Brothers win contest
December 14, 2005 Wormhoudt brothers win first Nelscott Reef tow-in contest
By JULIE JAG Sentinel Staff Writer Laidback brothers Jake and Zach Wormhoudt don't mind living life in the slow lane. But after 14 hours of driving in it as they towed their personal watercraft from Santa Cruz to Lincoln City, Ore., last weekend, they were ready for a little excitement. They got plenty of it at the inaugural Nelscott Reef Tow-In Contest on Sunday. The brothers won the contest by teaming up to out-surf — and out-drive — some of the top tow-in crews from Northern California, and a few from Oregon, in frigid, 12- to 20-foot waves. "That was the coolest part about it," said Zach Wormhoudt, 35, speaking not of the icy water, but of teaming with his brother. "I would have loved to win anyway, but it was the coolest to win with my brother." The Wormhoudts agreed that being brothers helped their teamwork in the water. And though they were in Oregon, they were privvy to a bit of shared local knowledge since a Santa Cruz surfer could be found on 11 of the 15 teams in the contest. In fact all four of the finalists included a Santa Cruz surfer. The Wormhoudts,who have been towing into waves together for eight years, edged locals Tyler Fox and Shane Desmond for the win by less than a point. Peter Mel and defending Maverick's champion Anthony Tashnick took third while Santa Cruz's Mike Brummet and Mav's pioneer Jeff Clark finished fourth. The Nelscott Reef contest window spanned from Oct. 15 to Thursday, and organizers were just starting to think they may have to cancel the contest or extend the window when a suitable swell finally rolled in. Surfers were given 48 hours notice to get to Lincoln City. Almost immediately after getting word that the contest was on, the Wormhoudts embarked on the 800-mile drive that had to be made entirely in the slow lane because of state laws restricting vehicles towing PWCs. "It was brutal," Zach Wormhoudt said. Advertisement Once they arrived, however, their situation improved considerably. Contest organizer and Nelscott Reef pioneer John Norse said the 7,500 people in the sleepy town, made even sleepier by the cold weather, "treated the competitors like royalty." The Wormhoudts agreed the laid-back atmosphere surrounding the town and the contest, which stood in stark contrast to the super-hyped Maverick's paddle-in contest, suited them perfectly. Though they had studied the wave via video and spent some time practicing their tow-in techniques, both entered the contest more excited about surfing a new spot than winning a trophy. "I don't think either of us are necessarily doing these things with the intent to win always, which surprises some of our friends who are more competitive-minded," Jake Wormhoudt said. "Being invited is an honor. ... It just happened to be one of those days that unfolded and happened to be our day." Between qualifying rounds, the Wormhoudts took time out to devour steaming bowls of clam chowder some of the 100 or so local spectators had cooked up on the beach on portable Coleman stoves. They also relished being able to surf a monster wave that dissolved into deep water instead of crashing on a sharp and dangerous reef. They advanced to the hour-long final after surfing one 40-minute qualifying round apiece In tow-in surfing, one person drives the personal watercraft, while the other clips their feet into straps on their board, grabs onto a tow rope and gets slung into the path of an oncoming wave. Jake Wormhoudt, 33, was ready to go at the sound of the finals starting horn, and he got the brothers into a steady rhythm of catching waves. He caught one of the biggest waves of the contest -- a 20-footer — and even lucked into a wave that started to break right, then turned left to give him a move that he guessed "would have looked dynamic from the cliff." A little before the 30-minute mark, Zach Wormhoudt took his turn with similar results. With their concentration focused on driving and surfing, teams rarely got glimpses at their opponents' waves. Still, the Wormhoudts felt satisfied, even hopeful, after the session. Apparently, with good reason. They weren't the only ones who went away satisfied. Even organizer John Forse said he would've liked to have bigger waves, but couldn't complain. "It was better than we could've imagined it," he said, adding that his group, Behemoth LLC, is already planning next year's contest. The Wormhoudt brothers split $6,500 for the win, while second took $4,000, third $2,500 and fourth $2,000. Those are small sums compared to some of the bigger contests, like Mav's and the Eddie Aikau. But Zach Wormhoudt said he enjoyed himself so much that he didn't mind the payout. "I pretty much would've paid that money to go surf up there," he said. For more information on the contest, or for video, visit www.nelscottreef.com. Contact Julie Jag at atjjag@santacruzsentinel.com. *** THE COMPETITORS 1. Jake Wormhoudt/Zach Wormhoudt 2. Shane Desmond/Tyler Fox 3. Anthony Tashnick/Peter Mel 4. Jeff Clark/Mike Brummet Also: Jason "Ratboy" Collins/Josh Loya Osh Bartlett/Anthony Ruffo Don Curry/Jason Garding Mark Builder/Keith Galbraith Stan Meurer/Josh Mulcoy Raph Bruhwiler/Peyo Lazarazu Alistair Craft/Adam Replogle Shawn Barron/Darryl "Flea" Virostko Vince Broglio/Richard Schmidt Davey Smith/Paul Schulte Jeff Kafka/ Joey Hutson
