2003 O'Neill Cold Water Classic -- Day 4

Kieran Horn Comes Through For Santa Cruz

Melanie Bartels

Melanie Bartels Tops The Women, Claims Overall Foster's Title

The dedicated surf fans of Santa Cruz got what they wanted on Sunday. The largest crowd ever for an O'Neill Cold Water Classic saw one of their own come away with an emotional victory in near perfect conditions. There was no doubt that Kieran Horn had home field advantage going into the finals. The overwhelming crowd support was clear (they even gave him more love than Machado), and everyone knows about Steamer Lane's reputation for taking care of her own. "I know The Lane is kind of a tricky spot and that's the reason there's been so much success for the local guys," Horn said on the podium after his mandatory Foster's victory shower, "I was just looking for the waves that had shape." He found them. He also found himself holding a check for $5,000 which will be sensibly used to, "pay some bills."

It wasn't a bad day for Machado either. In addition to picking up $2,000 for a third place finish, he won the overall Foster's tour title which entitled him to a big trophy and $10,000 check.

Melanie Bartels came into the CWC knowing she needed a second place finish or better to win the overall women's Foster's tour title. The Hawaiian looked completely comfortable in the big, cold surf of Northern California and cruised to victory against a talented field that included Claire Beuilacqua, who had the single highest wave score of the day (9.5).

Kieran's fans celebrate in the streets of Santa Cruz.

STATS

Date: Sunday, October 26, 2003
Location: Steamer Lane, Santa Cruz, CA
Weather: sunny, hot
Surf: solid 6-8 feet, clean, best ever for a CWC finals
Sponsors: O'Neill, Foster's, Surfer Magazine, Surfing Magazine, SG

Best Scoring Waves: Claire Beuilacqua 9.50 (that's right, a girl), Tim Reyes 9.00, Adam Virs 8.60, Matt Archbold 8.00, Roy Powers 8.00, Dean Randazzo 8.00
Best Average Heat Points: Tim Reyes 15.75, Adam Virs 15.60, Kieran Horn 14.50, Roy Powers 14.00
Local Boys Update: Kieran Horn quietly worked his way up through the ranks and was able to keep the CWC title "in the family." Jason "Ratboy" Collins put on the day's best show when he rode a wave clear through to Indicators, climbed the steps, then hopped on someone's bike and sprinted back out to the point where jumped off the cliff and back into the lineup. Despite the pageantry, he would later be eliminated in the quarterfinals. Kenny "Skindog" Collins suffered the same fate. Anthony Ruffo, Noi Kaulukakui and Tyler Smith were unable to reach the quarterfinals.
Past Champs Update: Matt Archbold put in another impressive performance, but it wasn't enough to get him into the quarterfinals. Adam Replogle made it to the semi-finals, but his quest to repeat would end there. Roy Powers exploded at the start of his quarterfinals heat with one of the day's most impressive rides. The only problem was that he never got a second wave to round out his score and wound up finishing last.
Randazzo Report (for the Jersey faithful): Alas, there will be no singing in the streets of Secaucus tonight. Randazzo fell short in his campaign to "Jersey the Lane" when he was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Matt King and Chris Drummy.
Fun and Games: After they both failed to make the quarterfinals, Tim Reyes and Nathaniel Curren decided to head around the corner and try to blend in with the 5,000 people learning to surf over at Cowell's. They showed up on the beach, wetsuits on backward, and proceeded to rent a 12-foot foam board, which they paddled out tandem. "We told the guys we only had enough money to rent one board," Reyes said. The hijinks that ensued were all documented on video and should be available to the masses soon. Final Results

Men
1. Kieran Horn, $5,000
2. Shaun Ward, $2,500
3. Rob Machado, $2,000
4. Chris Drummy, $1,500

Women
1. Melani Bartels, $2,000
2. Claire Beuilacqua, $900
3. Siri Cota, $600
4. Anastasia Ashley, $500

 

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