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Release by White Whale Productions
Boulanger adds state championship to summer titles
OCEAN CITY, MD– Out of the more than 260 competitors who surfed in 63 heats during the Atlantic Smith Cropper and Deeley Insurance 2006 Maryland State Surfing Championships last Saturday and Sunday, an Ocean City, Md., teenager emerged as state champion.
Vince Boulanger, 17, a rising senior at Stephen Decatur High School in Berlin, Md., survived an Open Shortboard semi-final and final loaded with past state champions and small shore break to earn his first state surfing title Sunday afternoon.
“I'm totally stoked,” he said after receiving a custom-made award that featured a drawing of the state fish (rockfish) painted in the state flag colors of red, gold and black.
Other Maryland state champions were Art Baltrotsky of Berlin, Md. in Open Longboard; Jasset Umbel of Melbourne Beach, Fla. in Open Women's Shortboard; and Jake Buchler of Frankfurt, Del. in Open Bodyboard.
The event started at 8 a.m. Saturday and by 8:30 p.m. 20 age divisions and three open divisions had finished. The last division, Open Shortboard, began Sunday morning.
“Saturday the surf was better,” said Delmarva ESA District Director Baltrotsky. “The wind let up and the surf was cleaner later in the day for the other open finals. On Sunday morning the wind was off-shore and it was supposed to be off-shore all day, but that changed after our first heat.
“We had a lot of volunteers and double-beached all day Saturday,” he said. “It was a huge event and it went really smooth.”
Except for the two streakers who pranced across the beach in front of the viewing stand on Saturday afternoon.
“That was the first time ever I have seen that at an ESA contest,” Baltrotsky said. “It was crazy!”
One surfer on a streak is Boulanger, who won the two competitions leading up to the state championships and was in top form over the weekend. On Saturday he won Jr. Men's Shortboard before taking the title Sunday with impressive maneuvers on less than impressive waves.
“The waves were bad,” Boulanger said. “They were breaking so close to the beach you didn't have time to do anything on them. I just got lucky and got the bigger, longer waves and they gave me more opportunities to do more turns. The other guys got shorter waves and that's what hurt them. It wasn't because of lack of talent on their part.”
“He definitely wanted it – probably more than anybody,” said Baltrotsky, who last week predicted Boulanger would win. “He's been pushing and trying this year so hard – I knew he had it in him. It was a stacked final and the semi-final was stacked as well.”
Boulanger, who managed to blast through the small waves with powerful manuevers during the final and semi-final heats, kept his energy stoked with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
“My mom brings a whole bag full of them – like 30 sandwiches,” he said. “I think I had about 10 of them today.”
Another mom taking care of her young surfer was Dorette Umbel, whose 12-year-old daughter Jasset won her first Maryland state title Saturday afternoon.
“We're really happy for her,” said Dorette Umbel, who grew up in Ocean City, moved to Florida, and is back visiting family this summer. “All my family is here so they get to see her and cheer her on.”
Jasset, who is headed to Wrightsville Beach, N.C., for a wahine surfing competition this week before traveling back to Florida, said she has had fun surfing and making friends in Ocean City the past couple months.
“All the girls have been great,” she said. “It's cool that I'm a state champion, but I'm just having fun out there.”
The next event for the areas top surfers is the Easterns, Sept. 17-23, at Cape Hatteras, N.C. The next Delmarva ESA event is the K-Coast Open on Oct. 14. For more information about the Eastern Surfing Association, visit www.DelmarvaESA.org.
