Brian Toth
&
María Kuzmovich!
WINS
30th Edition
Corona Pro Surf Circuit Oneill Series #4
CONGRATS TO BRIAN TOTH AND MARIA KUZMOVICH
On Sunday, October 9, 2016 at Middles Beach, near the town of Isabela, pro surfing in Puerto Rico Began again with the crowning of men’s and women’s champions Brian Toth and Maria Kuzmovich. Their victories gave them the early lead in the yearly APSPR rankings. Brian Toth, a local from Isabela, has previously won 8 events, as well as four seasons championships.
In today’s final Toth defeated fellow puertorrican Gabriel Escudero, both are goofy footers surfing on their backhand in the right handers at Middles, Toth was spectacular with the best wave displaying four vertical backhand hits to earn a score of 8.8 out of 10. Toth took home a check for $10,000 and 1,750 valuable rating points.
On the women’s side of the competition, Maria Kuzmovich, a Florida transplant who now resides full time on the Island defeated Alexis Engstrom who split her year between Puerto Rico and Montauk, New York. Kuzmovich took home a first place check for $5,000 and 1,750 ratings points, Kuzmovich is also the mother of young son Ezra, who cheered mom on to victory in the arms of his dad, fellow pro surfer Josie Graves on the way to the finals versus Engstrom, Kuzmovich had previously defeated Jazmin Dean, Idalis Alvarado and Amy Murphree.
Brian Toth sealed the men’s division in spectacular fashion by defeating Dylan Graves, David Speir and Hector Santamaria previows to the final. But the most memorable moment of the event was provided by Leif Kalaki Engstrom, who is the brother of the second place women, Alexis.
Leif Engstrom is one of the young men bread of aerial specialist and he performed one of his best today, a goofy-footer in the predominant right hander of Middles. Engstrom lunched into the air on a head high wave extended for feets above the lip and executed a full rotation air reverse landing perfectly without grabbing the board with either hand. The judging panel awarded him a perfect ten out of a ten possible points! One longtime judge was later heard to remark that it was “the best maneuver that he has ever seen”
Surf conditions had begun on thursday with 3 to 4 foot waves and light side offshores winds. By Sunday finals a raising swell delivered by tropical storm Nichol had built wave heights to head high with ocassional overhead sets. Sunday was also blessed with lighter offshores winds all day, grooming the waves into ocassionally hollow barrels which the surfers took good advantage of. Several tube rides including two by Dylan Graves and David Speir were highlights of Sunday’s action. In total, the high quality of the surf, as well as the performance by the competitors made the 30th Edition Corona Pro Surf Circuit O’neill series #4 one of the best ever.
Media:
Can download high and low resolution event images at:
http://apspr.net/13/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=29&Itemid=146
Thanks to all our generous sponsors of the 30th Edition of the Corona Extra Pro Circuit O’neill Series:
Corona Extra, O’neill, AT&T, Jose Cuervo, Wapa, El Nuevo Día, n-punto, Alfa Rock, Rad TV, Wener Vega Surfboards, Hang Loose Surf Shop, Pitorro.