Point Breakers rip into finale at PIC

The fifth and final competition of the Point Break Series Challenge at the Pacific Islands Club wrapped up last weekend, and while most of the names were the same, a surprise appearance in the last stanza helped to add a little extra punch to the wave-stravagana.

With four of the five rounds completed going into the challenge on Saturday, Sept. 11, a good portion of the event had already been decided, but the men’s 13-17 division was still up for grabs.

All series long, there have been a trio of tricksters that have continued vie for the top spot, as Tirso “TJ” Adriatico, Wylie Paez, and Fredo Paez have rolled side by side for the past four rounds.

Wylie entered the final round with a 1-point lead over TJ in the overall standings, and narrowly extended it by edging out his closest rival by 5 points. Wylie took the one-day title with an 86, his finest score of the series. Right behind him was Adriatico, who scored an 81, and Fredo with a 76. Wylie finished a season of successful surfing by racking up a five-round total of 399, followed by Adriatico’s impressive 393, and Fredo’s tally of 370.

In the men’s 12-and-under, Cal Ronan chased off any challengers that even thought about shredding his way all throughout the series, and in the last blast of Saipan’s edition of Surfstock, he rolled solo once again to take the one day total with a 69. Ronan easily took the division with an overall trick tally of 348.

In the women’s 13-17 division, nobody does it better than Keisha Paez, who matched her series-high score by busting out a 71. Keisha was once again the only entrant in the division, but she continued to perform at the top of her wave game without being pushed by competitors. She was guaranteed a title championship weeks ago, but Keisha returned to Point Break to rip some more curls en route to her overall total of 349.

For the third straight week, there was a mini-letdown when neither of the entrants showed for the men’s 18-and-over. Jerald Domingo and Sung Ik “Crono” Lee are known for their amazing tricks and their displays of sportsmanship, but they were nowhere to be found.

The fans and judges weren’t blue for long, as surprise entrant Tito Paez paddled out in action in the final set. Tito didn’t need the help of Michael, Jermaine, Randy, or Marlon when he leapt onto the surfing scene, as the first-timer railed off a solid score of 24 to close out the series. Though he scored mega-points for the effort, his 24 points were no match for the 152 of Domingo, who took the overall title despite failing to appear. Crono finished in second with a 148, but he was vacationing off the coast of Mazatlan, on the island of Incommunicado fir the last three weeks as well.

For more informationon the Point Break Series Challenge, please contact Nan Intharaluk, Evan Hunsberger, Curtis Wilson, or Cole Pritchard by calling 235-6231 extension 5147 or 5148.