Surfers of all sizes, from grommets to some of the world’s top professionals, will share Wrightsville’s waves during the 10th annual O’Neill/Sweetwater Pro-Am July 17–19.
The surfing competition runs Friday through Sunday at the Columbia Street beach access. Competitors may enter the amateur, professional or longboard divisions. The pro division, with its $15,000 purse, has drawn a handful of the best competitive surfers in the country, contest coordinator Brad Beach said.
Local legend Ben Bourgeois will be back to defend his title. Bourgeois, who was raised in the Wrightsville Beach surf before climbing to competitive surfing’s highest echelon, the World Championship Tour, won the contest for the first time last year.
Bourgeois will be up against another past winner, Floridian Aaron Cormican. Cormican won the event in 2006 and 2009 using his ability to pull explosive maneuvers in small surf. Cory Lopez, who Beach said is one of the best surfers in the world, is also competing this year.
A few up-and-coming Carolina surfers, like Connor Lester and Micah Cantor, are taking on the big name surfers in the pro division, he added.
The amateur division is also stacked with talent, Beach said.
“You’ll have some of the best amateurs on the East Coast here, as well,” he said. “Those guys are just getting back from the national championships out in California.”
There is even a division for tiny children who can’t yet paddle into waves themselves. In the guppy division, run by WB Surf Camp founder Rick Civelli, volunteers push children into the gentle breakers close to shore.
“That’s my favorite event of the whole contest,” Beach said.
Saturday afternoon, after the day’s heats wrap up, competitors, families and spectators are invited to migrate to Wrightsville Beach Park for a celebration of local art and music. Hope from Helen founder Tony Butler and Tower 7 Baja Grill owner Josh Vach organized the festival as a fundraiser for a number of local animal charities.
Admission is free, Beach said, but Vach will be serving up plates of his restaurant’s Mexican cuisine and all proceeds go directly to the charities. There also will be arts and crafts for sale, animals up for adoption and raffles.
The community atmosphere celebrated at the festival represents the spirit of the whole event, Beach said. Bringing a world-class level of surfing to Wrightsville Beach inspires local surfers of all ages and abilities, especially in such an environment where the young grommets can share waves or hang out on the beach with their idols.
“We do this event for several reasons . . . but getting people involved in the sport of surfing is a big part of it,” Beach said. “We want to inspire people to participate in surfing, not just for the enjoyment . . . but [because] it’s a good sport to do, that you can do your whole life.”
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