Half Moon Bay surfers get a chance to represent school

Half Moon Bay High School, along with Cunha Middle School, are the key members of the Half Moon Bay Surf Club. While not technically affiliated with the schools, it nonetheless represents both schools in the Core Scholastic Surf League, which is comprised of teams mostly from the Santa Cruz area.

"We represent the school, but we’re affiliated with the Coastside Boys’ and Girls’ Club,” said Half Moon Bay coach Marty Phelps.

This weekend, the club is hosting a contest involving teams from Aptos, Harbor, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley and Soquel high schools, along with Half Moon Bay. The high school contest is Saturday beginning at 7 a.m., while the middle school competition will go off beginning Sunday morning.

Both contests will be held at the Kelly Street break.

"Dawn patrol. That’s when the waves are best,” said Phelps, who coaches the high school-age team. "[Conditions] will be very mellow. Two to 3-foot surf. These guys are so light and nimble, what they can do on a 3-foot wave, I would need a 6-foot wave (to do).”

The contests feature both team and individual competitions in three different disciplines: shortboard, longboard and body board. There will be two, 15-minutes heats in the boys’ shortboard competition, and one, 15-minute heat in each of the following: boys’ longboard, girls’ short and longboard, and co-ed body boarding.

In the team competition, surfers earn points based on their wave scores. Each team will compete against another in all disciplines. The top three surfers from each heat will then battle it out for the individual title.

The Half Moon Bay Surf Club is in its fifth year of existence and is comprised of competition teams as well as others who just are in the club to surf. Between Half Moon Bay High and Cunha Middle schools, Phelps estimates there are 20 surfers and about 50, altogether, in the club.

"[Wednesday] night, we had middle school practice, and some of the high school kids showed up. Just looking out at the water, we had about 20 kids surfing three different peaks,” Phelps said. "We have sixth and seventh graders [who] are just tearing it up.”

The high school team is led by sophomore Konrad Wallace and junior Peter Lundgard.

"(Wallace) probably trains harder than any other kid I’ve had. I’m going to look for him as a top performer in longboard and shortboard,” Phelps said. "(Lundgard) not only is a strong surfer, he’s a strong swimmer. Combine the two and it makes him an incredibly efficient surfer. He’s in it mentally. He’s going to be a strong player.

"This year is a young team. Next year, will be a different story.”

Those who are chosen to participate in the contest are pushed every week in practice. Phelps said every Tuesday the team will hold a mini-contest to determine the surfers who will participate in the contests.

Even though the club does not have to adhere to the same academic requirements as an interscholastic team like players on a high school football or baseball do, Phelps treats the club like any high school team.

"We break the (surfer) stereotype,” Phelps said. "They have to maintain a minimum grade point average. If they have any derogatory reports on their progress reports, they don’t get to surf. Period. Last year, at least half of the team was on the honor roll.

"Our goal is really, having grown up as a surfer myself, is to really bring surfing as a shared, positive experience.”

Phelps said the surf scene in Half Moon Bay has remained steady over the years. The biggest change he’s seen is that more and more parents are supporting their surfing kids more aggressively than previous generations.

"What you’re seeing now is not just kids going to the beach on their own. You see moms and dads on the beach, taking pictures or videoing their kids,” Phelps said. "A large percentage (of the parents) are surfers now. They see it (surfing) as more of a family experience.”