January 23, 2023

Martinez Makes History at Inhospitable HB

Westcliff’s Spanish surfing sensation, freshman Silke Martinez, called them the worst conditions in which she’d ever surfed a contest. Huntington Beach was tidal, windy, swell-less mess over the weekend for the NSSA’s Southwestern Conference contest, and it brought major headaches — especially for the Warriors’ men’s teams — as Westcliff finished a disappointing fourth overall. But for Martinez, who has been a heavy-hitter for the Warriors since stepping off the plane from Spain and taking second overall at Black’s in La Jolla, Surf City USA was just another beach to tame, and she did just that, making history as Westcliff’s first-ever female NSSA first-place finisher.

By Brandon Petersen

Westcliff's Spanish surfing sensation, freshman Silke Martinez, called them the worst conditions in which she'd ever surfed a contest.

Huntington Beach was a tidal, windy, swell-less mess over the weekend for the NSSA's Southwestern Conference contest, and it brought major headaches — especially for the Warriors' men's teams — as Westcliff finished a disappointing fourth overall.

But for Martinez, who has been a heavy-hitter for the Warriors since stepping off the plane from Spain and taking second overall at Black's in La Jolla, Surf City USA was just another beach to tame, and she did just that, making history as Westcliff's first-ever NSSA women's first-place finisher.

"She's just a beast," Westcliff head coach Kyle Rouse said. "Everybody talks about her. She's fearless. She charges anything. It doesn't matter — two-foot to six-foot — she's gonna rip that wave up."

Despite a drained tide in the semifinals, Martinez came out aggressively and placed for the final.

Conditions began to improve in the 20-minute championship round and Martinez once again led the heat with a strong first wave.

With the entire team watching overhead from the pier, the contest looked tight, as a number of competitors had strong waves as well.

"They announced from sixth place to second place and we still hadn't heard Silke's name," Westcliff assistant coach Chelsea Ehlen said. "At that moment, there was a roar of cheers on the pier, because we knew Silke had just made Warrior history."

Ninon Mattei and Sofia Freyre also competed for the women, and also did quite well. All three Warrior women won their first-round heat.

Freyre made it from there to the quarterfinals before being knocked out, and Mattei lasted until the semifinals, turning in what Ehlan characterized as a headstrong performance on Sunday.

While the women showed out, things weren't so easy for the men.

The same tidal conditions that dragged the breaks well out toward the end of the pier plagued Saturday as well, and it resulted in some questionable judging that left Westcliff, and specifically Jack Hopkins, holding the short end of the stick.

Normally with the tide out, judges would move to an overhead position on the pier, but for whatever reason, on Saturday, the group remained on ground level and walked out.

Orange and red jerseys are almost indistinguishable in the best of conditions, and many felt Saturday's conditions got the best of the judges. Hopkins and the Warriors wore red.

A Hopkins' three-turn wave was completely missed in the scoring, knocking out one of Westcliff's headliners prematurely.

Jordy Collins battled a flat ocean in the Day 2 semis, unable to find a second wave, and Eduardo Galindo went to war with a stingray, getting stung on his way out of the surf after another difficult semifinal round.

Nevertheless, Galindo had a magnificent opening day.

"Eduardo has that European charge," Rouse said. "He's so physical. He's so strong. His lower body is so strong — his turns are sharp and powerful. In any kind of surf, he's going to go after it."

Collins, meanwhile, showed exactly why he is one of the best in the world on Saturday, breezing through the day with a win in every heat.

"Jordy, obviously, that kid is just a freak," Rouse said. "It's just ridiculous what he does. Yesterday, you know, we were talking about it at the basketball game, he gets an interference call and still finishes in first place. Usually when that happens you're hoping to hang on to third or something. It just shows what he can do in a way that's just crazy."

With Hopkins missing out on Day 2 and both Lucas Taub and Jake Shiroke unexpectedly bowing out in Round 2 — again, under questionable judging circumstances for Shiroke in particular — the Warriors ended the contest looking up at three other teams.

"We know we are capable of so much more, which is disappointing," Ehlen said. "But some things are just out of your control at a surf competition."

Ehlen has been surfing alongside the team for months, and she believes the season will turn around quickly.

"We are confident in our ability and skill," she said. "We will take what we learned from this contest and move forward, striving for that W."

In the men's longboard, the Warriors were again left scratching their heads at some of the scoring for Kylan Crapenhoft, who just missed out on qualifying for the semifinal round.

The Warriors will now have three weeks to prepare for Santa Cruz, which is next up on the docket, Feb. 18-19.