jpg
Mike Dedrick Lon...	nic grant walk n...	prize check.jpg	Shawn Clark.jpg	Sherengos and Gr...

NEW JERSEY SURFER WINS H.I.C./K-COAST OPEN SECOND YEAR IN A ROW... GETS ANOTHER TRIP TO HAWAII!

OCEAN CITY, MD.--June 21, 2003-- More than 50 top East Coast surfers from New Jersey through Florida traveled to compete in fun waist-high, clean surf during the 5th Annual H.I.C./K-Coast Open at 78th Street in Ocean City, Maryland on Saturday June 21, 2003. Randy Townsend of Long Beach Island, New Jersey out-surfed his competition for a second year in a row and took home another round-trip ticket to Hawaii. Taking a very close second was K-Coast team rider Mike Dedrick of Cocoa Beach Florida and an equally close third place went to Shawn Clark of Garden City, South Carolina.

The longboard division went to K-Coast team rider Mike Dedrick of Cocoa Beach Florida. Cole Richards of Garden City, South Carolina took the grom division followed by Ian Tilghman of Ocean City, Maryland and Jake Buchler of Roxanna, Delaware.

Mark Harrell of K-Coast Surf Shop entertained the spectators and competitors with his microphone skills as he emceed the event and constantly handed out raffle prizes. Duel Ballard and Martin Furst kept the crowd well fed under the food tent while everyone enjoyed the day-long beach festival with a live D.J. and games for everyone.

K-Coast Surf Shop along with Hawaiian Island Creations, Sector Nine, Von Zipper, Body Glove Wetsuits and the Eastern Surfing Association sponsored the event and provided huge prize packages to all finalists including a trip to Hawaii and a new custom longboard for first place finishers in the open and longboard divisions. Proceeds from the event will fund the purchase of dive suits for the Ocean City Dive and Rescue Team and will also benefit the Ocean City Career Firefighters.

The next scheduled Maryland ESA competition is the Malibu's Classic to be held on Saturday July 12th at 8th Street in Ocean City, Maryland. Visit www.MarylandESA.org for Maryland district news, events schedule, surfing beaches and thousands of photographs from Maryland district competitions.

5th Annual H.I.C./K-Coast Open results:

Open Shortboard
1- Randy Townsend - Long Beach Island, New Jersey
2- Mike Dedrick - Cocoa Beach Florida
3- Shawn Clark - Garden City, South Carolina
4- Cole Richards - Garden City, South Carolina
5- Drex Harrington - Ocean City, Maryland
6- Art Baltrotsky - Berlin, Maryland

Longboard
1- Mike Dedrick - Cocoa Beach Florida
2- Bryan Major - Wilmington, North Carolina
3- Ted Smith - Ocean City, Maryland
4- Wyatt Harrison - Ocean City, Maryland
5- Aaron Sherengos - Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
6- Nic Grant - Ocean City, Maryland

Grom
1- Cole Richards - Garden City, South Carolina
2- Ian Tilghman - Ocean City, Maryland
3- Jake Buchler - Roxanna, Delaware
4- Logan Helmuth - Ocean Pines, Maryland
5- Taylor Ballard - Ocean View, Delaware
6- Paul Kramer - Bishopville, Maryland

The Eastern Surfing Association (ESA), a non-profit, IRS tax-exempt corporation, is the largest amateur surfing organization in the world. It is dedicated to the sport of amateur surfing, to the operation of a program of amateur competition for surfers of all ages and abilities, and to the establishment and preservation of free access to a clean shoreline and ocean environment. The association’s activities are organized in a total of twenty-eight districts, which extend along nearly 2,000 miles of coastline, stretching from Maine through the Gulf Coast of Florida and Alabama and also around the Great Lakes.
For more information about the Eastern Surfing Association contact:

Art Baltrotsky
Maryland ESA District Director
Tumbling Monkeys
314 N. Main Street
Berlin, MD 21811
410-641-3329
art@tumblingmonkeys.com

PHOTO CAPTIONS:

KCoast_open_hr.jpg - OCEAN CITY, MD.--A collage of images from the 5th Annual H.I.C./K-Coast Open at 78th Street in Ocean City, Md., Saturday June 21, 2003. photo by ART BALTROTSKY.

Cole Richards.jpg - OCEAN CITY, MD.--June 21, 2003-- Cole Richards of Garden City, South Carolina cuts back into a first place finish in the grom division and fourth place in the open surfing division of the 5th Annual H.I.C./K-Coast Open at 78th Street in Ocean City, Md., Saturday June 21, 2003. photo by ART BALTROTSKY.

Ian and Jake start.jpg - OCEAN CITY, MD.--June 21, 2003-- Ian Tilghman of Ocean City, Md., left, and Jake Buchler of Roxanna, De. start the grom semi-final of the 5th Annual H.I.C./K-Coast Open at 78th Street in Ocean City, Md., Saturday June 21, 2003.

Ian Tilghman.jpg - OCEAN CITY, MD.--June 21, 2003-- Ian Tilghman of Ocean City, Md. carves a cutback during the grom semi-final of the 5th Annual H.I.C./K-Coast Open at 78th Street in Ocean City, Md., Saturday June 21, 2003. photo by ART BALTROTSKY.

Mike Dedrick longboard.jpg - OCEAN CITY, MD.--June 21, 2003-- K-Coast team surfer Mike Dedrick of Cocoa Beach, Florida finishes a ride while Bryan Major of Wilmington, N.C. paddles out during the longboard final at the 5th Annual H.I.C./K-Coast Open at 78th Street in Ocean City, Md., Saturday June 21, 2003. photo by ART BALTROTSKY.

Mike Dedrick.jpg - OCEAN CITY, MD.--June 21, 2003-- K-Coast team surfer Mike Dedrick of Cocoa Beach, Florida throws some spray in the 5th Annual H.I.C./K-Coast Open at 78th Street in Ocean City, Md., Saturday June 21, 2003. photo by ART BALTROTSKY.

Nic Grant walk nose.jpg - OCEAN CITY, MD.--June 21, 2003-- Nic Grant of Ocean City, Md. walks to the nose of his longboard while Shawn Clark of Garden City, South Carolina waits for another wave during a longboard quarterfinal at the 5th Annual H.I.C./K-Coast Open at 78th Street in Ocean City, Md., Saturday June 21, 2003. photo by ART BALTROTSKY.

prize check.jpg - OCEAN CITY, MD.--June 21, 2003-- Randy Townsend of Long Beach Island, N.J., right, accepts his second consecutive 1st place prize, a round-trip ticket to Hawaii, from Hawaiian Island Creations representative Alan Brown while K-Coast Surf Shop owners Chris Shanahan, background left, and Mark Pugh look on at the 5th Annual H.I.C./K-Coast Open at 78th Street in Ocean City, Md., Saturday June 21, 2003. photo by ART BALTROTSKY.

Shawn Clark.jpg - OCEAN CITY, MD.--June 21, 2003-- Shawn Clark of Garden City, South Carolina blasts an air during an open preliminary heat at the 5th Annual H.I.C./K-Coast Open at 78th Street in Ocean City, Md., Saturday June 21, 2003. photo by ART BALTROTSKY.

Sherengos and Grant.jpg - OCEAN CITY, MD.--June 21, 2003-- Aaron Sherengos of Myrtle Beach, S.C., left, cuts back while Nic Grant of Ocean City, Md. catches another wave during the longboard final at the 5th Annual H.I.C./K-Coast Open at 78th Street in Ocean City, Md., Saturday June 21, 2003. photo by ART BALTROTSKY.