Duane Desoto won the longboard pro-am Friday, topping an action-packed day at Queen’s in Waikiki for China Uemura’s 28th annual Longboard Surfing Classic. Surfers of all ages and sizes enjoyed the blue skies and glassy 1- to 2-foot waves.
Vanina Walsh and Kai Sallas came out on top in the stand-up paddle divisions.
Makaha’s Desoto, 35, has surfed in this contest for many years, and even got his first longboard from Uemura when he was a kid for being the youngest competitor. Desoto styled his way to a win with some smooth nose rides and tack-sharp rail work. He was ecstatic after his win.
"I am actually shaking right now," Desoto said. "I am so stoked right now and very thankful to Uncle China. I was nervous because of this format where you surf four times and the points are totaled to determine the winner. So you’re kind of left in the dark until the end.
"I am just stoked to have a forum as a professional longboarder. There is not a lot going on in longboarding right now. Our (longboard) world tour got canceled, so win or lose it’s key that we have somewhere to showcase our skills."
Waikiki’s Sallas, 31, came out with a win in the SUP men’s division. Sallas was doing double duty, as he was also entered in the longboard pro-am division, finishing second.
"I feel good right now and really tired," said a smiling Sallas. "I love this contest and have been entering it since I was probably 12 years old. Uncle China is great because he has always been supporting the longboarders. The way the format is you are going for 10s in every heat because you are challenging the entire field, not just the guys in your heat. It was something different and fun."
Fifteen-year-old wunderkind Walsh from Kapolei won first place in the women’s SUP. She was also entered in the men’s pro-am longboard division and the men’s amateur longboard.
"I feel really good about the way I placed, and the waves were fun too," Walsh said. "Everyone surfed good and I felt proud of the younger girls that were out there surfing.
"On my best wave I dropped in, got a little bit of a cover up and did a few turns to finish it off. This is actually the first contest I ever competed in and I got my first surfboard from China. This is a must-do contest for me every year."
