The World Beach Invitational in conjunction with the California Beach Party got off to a great start! We started the event @ 2:00pm with anticipation of the low tide. The wind was strong and consistent, yet manageable. The tide was low at 2:30pm.

With only 6 teams we started the one round with the “NEW” World Beach Invitational Judges accelerating the risk of difficulty.

Of Course if you did drop “A LOT” this would in turn effect flow and you were awarded accordingly. Now, what was fun was having the option after 5 mins the team could take advantage of the “TURBO MINUTE”. This was a risk to obtain some Bonus points!!! If you spounch the opportunity you were to stop the routine and pour sand on your partners head, although you were not deducted any points! All in all EVERYBODY SHREDDED!!!! Bonus points were rewarded and no teams were sand bagged!

The Open Pairs was one round in random playing order thus putting all the teams in a limbo to see you jams first ect.. The first team out of the box…Joey Hudoklin and Dave Shiller. 2 min. before they were to jam Joey withdraws from the event with a pulled muscle injury!

Now with only one minute remaining Mark Regalbuti steps in and plays with the Schillman. Their routine was sweet. Mark brushing in the wind and jamming to the music and passing to the Schillman.

Dave completely going off the scale and shredding to an awesome jam.

Then came Chipper Bro and Danni Camernisi. The Flow was on! Jamming to Santana Danni starts with spinning brush combo to a hein 1-1/2 gitis. Tossing a clock to Chip starts with more brushing combo’s including a double leg over brush to over the leg roll to gitis! Super flow and using the environment proved to be a strong finish.

Then Diego Gamboa and Anne Graves came out and showed a beautiful flow and co-op routine that was tough but manageable in the wind. They both played great.

Then comes along Tommy Leitner and Dave Lewis emerge like two musketeers with sword controlling the wind Gods. Tommy Bad attitude delay off the throw, tipping, brushing, ad huge gitis. Passing to “Dazzling” Dave, at one point doing a tipping combo that even Master Joe was standing waving his arms “I am not worthy”. Tommy Gets the disc and does a triple spinning flamingo skid pass right to Lewis’s pull to a triple into gitis…WOW… Dave and Tommy will be leaving a mark on the canvas that will be remembered for years to come!

We gave out the Hein Beach Gitis award… This was for the jammer that shredded in deep sand, Water,wind, and flow,(Minimal Drops) and great attitude! The Award went to TOMMY LEITNER. The award was presented by Joey Hudoklin!

We are doing this event again and again. hope we get some Jr’s and more midwest and east coast jammers in the future.

Kelly and I would like to thank, Patagonia, Innova-Champion, Discovering the world US Rentals and all the staff from WBI and the California Beach Party. And a special thanks to Tommy Leitner and Dave Lewis for helping run the whole thing!

ZZZZZZZ You next year!

Chipper Bro!

Thanks Chipper for another great event, next year the WBI will be sponsored by the Global Jammers Association (a newly formed for-profit association formed to raise money for alternative freestyle events) and may very well be one of the biggest events of 2001.

My vote for the hein jammer award goes to Chip Bell who peeled several incredible brushing combos in the soft sand right infront of the judges, including an under the leg body roll into a gitis!

The random co-op was a total blast – getting Richi Smitz, Dave Zeff, Scott Starr, Jay “newly wed” Hinkle, and Mark Regalbuti out there among many others. Schiller absolutely peeled in the random jam – taking out some frustration at losing a chance to play with Joey for the first time.

Thanks to Patagonia and the Surfrider Foundation for taking part in this event – save our oceans.

– Tommy L