It’s time once again to vote for the best Orange County surfers of the year. The Orange County Register, the local newspaper for Orange County, California, is asking their readers to select their favorite OC Surfers of the Year in an online contest. Now in its fourth year and sponsored by the U.S. Open of Surfing and Huntington Surf and Sport, The OC Register wants to recognize that Orange County is the breeding ground for some of the world’s best surfers.
There are four categories:
- Surfer of the Year – Male
- Surfer of the Year – Female
- Surfer of the Year – Male Rising Star
- Surfer of the Year – Freesurfer
Surfers who compete professionally on the Association of Surfing Professionals circuit make up the list for Surfer of the Year – Male. Huntington Beach pro Brett Simpson has won the contest three years in a row, and is up for the title again. The newest category, Surfer of the Year – Freesurfer, was added this year to acknowledge surfers for style and impact in the sport outside of the competitive circuits.
This year’s nominees are:
Surfer of the Year – Male: Brett Simpson, Brad Ettinger, Dane Gudauskas, Tanner Gudauskas, Patrick Gudauskas, Chris Waring, Chris Ward, Nate Yeomans, Timmy Reyes, Greg Long, Kolohe Andino
Surfer of the Year – Female: Lani Doherty, Kulia Doherty, Erica Hosseini, Courtney Conlogue, Taylor Pitz, Anise Guzman, Emmy Merrill, Marissa Shaw
Surfer of the Year – Male Rising Star: Colin Moran, Kanoa Igarashi, Derek Peters, Chase Wilson, Luke Davis, Ian Crane, Andrew Doheny, Trevor Thornton, Victor Done
Surfer of the Year – Freesurfer: Teddy Navarro, Alex Knost, Ryan Carlson, Nathan Fletcher, Timmy Turner, C.J. Drummy, Mike Morrissey, Ford Archbold, Kyle Kennelly, Spencer Pirdy
Voting will run through July 27. The winners will be given awards during the U.S. Open of Surfing at the Surfers’ Hall of Fame ceremony August 5 in front of Huntington Surf and Sport. You can vote at ocregister.com/contests and you will automatically be entered to win a new Tim Stamps shortboard.
