Unless you’re deep in the scene, it’s hard to keep up with all of the up-and-coming surfers out there. With the Loggerhead Classic just around the corner, happening this September 25th-27th in Jacksonville, Florida, we caught up with Justin Quintal to learn more about some of the contestants.
Justin Quintal: We have a crazy lineup of talent this year, with 130 competitors, and I could go on and on, but I’m going to try to narrow it down to a handful of people to watch based on previous performances at the Loggerhead Classic.
We’ve also got plenty of fresh faces traveling in from all over this year – surfers from California like Andy Nieblas; Hawaii with Keani Canullo, Honolua Blomfield and Sophia Culhane; Mexico with Dan Pascacio; Brazil with Shahaf Wisman, Yam Wisman’s brother; and plenty more.
5 Men to Watch
Loggerhead
Saxon Wilson – Feels like an obvious one. This stylish short king is a previous Loggerhead Champion and won the 60’s Vintage Log division last year. Saxon is always on a tear, in or out of the water. He’s proven himself at Loggerhead over and over again, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him walking away with some kind of trophy again this year!
Kai Nau – I was really impressed with this young logger out of South Carolina last year. Kai nearly won the whole damn event, finishing second in the Men’s Pro Log final. I’ve known about Kai for a while and he’s always ripped, but last year it really felt like he was coming into his own and holding it down against some serious talent. I’ve got a feeling this kid has the eye of the tiger this year!
Tommy Coleman – Tommy finished third in the main event last year and is coming off a huge win at the US Open of Surfing, as well as the MSA contest in Malibu. He’s on a hot streak right now, and I know what he has his sights set on next!
Shane Konrad – Shane moved up to Jax to go to UNF, and I’ve gotten to spend a lot more time in the water with him over the last couple years. He’s an incredibly well-rounded and stylish surfer, and I’ve been really impressed with his logging and his overall approach. He blends smooth, classic style with some zesty undertones and plenty of spice through his turns. He’s also a radical shortboarder and skater, and you can see those influences come out when he opens things up on a log. Making the Loggerhead final last year was a huge feat in itself, and I know he wants to get that W one of these years!
Chase Lieder – Gotta throw Chase in the mix! Chase is a standout every year at Loggerhead. He’s an amazing surfer from New York and always crushes it, whether he’s surfing the main event or the 60’s Vintage Log division. He and his dad drive down every year, they’re great people, and they have a rad shop up in Montauk. Chase finished second in the 60’s Vintage Log division last year, and he’s always someone you want to keep an eye on when he paddles out.
5 Women to Watch
Loggerhead
Jazmine Dean – Jazmine rips on everything and has been part of the Loggerhead since Day 1! She’s a multi-time Loggerhead Champion, our defending Women’s Pro Log Champion, and somebody we always love watching surf. Elegant style, incredibly well-rounded, and dangerous on just about anything you put under her feet. She’s definitely one you’ll want to watch!
Malia Llagan – Malia finished second last year and is an incredibly talented surfer from California who has joined us for the last few Loggerheads. Her surfing is smooth, solid and graceful, and she has a style that always sets her apart. After coming that close last year, she’s absolutely one to keep an eye on.
Sally Cohen – This Oahu-based surfer is incredibly well-rounded on just about any board, and it shows in her logging no matter what conditions you throw at her. Always fun to watch, we love her style and we’re stoked to have her back this year!
Lily May Whatley – Lily might be one of the most entertaining surfers to watch no matter what she rides, but she’s really got something special going on a log. She rips everything, but her logging is solid, smooth and stylish while still being full of improvisation and creativity.
There’s a personal connection here for me too. When I was a grom, I went on an ESA All-Star trip to Australia with her father, Bill Whatley, a legendary New Smyrna surfer who has since passed away. Bill was doing some of the most amazing surfing I had seen at that point in my life and was a huge influence on me. You can definitely see that talent was passed along to his daughter. Lily is always exciting to watch, and I’m stoked to have her back.
Loggerhead
Keani Canullo – Keani has really impressed me over the years, both with her surfing and her overall character. She’s talked about coming to Loggerhead for years and is finally making the trip! She rallied some of her friends from Waikiki to come along too, and honestly, all of them are going to be surfers to keep an eye on. For the sake of keeping this list reasonable, though, I wanted to give Keani the shoutout. We’re stoked to finally have her this year, and I have a feeling she and her friends are going to put on a show!
Honorable Mentions – Ryan Conklin
Loggerhead
Our defending Men’s Champion, Ryan Conklin, obviously deserves a mention. Ryan won’t be with us this year because he’ll be over at Gliding Barnacles in Portugal, peddling his boards and hopefully having another great year! We wish him all the luck over there and send much love to our European brothers and sisters!
Luca Aza
Out of respect, Luca Aza deserves an honorable mention too. Luca was planning on coming back this year after being an absolute standout last year – and basically becoming the spirit animal of the Loggerhead Classic. Unfortunately, Kauai got nailed by a major hurricane, and Luca needs to stay home to help his friends and family and take care of his own home. Much love to all our ohana over there and everyone on Kauai.
And if you need any indication of what kind of human Luca is: last year he got hit in the head during his 60’s Log heat, wrapped his jersey around his head to slow down the bleeding, paddled back out… and won the heat.
Made the final too. Didn’t seem to slow him down one bit. Oh, and he also won the party.
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