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24th Annual Jimmy Reilly Memorial Surf Classic

Shipwreck Beach San Diego California
20 January 2007

Three's a charm for 24th Annual Jimmy Reilly Memorial Surf Classic

After two postponements due to bad weather, the 24th Annual Jimmy Reilly Memorial Surf Classic was held under sunny but cold skies January 20th at Shipwreck Beach.

This contest has been a tradition in Coronado since 1983 as a memorial to Coronado local and surfer Jimmy Reilly who died that year in a car accident. The event had humble origins when a group of his friends got together at North Beach to remember a fallen friend that year. The event has grown far beyond what early organizers ever thought it would:

Today the children of those early contestants and organizers compete in junior categories. The event has become a family affair with many family members competing in every category offered. Other fallen friends of the beach have been added to the list of memoriam. And each year hundreds of well wishers attend (both in and out of the water) to celebrate the special feeling generated at the Jimmy Reilly Classic.

"This is a very special event and so typical of our island," said Kathy Clark, a retired schoolteacher who grew up in Coronado. "It's like a grand reunion. I see kids I taught the first five years of my teaching who are out there surfing in the Masters now -- people like Pat Mower and John Gillem, who have their own families now.

Dan Mann : photo Mike Coleman

The JR is like a grand reunion for anyone who ever enjoyed the beach here in Coronado. It's as looked forward to each year as the July Fourth Parade in our family." Members of the Coronado Surfing Association in conjunction with the City of Coronado put in many hours of planning and organizing to make this a bigger and better event than ever.

The day began at 6 a.m. to set up tents, loud speakers, and judging stands. The first heat was in the water at 7:30 a.m. Surf was in the two-to-four-foot range with glassy conditions and offshore winds in the morning. There were 22 entries in the Open division, 21 in the Masters, ten in the Womens, ten in the 14 and under girls, and 12 entered in the 14 and under boys division.

The wind turned onshore in the late morning which made the surf more challenging, and the water and wind chill were numbing, but finalists were able to show their talent in the water despite deteriorating conditions. After the final heats, the surfers, their families and friends, gathered in the parking lot and on the beach to enjoy a catered lunch by the the Brigantine and Miguel's Cocina. At that point there were plenty of stories to share about the day's activities.

As the food and awards were being set up and judges tallied their final scores, children on skateboards tried to catch the eye of older surfers as they performed every trick they knew in the parking lot.

Longboards were stacked in the back of trucks, on top of cars, and leaning against walls, and 60's surf music was blaring from the speakers. The ambience was not much different than a surf contest 35 years past, befitting of the longest continually held surf contest in San Diego County.

Perhaps the highlight of the day was young Sven Karlsson winning the Boys 14 and Under Division. As a complete surprise to him, Taylor Jensen, the number one longboarder in the United States (and number three in the world) presented the award to him.

Taylor, also a product of the Coronado surfing program, pulled one of his competition longboards from the back of his truck and presented it to Sven. That, as they say, was worth the price of admission for everyone involved. Giving back is a grand thing. As our young surfers grow and explore what the world has to offer, they take with them family values, and what we here in Coronado refer to as, "extended" family values.

Taylor Jensen, for example, has had the benefit of not only his wonderful parents, Marty and Karen, but of half a dozen other families in Coronado who have taken a personal interest in his future, his success, and his life. That didn't stop when he grew up.

For Taylor to show up at this event each year, when he could have been competing in Fiji, Hawaii, or Costa Rica, is a very mature and generous act. To present one of his longboards to the winner of the junior event is the definitive example of "giving back" to your community. The sheer inspiration that changed hands with the giving of that board was priceless.

Sponsored by the Coronado Surfing Association, proceeds from this event go to the Coronado High School and Middle School Surf teams, the CHS Surf Scholarship, and this year a donation will be made to Wildcoast, an environmental group.

There were numerous sponsors. Among them were Emerald City Surf & Sport, the Jackman Group, RB Taylor Construction, and San Diego Surfboards -- all of who donated a brand new surfboard for the raffle. Other major sponsors included Hollands' Bikes, Lorton Mitchell Custom Homes, Cleanline Concrete, and the Coronado Boathouse 1887, along with many, many other local sponsors.

Results:

14 and Under Boys
1. Sven Karlsson
2. Curtis Nixon
3. John Hogan
4. Jack Alldredge
5. Sean MacKenzie
6. Nate Hoffmann

14 and Under Girls

1.  Mallory Mitchell
2.  Erin Kraft
3.  Maggie Harris
4.  Mary Hogan
5. Brianna Giorgione
6. Ellie Nixon

Women's Open

1. Mel Rogers
2. Cheryl "The Shreddar" Woodhouse
3. Carolyn Mitchell
4. Peachy Alldredge
5. Darcie Nixon
6. Emily Bell

Masters

1. Mike Gillard
2. Chris McMahon
3. Alec MacKenzie
4. Kelly Kraus
5. Lorton Mitchell
6. Pat Mower

Men's Open

1. Dan Mann
2. Mike Gillard
3. Jack Christiansen
4. Taylor Mitchell
5. The Kid
6. Teevan McManus

The Best Nose Ride trophy was awarded to Terry Gillard and the Best Wipe Out Award was given to Lorton Mitchell, breaking a four-year run held by Cheryl "The Shreddar" Woodhouse

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