By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

Duane DeSoto chose tradition over rest yesterday, and it paid off with a victory in China Uemura’s 24th Annual Longboard Surfing Classic.

DeSoto won the pro-am division in 1- to 2-foot waves at Kuhio Beach, Waikiki.

Tomorrow, he will enter the 32-mile QuiksilverEdition Moloka’i to O’ahu Paddleboard Race.

“It’s probably not going to help me — I don’t think too many guys are in a surf contest two days before paddling 32 miles,” DeSoto said. “But I don’t think it will hurt me that much. I was planning to do this all along. I wanted to be here. This contest means a lot.”

Duane DeSoto of ‘Ewa “warmed up” for tomorrow’s Moloka’i to O’ahu paddleboard race by winning a surfing contest yesterday.
Photos by BERNIE BAKER | Special to The Advertiser

The contest has been run by former longboard surfing national champion China Uemura and his family every year since 1985.

DeSoto first entered it in 1986, when he was 9.

“I remember it because Uncle China gave me a special board for being the youngest competitor,” said DeSoto, who resides in ‘Ewa. “Ever since then, I always try to come back for this contest.”

Now an established professional surfer, DeSoto topped a field yesterday that featured most of the state’s top longboard surfers.

His two best waves in the 20-minute final received scores of 8.5 and 6.0 for a total of 14.5. Despite the small waves, DeSoto was able to complete several difficult turns and lengthy noserides on his waves.

“I felt confident, but you never know — there’s so many good guys,” he said. “When I came in, my cousin was telling me Scotty (Fong Jr.) got it, and I thought maybe Kekoa Auwae had a shot, too. It could have gone to anybody, really.”

Auwae placed second with a two-wave score of 12.0, Fong was third with 10.5, and Keegan Edwards was fourth with 6.0.

DeSoto said the contest’s unique format was a key to his victory. Most events follow a single-elimination format, but each surfer in yesterday’s contest got to surf at least twice.

“I had a horrible first heat, my scores were like a 2.0 and 1.5,” DeSoto said. “If this were a regular event, I would have been home already. But I got to come back and surf again, and made it out of my next heat and then made it all the way to the final.”

DeSoto received $1,200 for the victory.

He is scheduled to arrive on Moloka’i today for tomorrow’s race.

He will enter in the stand-up paddle division in an effort to raise money for Na Kama Kai — a nonprofit organization designed to help children enjoy ocean sports and learn ocean awareness.

“We’re asking people to make a pledge — a dollar amount for every mile I paddle,” he said.

For information, visit www.nakamakai.com.

China Uemura’s contest is also about raising money for a cause. All proceeds from the three-day surf contest will be donated to the Shriners Hospital for Children.

The prize purse for the pro-am division was created through sponsorships and the entry fees from the professional surfers.

“I made this contest to help the charities, but I added the pros couple years ago,” Uemura said. “They don’t have that many events in Hawai’i for the pro longboard guys, and a lot of them grew up surfing this contest, so I wanted to help them out a little bit, too.”

DeSoto said: “Uncle China is a competitor, so he’s been there just like us. He’s trying to build the sport. He’s finding ways to make it more exciting for everybody involved.”

All surfers in the contest had to ride surfboards at least 9 feet long. Uemura said he restricts his contest to longboard surfing because that is what he used to ride when he was an international competitor in the 1970s.

Many of the professional competitors in yesterday’s contest also entered the stand-up paddle surfing division.

Kekoa Auwae, who placed second to DeSoto in the pro-am final, won the men’s stand-up paddle surfing final.

Candice Appleby won the women’s stand-up paddle surfing final.

The age-group amateur divisions for the contest are scheduled to run today and tomorrow at Kuhio Beach, Waikiki.

Uemura said more than 230 longboard surfers are expected to compete in the amateur divisions.

“The way the economy is going, I’m surprised we got that many entries,” he said. “It’s a real good feeling when people spend the money to come from the Neighbor Islands and all over this island to support this contest because it all helps the charity.”

Uemura said the dozens of companies that sponsor the event are also vital to the success. He said Bud Light, Piko, Macy’s and Crymson were the major contributors this year.

“I really have to thank the people and sponsors who have come through over the years,” Uemura said. “Without them, this contest wouldn’t continue.”

He said he would like to do something special for the 25th annual contest next year, but is not sure what his budget will allow.

“The main thing is for everybody to have fun,” he said. “If that happens, and we can still make money for the charities, I’m happy.”

Final results
Pro-am longboarding

1, Duane DeSoto, $1,200. 2, Kekoa Auwae, $700. 3, Scotty Fong Jr., $400. 4, Keegan Edwards, $400. 5 (tie), Kamu Auwae and Nelson Ahina. 7 (tie), Ezra Rodrigues, Bonga Perkins and Kekoa Uemura. 10 (tie), Genki Kino, Kai Sallas and Edrick Baldwin.

Men’s stand-up paddle

1, Kekoa Auwae. 2, Bonga Perkins. 3, Scotty Fong Jr. 4, Atilla Jobbagyi.

Women’s stand-up paddle

1, Candice Appleby. 2, Jennifer Koki. 3, Helen Villena. 4, Geodee Clark. 5, Pinoi Makalena. 6, Megan Godinez.