ASHLEY DAY
A&E EDITOR

Saturday, March 12 and Sunday, March 13, CSUSM’s surf team traveled to Huntington Beach and competed in the National Scholastic Surfing Association’s (NSSA) Interscholastic State Championships.

The A team came in 6th of 16, while the B team finished 13th, their best ranking of the season.

The competition held a number of categories including, college men’s, college women’s and college longboard.

A team longboarder and surf team treasurer, Mick Rodgers, excelled in the competition. He finished as the Runner-Up State Champion to SDSU’s Jon Hoover.

“[Rodgers] has been a contributor in many ways since day one of his involvement,” Dr. Amber Puha, professor in the department of mathematics and surf team faculty advisor said.

Rodgers, a senior, is finishing his reign on CSUSM’s team strong. He has been a member of the surf team since his freshman year.

“The A team shortboard women, Kaitlin Maguire and Annie Howe, also had exceptional performances,” Dr. Puha said.

Maguire and Howe finished fourth and fifth in the college womens round.

CSUSM’s surf team started in January 2002. In 2009, our team won the National Championship. Since its inception, the CSUSM surf team benefited from a steady flow of strong longboard competitors.

Past surfers Dustin Franks, Chris Smith and Christian Clark contributed to putting CSUSM’s surf team on the map. Franks competed on the very first team and scored at least one State Championship. Smith earned the 2007 State Champion and Runner-Up National Champion and Clark seized the 2008 National Championship.

“It’s a really interesting phenomenon that’s happened since the inception of the team. The longboarders really contribute a lot to the team points,” Dr. Puha said.

The surf team competes in three competitions in the fall and one in early January. To get involved with the surf team, you may tryout in early fall, approximately three weeks into the semester. There’s a chance to make it onto either the A team, composed of the strongest surfers or the B team, consisting of surfers at all levels.

Participating on the surf team is an excellent way to contribute to CSUSM and live up to the rich beach life San Diego offers. In addition, the surf team helps build bonds with other students.

“These students bond on the beach, and they create what seems to be lasting friendships that will go beyond their years at CSUSM,” Dr. Puha said.

Next season, MiraCosta College transfer student Ashley Aronson will be the next surf team captain. He will bring his surfing skills to CSUSM and hopefully can lead the surf team to another National Championship. Dr. Puha is excited to see what next season brings.

CSUSM will send the A team to the National Championships in June.

The NSSA National College Surfing Championships air on CBS Saturday, June 25 at 2 p.m. eastern time. Watch to see a representation of the CSUSM team fight for victory.

For more info on the broadcast visit: cbscollegesports.com

To get on the surf team’s mailing list for info on next season email Dr. Puha at [email protected].

Photos courtesy of Aaron Jaffe