South Carolina surfers took the podiums at Wrightsville Beach’s O’Neill Sweetwater Pro Am Surf Fest last weekend, with the men’s champion earning his second title in the local surf contest.
Luke Gordon, of Isle of Palms, S.C., also won the three-day surf contest in 2015, when he was just 15 years old. Last year’s winner, Rob Kelly of Ocean CIty, N.J., and the 2016 winner, Cam Richards of Garden City, S.C., tied for third place.
Gordon won a $5,000 check for the win, part of the contest’s $20,000 purse.
“The O’Neill Sweetwater Pro Am Surf Fest in Wrightsville Beach is always highly anticipated and this year was no exception,” said Brad Beach, event manager and co-founder. “The surf was small but contestable. All surfers and finalists were shredding.”
The girl’s open shortboard division was won by Bree Labiak of Conway, S.C.
This year’s event also featured the first contest for soft top boards, where creativity and style was favored over aggressive moves, with one surfer doing a headstand during the competition. Josh Gans of Wrightsville Beach was the inaugural winner of the category.
“We would like to thank everyone that made the weekend possible and everyone that came out to spectate and participate in the weekend’s events. It definitely takes a village. All in all, we had so much fun and hope everyone else did too,” said Beach
The complete list of winners included:
PRO
1. Luke Gordon, Isle of Palms, SC
2. Noah Schweizer, New Smyrna, FL
3. Rob Kelly, Ocean City NJ / Cam Richards, Garden City, SC
SOFT TOP OPEN
1. Josh Gans, Wrightsville Beach, NC
2. Rob Cordero, Wilmington, NC
3. Charles Oblinger, Wrightsville Beach, NC
4. Sam Felton, Wilmington, NC
BOYS 14 & UNDER SHORTBOARD
1. Blayr Barton, Virginia Beach, VA
2. Owen Carter, Wrightsville Beach, NC
3. Josh Gans, Wrightsville Beach, NC
4. Kendrick Remahl, Carolina Beach, NC
GUYS 15 & UP SHORTBOARD
1. Micha Cantor, Murrells Inlet, SC
2. Sebastian Mendes, San Clemente, CA
3. Owen Carter, Wrightsville Beach, NC
4. Kanoa Wong, Virginia Beach, VA
GUYS OPEN LONGBOARD
1. Bradley Rose, Carolina Beach, NC
2. Brycen Jernigan, Surf City, NC
3. Dakota Cottle, Surf City, NC
4. Collin Shovlin, Wilmington, NC
GIRLS OPEN SHORTBOARD
1. Bree Labiak, Conway, SC
2. Kailey Bogart, Haleiwa, HI
3. Callie Summerlin, Roanoke, VA
4. Leah Thompson, Wrightsville Beach, NC
GIRLS OPEN LONGBOARD
1. Callie Summerlin, Roanoke, VA
2. Bree Labiak, Conway, SC
3. Samantha Newkirk, Wilmington, NC
4. Leah Thompson, Wrightsville Beach, NC
