lowers? yes,please

By: Betsy O'Neill

INTERVIEW WITH DARREN “BRILLO” BRILLHART

The final moments of glory.

Back in February, the Encinitas Boardriders Club won the Southern Division event in an exciting, down-to-the-buzzer moment right here in our backyard of Seaside!! The crowds went wild! After beating our friendly rival San Clemente, we proudly claimed the giant trophy cup, qualifying once again to participate in the Championships. This was our shining moment of glory in only our second year of having a home club. After the contest, we threw a super fun, community party, featuring the Chimis Band and Sack Lunch. It was a day and night to remember.

After recovering from the party, we were frothin’ for the Championship contest that had been scheduled for May 9th, but we all know the rest of that story. Due to federal and state regulations to help prevent the spread of the novel Coronavirus, we all had Stay At Home orders and were lucky to get in the water at all. But now we’re back out there surfing our favorite breaks. Cheer up, the future of surfing is on its way! And that Championship contest we were waiting for is on schedule to happen Saturday, September 12th.

Depending on how things go over the next 6-8 weeks, it is still possible that we may be able to run our Championships at Lowers to finish out our 2019-20 season and crown a WCBR Champion. After that, the 2020-21 season will start up on October 3rd at Churches. At least that’s the idea.

When I called to update the West Coast Board Riders info, I was lucky enough to land the ever-busy, Darren Brillhart on the other end of the line.

“Right now, there is a 50/50 chance and we are penciled in on the schedule with the State,” says “Brillo” who is a founding member, super-stoked visionary, professional contest organizer, and major driving force behind the Westcoast Board Riders.

After three short years, a total of 14 coastal Board Riders teams have now been identified by cities and regions, and they compete in a total of twelve contest per year. These American clubs are modeled after the historic Australian clubs which have been around for half a century. As Surfing Australia puts it, “…club competitions teach the skills required to pursue a competitive career and introduce surfers to the benefits of the support and friendship offered by club membership.”

Our Encinitas team has surfers in divisions from ages 10-50 + and includes all genders. In an exciting tag team format, every surfer’s score counts, so it's truly a team competition.

But that only happens if you can hold a contest.

When I asked Brillo about the State Parks policy, he replied, “They don’t even know at this point when STAGE 4 of the California State Reopening Plan will open up, allowing sporting events, but I think we’ll get the call by August. If not Lowers, we also have two other options which would be City Beaches like Huntington Beach, or Newport. We might be sharing a venue with the USA Championships for NSSA and their five-day event, giving us Saturday after they’ve finished. We will keep you all in the loop as things develop.”

And what a loop that is for the future of surfing! Brillo was proud to announce the addition of the East Coast teams from South Carolina, Florida, Virginia, New Jersey, and the idea of having a US Open as well as an International Contest sometime in the next five years. The beauty of all of this is that a surfer can join now and stay in the game – no matter what age. Brillo encourages everyone to keep the momentum going, surf and keep your competition skills sharp – because 2020 isn’t over yet and the next five years look very promising.

As for me? I have a feeling the next half of our year will be one for the history books and we know it’s going to include the Championships at Lowers (or somewhere) for the Encinitas Boardriders Club!

Join the Boardriders Club today and stay connected so you can come out and support us in the Fall.

Who Will be at this event September 12, 2020?

NORTH DIVISION

1. Santa Cruz Board Riders

2. Ventura Board Riders

CENTRAL DIVISION

1. Huntington Beach Board Riders

2. Newport Beach Board Riders

SOUTH DIVISION

1. San Clemente Board Riders

2. Encinitas Board Riders