By JULIE JAG Sentinel Staff Writer Laidback brothers Jake and Zach Wormhoudt don't mind living life in the slow lane. But after 14 hours of driving in it as they towed their personal watercraft from Santa Cruz to Lincoln City, Ore., last weekend, they were ready for a little excitement. They got plenty of it at the inaugural Nelscott Reef Tow-In Contest on Sunday. The brothers won the contest by teaming up to out-surf — and out-drive — some of the top tow-in crews from Northern California, and a few from Oregon, in frigid, 12- to 20-foot waves. "That was the coolest part about it," said Zach Wormhoudt, 35, speaking not of the icy water, but of teaming with his brother. "I would have loved to win anyway, but it was the coolest to win with my brother." The Wormhoudts agreed that being brothers helped their teamwork in the water. And though they were in Oregon, they were privvy to a bit of shared local knowledge since a Santa Cruz surfer could be found on 11 of the 15 teams in the contest. In fact all four of the finalists included a Santa Cruz surfer. The Wormhoudts,who have been towing into waves together for eight years, edged locals Tyler Fox and Shane Desmond for the win by less than a point. Peter Mel and defending Maverick's champion Anthony Tashnick took third while Santa Cruz's Mike Brummet and Mav's pioneer Jeff Clark finished fourth. The Nelscott Reef contest window spanned from Oct. 15 to Thursday, and organizers were just starting to think they may have to cancel the contest or extend the window when a suitable swell finally rolled in. Surfers were given 48 hours notice to get to Lincoln City. Almost immediately after getting word that the contest was on, the Wormhoudts embarked on the 800-mile drive that had to be made entirely in the slow lane because of state laws restricting vehicles towing PWCs. "It was brutal," Zach Wormhoudt said. Advertisement Once they arrived, however, their situation improved considerably. Contest organizer and Nelscott Reef pioneer John Norse said the 7,500 people in the sleepy town, made even sleepier by the cold weather, "treated the competitors like royalty." The Wormhoudts agreed the laid-back atmosphere surrounding the town and the contest, which stood in stark contrast to the super-hyped Maverick's paddle-in contest, suited them perfectly. Though they had studied the wave via video and spent some time practicing their tow-in techniques, both entered the contest more excited about surfing a new spot than winning a trophy. "I don't think either of us are necessarily doing these things with the intent to win always, which surprises some of our friends who are more competitive-minded," Jake Wormhoudt said. "Being invited is an honor. ... It just happened to be one of those days that unfolded and happened to be our day." Between qualifying rounds, the Wormhoudts took time out to devour steaming bowls of clam chowder some of the 100 or so local spectators had cooked up on the beach on portable Coleman stoves. They also relished being able to surf a monster wave that dissolved into deep water instead of crashing on a sharp and dangerous reef. They advanced to the hour-long final after surfing one 40-minute qualifying round apiece In tow-in surfing, one person drives the personal watercraft, while the other clips their feet into straps on their board, grabs onto a tow rope and gets slung into the path of an oncoming wave. Jake Wormhoudt, 33, was ready to go at the sound of the finals starting horn, and he got the brothers into a steady rhythm of catching waves. He caught one of the biggest waves of the contest -- a 20-footer — and even lucked into a wave that started to break right, then turned left to give him a move that he guessed "would have looked dynamic from the cliff." A little before the 30-minute mark, Zach Wormhoudt took his turn with similar results. With their concentration focused on driving and surfing, teams rarely got glimpses at their opponents' waves. Still, the Wormhoudts felt satisfied, even hopeful, after the session. Apparently, with good reason. They weren't the only ones who went away satisfied. Even organizer John Forse said he would've liked to have bigger waves, but couldn't complain. "It was better than we could've imagined it," he said, adding that his group, Behemoth LLC, is already planning next year's contest. The Wormhoudt brothers split $6,500 for the win, while second took $4,000, third $2,500 and fourth $2,000. Those are small sums compared to some of the bigger contests, like Mav's and the Eddie Aikau. But Zach Wormhoudt said he enjoyed himself so much that he didn't mind the payout. "I pretty much would've paid that money to go surf up there," he said. For more information on the contest, or for video, visit www.nelscottreef.com. Contact Julie Jag at atjjag@santacruzsentinel.com. *** THE COMPETITORS 1. Jake Wormhoudt/Zach Wormhoudt 2. Shane Desmond/Tyler Fox 3. Anthony Tashnick/Peter Mel 4. Jeff Clark/Mike Brummet Also: Jason "Ratboy" Collins/Josh Loya Osh Bartlett/Anthony Ruffo Don Curry/Jason Garding Mark Builder/Keith Galbraith Stan Meurer/Josh Mulcoy Raph Bruhwiler/Peyo Lazarazu Alistair Craft/Adam Replogle Shawn Barron/Darryl "Flea" Virostko Vince Broglio/Richard Schmidt Davey Smith/Paul Schulte Jeff Kafka/ Joey Hutson
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