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20 Take Surf Challenge 2004

June 5, 2004 – Twenty surfers finished the first Surf Challenge at Hull Bay Saturday. The unique event combined a run with a surfboard, a paddle and a swim section.
The first segment was a trip from Hull Bay Beach to the end of Tropaco Point and back, while carrying a surfboard. The paddle section started at the east end of the beach and went out to Tropaco Point again by water, then west to the point between Hull Bay and Dorothea and then back to a point about 125 yards off the beach. The final section was a dive for a golf ball in a bucket on the ocean bottom and a final swim to the beach while dragging or pushing the surfboard.
Fred Hohenadel conceived of the competition when seeing many of the younger surfers taking boats out to the surf break at Hull Bay during the winter surf season.
Hohenadel wanted a competition that was an all around test of physical ability, not just surfing style. Jose Belcher of Caribbean Surf Company kept the accent on junior surfers by offering prizes only for participants 18 and under. The first place prize of a new custom built surfboard, valued at over $500, drew 13 surfers in the 18 and under age bracket. Caribbean Surf Company offered prizes for the top ten juniors and the top two female juniors.
After the 35 minutes of running and paddling, Adam Turbe pulled even with Madison Van Heurck at the buoy marking the location to dive for the golf ball.
Van Heurck said, "Adam grabbed the first ball, and the others floated in a cloud around the bucket. I grabbed one, came up and started swimming".
Turbe had used the last of his energy catching up to Van Heurck, and was passed in the swim by Tommy Kaestner in the final 10 yards of water before the sand. With the beach crowd yelling for all three of the finishers, Van Heurck finished first in a time of 41 minutes, 12 seconds, Kaestner at 41:30 and Turbe at 41:38. The first female finisher was Andrea Tromben at 56:28, second place was Charlotte Van Heurck. Kevin LaPlace received a prize as youngest finisher at 11 years of age. Although there was no prize, Harry Donner was the oldest finisher at "fifty plus."
The start time of 10:30 a. m. and a clear and hot day made the first section on foot the hardest for most of the entrants. The results were:
Hull Bay Surfers Challenge results
Male 18 and under
1. Madison Van Heurck, 14 — 41:12
2. Tommy Kaestner, 17 — 41:30
3. Adam Turbe, 18 — 41:38
4. Chris Berry, 18 — 42:10
5. Michael Brin Jr., 15 — 43:14
6. Hayden Mitchell, 14 — 44:11
7. Dennis Fuertes, 14 — 45:07
8. David Enloe, 15 — 45:31
9. Tony Fuentes, 16 — 54:47
10. Randy LaPlace, 18 — 56:19
11. Kevin LaPlace, 11 — 63:02

Women
1.Andrea Tromben, 16 — 56:28
2. Charlotte Van Heurck, 16 — 71:30
3. Maria Van Heurck, 39, — 71:30

Men
1. Evan Magee, 35 — 44:22
2. Terry Stevens, 38 — 48:48
3. Harry Donner, 53 — 49:46
4. Nicolas Van Heurck, 43 — 51:41
5. Jon Youngs, 34 — 60:15
6. Aomulo, no age given –64:40

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