Atlantic Smith Crooper and Deeley Insurance 2006 MD State Surfing Championships results:
263 competitors - 67 heats - Saturday, August 12 and Sunday, August 13, 2006
Vince Boulanger of Ocean City, MD - 2006 Maryland State Surfing Champion
Jasset Umbel of Melbourne Beach, FL - 2006 Maryland State Womens Surfing Champion
Art Baltrotsky of Berlin, MD - 2006 Maryland State Longboard Champion
Jake Buchler of Frankford, DE - 2006 Maryland State Bodyboard Champion
Open Shortboard (all ages)
1. Vince Boulanger - 2006 Maryland State Surfing Champion
2. Fletcher Birch
3. Drex Harrington
4. Mike Lawson
5. Ted Smith
6. Art Baltrotsky
Open Womens Shortboard (all ages)
1. Jasset Umbel - 2006 Maryland State Womens Surfing Champion
2. Kaitlyn Curran
3. Brandi Zirckel
4. Rachel Harrell
5. Jenna Landon
6. Mackenzie White
Open Longboard (all ages)
1. Art Baltrotsky - 2006 Maryland State Longboard Champion
2. Justin Weismiller
3. Jake Buchler
4. Logan Helmuth
5. Brady Dashiell
6. Bill Helmuth
Open Bobdyboard (all ages)
1. Jake Buchler - 2006 Maryland State Bodyboard Champion
2. Caleb Buchler
3. Matt Meinhardt
4. Brendan Wagner
5. Walter Taraila
6. Andrew Wagner
Menehune Shortboard (boys/girls 11 & under)
1. Dallas Harrington
2. Brad Flora
3. Shane Moore
4. Tyler Clazey
5. Ryder Lahr
6. Danton Boulanger
Girls Shortboard (14 & under)
1. Jasset Umbel
2. Rachel Harrel
3. Jenna Landon
Boys Shortboard (12-14)
1. Brady Dashiell
2. Avery Sieg
3. Caleb Buchler
4. Austin Deppe
5. Jeffrey Vitak
6. Dillon Harrington
Jr. Women Shortboard (15-17)
1. Carly Linthicum
2. Kaitlyn Curran
3. Liz Hamilton
4. Charlotte Deck
5. Mackenzie White
6. Caitlin Whalan
Jr. Men Shortboard (15-17)
1. Vince Boulanger
2. Waldon Remington
3. Roy Harrell
4. Logan Helmuth
5. Joey Boulanger
6. Chris Dashiell
Men Shortboard (18-24)
1. Ian Tilghman
2. Andres Flores
3. Jess Baunhofer
4. Mike Lawson
5. Gatey Dawkins
6. Mark Twilley
Women Shortbaord (18-29)
1. Jenn Abrams
2. Danielle Ariano
3. Chelsea Remines
4. Brandi Zirckel
5. Ali Faucher
6. Kelsey Willison
Masters Shortboard (25-34)
1. Fletcher Birch
2. Drex Harrington
3. Dennis Cappo
4. Bryan Brushmiller
5. Matt Maciarello
6. Jack Thomas
Sr. Mens Shortboard (35-44)
1. Keith White
2. Art Baltrotsky
3. J.D. Moore
4. David Clazey
5. Craig Garfield
6. Chris Floyd
Grand Masters Shortboard (45-54)
1. Roy Harrell
2. Roger Wooleyhan
Legends Shortboard (55-64)
1. Bill Helmuth
2. Bruce Krueger
Ladies Shortboard (30 & up)
1. Bonnie Preziosi
Menehune Bodyboard (boys/girls 14 & under)
1. Matt Landon
2. Caleb Buchler
3. Dillon Harrington
4. Spencer Ashton
5. Austin Deppe
6. Ryder Lahr
Menehune Longboard (boys/girls 14 & under)
1. Brady Dashiell
2. Spencer Ashton
3. Dillon Harrington
4. Shaun Wooleyhan
5. Jesse Harman
6. Brad Flora
Jr. Longboard (15-17)
1. Justin Weismiller
2. Logan Helmuth
3. Ben Kelleher
4. Chris Dashiell
5. Jake Buchler
6. Aviad Sasi
Mens Longboard (18-34)
1. Mike Lawson
2. JT Hazard
3. Spiro Gianniotis
4. Jack Thomas
Womens Longboard (29 & under)
1. Chelsea Remines
2. Brandi Zirckel
3. Carly Linthicum
4. Rachel Harrel
5. Hannah Preziosi
6. Samantha Taraila
Masters Longboard (35-49)
1. Art Baltrotsky
2. Craig Garfield
Legends Longboard (50+)
1. Bill Helmuth
2. Roger Wooleyhan
Ladies Longboard (30+)
1. Bonnie Preziosi
2. Pat Gentry
For more information about the Eastern Surfing Association contact:
Art Baltrotsky
Delmarva District ESA Director
http://www.DelmarvaESA.org
P.O. Box 207, Ocean City, MD 21843
410-641-3329
delmarva@surfesa.org
The Eastern Surfing Association (ESA), founded in 1967, a non-profit, IRS tax-exempt corporation, is the largest amateur surfing organization in the world with more than 7,000 members. 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 public access to a clean shoreline and ocean environment. The association's activities are organized in a total of twenty-six 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. The Delmarva District currently has more than 350 active members and is operated by a non-paid, all volunteer staff. Visit the Delmarva ESA on-line at www.DelmarvaESA.org.