Wave got news for you
Oregon’s longest-running surf competition barrels into Pacific City
By Jordan Wolfe
For the TODAY
Against the mighty dual backdrop of Pacific City’s Haystack Rock and Cape Kiwanda, surfers of all ages are hoping to catch the biggest wave or score the longest ride at the Pacific Northwest’s longest-running surf competition.
And if you’re lucky, maybe someone will hang ten.
The 27th Annual Cape Kiwanda Longboard Classic is set to gather roughly 250 surfers across 15 age and gender divisions for a three-day celebration of surfing this Friday, Sept. 18 through Sunday, Sept. 20, with proceeds helping to improve water rescue capabilities of local fire and rescue districts.
Festivities begin Friday with a free 5 pm kick-off party with live music at the original Pelican Pub & Brewery.
On Saturday and Sunday, surfers will begin heading into the water at 7:30 am, with six surfers competing in 15-minute heats until late afternoon.
“What makes it so special is a lot of the people have been doing it for the last 27 years,” said Jeff Mollencop, Cape Kiwanda Longboard Classic Co-Organizer and owner of Moment Surf Co. “There's a real love for the contest and it shows and it's just a really fun event.”
Good views for watching the event can be found around the Pelican Pub, on the beach or atop Cape Kiwanda itself — and even if you can’t tell the nose from the tail of a surfboard, Mollencop said phenomenal announcers make the event accessible and engaging for all by describing the action in the water and relaying the enthusiasm of each heat.
“People are dedicated to it and want to participate because it is just fun,” he said. “Yes, it is a competition. Yes, some people really want to win. But the vast majority are just having a good time. And that's what keeps me motivated.”
While the competitors are mostly amateurs and hobbyists around Oregon, Mollencop said some surfers are coming from Hawaii, California and even Canada — including a few professionals.
“When the really experienced surfers get out there, the quality of surfing is amazing and you'll be able to understand really quickly how good these guys are,” Mollencop said. “The 40-year-old division is really something special and it's as good longboarding as you're going to find.”
On Sunday after the final heat, trophies will be given to the top surfers across the divisions as well as special awards given to those who surf the best wave of the competition. Judges will score the surfers based on the size, length and quality of the wave they catch and the maneuvers they perform while riding, like cross-stepping or hanging ten — which, if you’re like me and just finding out, is dangling all 10 toes off the nose of a longboard.
“To get good at longboarding and really take it to the next level is very difficult,” Mollencop said. “There's a definite skill and it gets to be challenging for sure.”
What exactly is a longboard? For the classic, all surfers will be out on surfboards nine feet or longer which, according to Mollencop, tend to be more stable, easier to stand on and faster to paddle and catch waves with.
“When surfing got popular, longboards were the mainstay,” he said. “The Ledbetters, who started the contest, wanted to honor that tradition.”
While the competition is capped at roughly 250 surfers because it’s hard to judge surfing as the sun begins to set, Mollencop said organizers enthusiastically accept all participants in the Kids and Parents division — where children aged 12 and younger share a board with a parent. This year, Mollencop expects 24 pairs in the division.
“We've got kids that started off with that division that are now surfing in the 20- or 30-year-old divisions that have been doing it every year for this long,” Mollencop said. “That's pretty special and really neat to see.”
Proceeds from merchandise, food and drink sales successfully funded the Pacific City Skatepark over the past 15 years. This year, those funds will go to help a new cause: improving and enhancing water rescue capabilities of Nestucca Rural Fire Protection District and North Lincoln Fire and Rescue District.
With all the action happening in such an accessible location, Mollencop hopes to attract as many visitors as possible to see what surfing on the Oregon Coast looks like.
“You gotta be a little bit hardy to do it, but that's what makes it special and fun,” Mollencop said. “It is its own little thing — wearing wetsuits, the cold water and unfavorable conditions a lot of the time — but, you know, we love it.”
The 27th Annual Cape Kiwanda Longboard Classic runs from Friday, Sept. 18, through Sunday, Sept. 20, around the beach southside of Cape Kiwanda near Pelican Brewing Company. For more information, go to capekiwandalongboardclassic.com.