Surfin’ U.S.A.: 7 Mile Boardriders Thrilled to Compete in Nationals
South Jersey, best known as the beach playground to inland Pennsylvania, New Jersey and points north, was Boardriders heaven this offseason.
Hard-core Jersey surfers embrace the Northeast Atlantic waves like chilled, rolling wet blankets instead of the warmer surfer environs of California, Hawaii and Florida. But, make no mistake, the local Boardriders own the local shoreline.
Casey O’Hara, Kevin Morris and a group of surfers in several age and class divisions representing 7 Mile Beach rode a wave to victory April 9 in Avalon at the South Jersey Boardriders qualifier for the inaugural U.S. Boardriders National Championships at San Clemente, Calif., two weeks later.
“U.S. Boardriders in California called last year and said, ‘We want to have you guys to nationals, but you need to have an interclub competition in the South Jersey region to qualify,’” says O’Hara, whose family owns and operates Uncle Bill’s Pancake House. “The surfers and local communities really helped make the whole deal happen.”
Formed in 2018, the South Jersey Boardriders were inspired by the century-old Australian Boardriders, with a focus on supporting charities and building the sport. Raising interest in the qualifier wasn’t a problem with avid winter surfers from Ocean City to Cape May jumping at the chance to compete.
“The offseason waters are cold in Jersey, but the waves are the best,” O’Hara says. “But the improvement of wet suits has made it easier for us to surf in the cold weather. We have a hardcore culture here and in the Northeast. The guys here want to get barrelled” – to be encapsulated by a wave that is hollow when it is breaking.
Morris, president of the South Jersey Boardriders and a buyer for Jersey-based Heritage Surf & Sport in his professional life, said the recent rise of the Boardriders is built on the passion of local surfers and “three pillars of community, conservation and culture.”
Jersey Boardriders provides ocean education for its members, which includes teaching about the dangers of rip currents and other helpful topics for swimmers, lifeguards and others who enjoy the water. The group emphasizes the importance of beach conservation. The organization hosts surfboard drives in which members can donate surfboards to be delivered to underprivileged children, an effort to make the sport more inclusive.
“There’s a long history of avid surfers here, who are really involved year-round,” Morris says. “We thought we could establish a formal support system for our older surfers and new surfers by giving back to the community. We share the beach with everyone during the offseason and the summer months, so we want to contribute our love and knowledge of the ocean. We’ve been able to help young surfers grow in the sport.”
Local surfers competed in seven divisions, from the under-14s to the over-50s and Open Women’s Division, with each club composed of 28 surfers (four per division). Each surfer was allowed to ride four waves in their heat, with their top two waves counting in their score line. There was also one “double whammy” surfer per team, per heat, with that designated surfer’s score doubled.
Members of the 7 Mile Island Boardriders who qualified included: Ben Davis (under-14), Allyssa Sittineri and Emily Logan (women), Austin King and Mike Ciaramella (20s), Chris Eaves and Brian Carney (30s), Brian Herron and Seth Stafford (40s), and Mike Dewald (50s).
“It was an amazing three weeks,” says O’Hara, the team’s captain. “We called [Avalon] Mayor Pagliughi. He said, ’Send me an email about what you want to do,’ and the community got behind us. We were given great access to the beach and support from the police department. The waves were perfect. It was a unicorn day. Sixty-five degrees, west wind, and families came out for the day. It was great.”
Once the 7 Mile surfers took the local title, the group organized a “travel team” that included surfers from other South Jersey clubs.
The local communities and sponsors embraced the team and donated several thousand dollars for air fares and hotel accommodations. Red Bull, Purdy Real Estate, Playa Bowls/Joe Wallash, Uncle Bill’s Pancake House, Circle Tavern, Joe Butler and Ed Hutchison donated to the 7 Mile team’s events and the California championship trip. 7 Mile Pies delivered pizza and Boulevard Market also delivered lunches to the qualifier in Avalon.
“As soon as we got out there in California, we started hearing the locals calling us out and talking about the ‘Jersey surfers,’” O’Hara says. “We felt like we were part of the family and we felt like they respected our history. The whole experience inspired us to move forward and get younger surfers involved in building the Boardriders here in South Jersey.”
At the national championships, the hometown San Clemente club took five of seven heat wins and posted an overall event score of 243.42 points. The 7 Mile Island Boardriders finished fifth with a total score of 108.33.
Those interested can learn more about South Jersey Boardriders and 7 Mile Island Boardriders on Instagram at @SJBoardriders and @7MileBoardriders. For more information about becoming a member of a community greater than just the sport of surfing itself, visit sjboardriders.com.