Cheyne Magnusson working on his indoor surfing at Surf’s Up NH
New England may be an uncommon site for a surfing competition in the month of November before Thanksgiving, but competitive surfers were able to give thanks for American Wave Machines’ SurfStream® technology as they competed in the Northern New England Eastern Surf Association Indoor Surfing Championship.
More than 30 surfers, age 9-18 participated in the Eastern Surfing Association (ESA) competition on November 14th at Surf’s Up in Nashua, NH. For the second consecutive year, Robbie Goodwin was the winner in the Boys division (age 11 and under) and Hunter Sims took home the title in the Junior Men’s division. New Hampshire Resident Kainalu “Kai” Nichols, returned after his big win last year, adding another victory to his resume in the Open competition. Nichols was also the runner up in the Junior Men’s category.
ESA All Star Robbie Goodwin on the path to victory.
“We were thrilled to come back to Surf’s Up New Hampshire with our talented group of young surfers for an amazing championship event,” said Lenny Nichols, Northern New England District Director, Eastern Surfing Association. “Having the ability to surf indoors in November in the Northeast is a huge game changer for the growth of our sport, and technology from American Wave Machines makes it possible.”
“It’s not often the coldwater kids from the Northern New England Eastern Surfing Association district get to surf a contest in boardshorts! Thanks to @surfsupnh and @americanwavemachines the groms got to battle it out barrel for barrel and turn for turn on the #surfstream. Stoked to surf and hang with the crew up there along with @redtide83 @hammered_sam @bliess and @keenanflegel this weekend. Such a fun venue, especially on a cold northeast day. Wish they had these when we did ESA!!” — Rob Kelly
Following the ESA competition, a pro surfing exhibition was held, with esteemed pros including Cheyne Magnusson, Rob Kelly, Sam Hammer and Keenan Flegel delighting the crowd and showcasing their talents on American Wave Machines’ SurfStream standing wave machine.
“The ESA indoor surfing championship was epic, with everyone ripping throughout the event. It was really cool to see the difference between the kids who learned in the ocean and the kids who learned on American Wave Machines’ SurfStream,” said Pro Surfer Cheyne Magnusson. “With each surfer getting the exact same wave to work with, the technology really allows you to judge on pure talent and style.”
American Wave Machines’ SurfStream technology generates natural feeling standing waves. The SurfStream at Surf’s Up is the world’s largest standing wave machine with a 32-foot channel that can produce two- to six-foot waves, including barreling waves that challenge even experienced surfers.
“We are thrilled to have another Eastern Surfing Association championship event use American Wave Machines’ technology,” said Bruce McFarland, founder and president, American Wave Machines. “The spectator quality of this amateur contest was the best I have ever witnessed. It was 12 hours of heats and you could see the fatigue, frustration, endurance and adrenaline in the competitors from as close as 10’ away. In the final, the personal drive to elevate for one more heat was as evident as their inherent skill and style. SurfStream is expanding the growth of the sport and enabling competition-quality surfing.”
Billabong Pro Rob Kelly
“With wave pools eliminating the barriers to surfing’s continued growth, including proximity to the ocean and length of time between rides, the potential for world-class surfing competitions, including the Olympics, is within reach,” McFarland concluded.
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