Gathering of the Tribes comes to an end

Church Beach, California
January 3 and 4, 2009.

The Doheny Longboard Surfing Association’s 13th annual Gathering of the Tribes event came to a close last Sunday afternoon with an amazing series of hotly contested finals. Several inspired performances and great last minute clutch surfing that capped off the two day classic.
In the girls 14 and under competition, Hallie Rohr of the Doheny club bested Makala Smith of the Oceanside group with an amazing series of linked moves and great wave selection. The men’s 20 to 29 age group featured over-the top surfing from both Tyler Warren and Bucky Barry of Doheny and eventual winner Steve Newton of Oceanside. The weekend conditions consisted of everything mother nature could drum up from rough wind-chopped waves on Saturday to choice 3 to 6 foot glassy peelers on Sunday. The conditions for the final were the perfect backdrop for classic longboard surfing.
This year’s event consisted of two competitive surfing areas that were judged simultaneously by two separate judging stations. The configuration enabled over 350 contestants from over 18 Longboard Coalition Teams to surf and work their way to the finals on Sunday afternoon.
The Doheny Longboard Surfing Association has held the Gathering of the Tribes surf event for 13 years and sets the tone for the coming year of club competition. This year’s program was no exception. Jack Sutter, Doheny Longboard Club President, stated,” This year’s event was especially exciting because we were able to add a Stand Up Paddle (SUP) division that showed just how far the sport has come with their exceptional wave surfing abilities”.
The Coalition of Surfing Clubs (CSC) is an international organization that represents the interests of surfing clubs throughout California and the world. It acts as a united voice to address issues related to coastal water quality, beach access, development, and legislative policy. The Coalition represents over 10,000 surfers of all ages and exists for the betterment of the citizenship of the surfer, to improve clean water locally and globally and to promote the sport of surfing.
The Doheny Longboard Surfing Association is an organization comprised of individuals dedicated to the enjoyment of board surfing in a clean and natural environment. In relation to that philosophy, the DLSA will act as a support group to other organizations with similar views and objectives. For additional information contact Denny Michael at dlsa10@hotmail.com

http://beach.freedomblogging.com/2009/01/06/hundreds-compete-at-longboard-competition-in-san-o/4696/#more-4696

http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/contest-news/13th-annual-gathering-of-the-tribes-longboard-surf-event-comes-to-close_21485/

http://www.surfersvillage.com/surfing/38355/news.htm

http://www.dohosurf.org/News.html

http://www.mylocallineup.com/20090105500/contests/club/gathering-of-the-tribes-09.html