Colton Ward
"I need to surf everday or someone is going to get hurt!"
Name: Colton Ward
Sponsors: O'Neill, Oakley, Mayhem Surfboards Birthdate: April 29th, 1997
Resides: San Clemente, CA
San Clemente's Colton Ward is the quintessential surf stokedgrom. He is up at the crack of dawn waiting to slip into the water and get hissurf on every morning. He has progressed by leaps and bounds this year and isrequalarily making finals in the NSSA and winning WSA events. His most recenthighlight was winning the 2009 WSA West Coast Championships held at Church's inreally fun conditions. He also finished off the NSSA Open Boys divison in 9thoverall and has one more year in that division.
He surfs T-street in the morning then Lowers in the evening,and when the beach breaks are good he is on it. Outside of surfing he likes toride motorcross, skateboard and bug his dad just for the sport of it.
Colton will be heading off on a surf few trips south of the border this summer and will then head on over to the North Shore for some lickings this winter. He loves V-Land, and will also be posted up at Rockies and Eukai with the O'Neill crew and will be going through his apprenticeship in earnest.
Colton Ward Wins NSSA State Championships
Team O'Neill Dominates State Finals
The NSSA Interscholastic State Championships finished this past weekend at Huntington Beach Pier in the continuing relentless El Nino winter that produced wet and unruly conditions. Despite the cold winds and rain squalls the surf was punchy and offered great opportunity to really showcase the surfers ability.
San Clemente's Shore Cliffs Middle school took down the Championship with Colton Ward leading the charge and winning his first ever state title. He surfed smart and calculated by picking off the left-against-the-grain where he was able to get a series of nice slash's in the pocket and top off his waves with a nice finishing turn on the beach. When the horn blew he was heavily cheered by the whole San Clemente crew on the beach.
In the Highschool Junior Varsity Divsion Josh Giddings posted the best single wave score of the finals with a wave punctuated with multiple slashes and vertical backside re-entries garnering 7.5. Then with two minutes to go he was in the hunt for a 5.2 and found and inside runner and put together a solid wave with three turns in succession but came away with a 5.1. Painfully close but a great display of surfing none the less.
Rounding out the Highschool Varsity finals was Ian Crane and Shaw Kobayashi who placed 4th and 5th respectively. They had trouble finding the waves that connected to the inside reform, but with their results they helped catapult San Clemente Highschool over Huntington Beach becoming the 2010 NSSA Highschool Champions.
Congratulations to Shore Cliffs Middle School and San Clemente High for the their collective efforts and Championship dominance! Congratulations to the athletes that made it happen.
For more details go to www.nssa.org
Colton Ward Wins NSSA Event In Pumping Surf!
Event number 8 in the NSSA Open Season schedule went off this weekend in Ventura with some of the biggest California Street the event has had in its long history. Solid 6-8' foot surf pumped its way through the point this weekend offering the competitors epic surf to test their skills in.
San Clemente's Colton Ward won his first ever NSSA Open Season Boys final in the double overhead surf. It was a great accomplishment for the 12 year old goofy foot, considering he has been chipping away making several finals this year and now has finally captured the 1st place prize. What makes the win that much sweeter is it was in large challenging surf and didn't come down to groveling in small meager surf. He accomplished his goal by seizing the best waves of the final and laying down big carves on his backhand. Coming in the runner up position was Capo Beach's Jake Davis who was hot on Colton's heels to the very end, but narrowly lost in a few very tense moments to close out the final. With thirty seconds remaining and Colton in the lead Jake managed to grab a buzzer beater, but in the end it wasn't enough and big cheers where in hand for Colton's maiden win.
O'Neill team riders seized three of the top spots in the Boys 6 man final, with Colton Ward in first, Jake Davis in second, and Thelen Mckinna in third.
In the Juniors division we saw Ian Crane back in form after missing the first 7 events due to an injury he sustained last summer. He made quick work of the long beautiful walls displaying his powerful backside carves on many set waves. He reached the semi finals, which is a solid effort to make his way back into competition.
Other O'Neill highlights were Newbury Park's Jake Kelley,San Clemente's Josh Giddings and Shaw Kobayashi catching some amazing rides in the perfect surf.
The next NSSA event will be held at Salt Creek February 6-7.
Most embarrassing moment?
Josh Giddings pantsed me down at Lowers.
Favorite quote?
Don't have one yet. I am only 12. Let me get back to you on that.
Chocolate or Vanilla?
Chocolate
Glass on fins or fin Systems?
FCS
Favorite surf destination and wave?
Haven't been to Macaroni's but that would be it. Love surfing Lowers though.
Favorite maneuver?
The air reverse
Celebrity crush?
Miley Cyrus
What do you ride?
KA Stealth Mayhem 5'0"
Favorite website?
Surfline and YouTube
Sounds?
Black Tide
Biggest influence in your life?
My dad for everything and Jordy Smith as a surfer.
Favorite Surfers?
Jordy Smith, Ian Crane, Kelohe Andino
Worst Wipe out?
Two days ago. Went for an air and ate it. My board smacked me on the back of my head and gave a me a big bump and the fin also cut me. It was not good.