Saturday, August 21, 1999
Kings Island hosts surfing contest
Field a mix of locals and out-of-staters
BY KEVIN ALDRIDGE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
MASON — Surf's up at Paramount's Kings Island today as more than 60 competitors will square off in the final round of the 1999 U.S. Amateur Flow Rider Summer Series National Championships.
The body-boarding tournament, sponsored by Hawaiian Tropic, will kick off at 11 a.m. on Wipe Out Beach within the WaterWorks water park. The event will feature competitors from as far away as California and Florida, and some local talent.
Lance Dillingham, 20, of Cincinnati is looking forward to “hanging 10” with the out-of-towners. He said he expects to do well in the championships, despite this being his first surfing competition.
“It will be interesting to see how these guys from California and Florida compare to us Ohioans,” said Mr. Dillingham, who began surfing a year ago when Kings Island opened the attraction. “I've got some pretty good tricks in my bag; it'll be fun to see what kind of maneuvers the out-of-towners bring with them.”
Mr. Dillingham said he plans to unveil one of his “patented” maneuvers during the competition: a drop knee, 360-degree spin followed by a reverse drop knee 360. “I think my chances are pretty good,” he said.
William Thole, 37, of Mount Healthy qualified for the tournament championships last year but dropped out because he couldn't make the trip to California for the event.
“Win or lose, I just love getting out there on the water and riding those waves,” said Mr. Thole. “It'll be really interesting to see how the riders from Florida, Texas, do against us and what new tricks they can pick up from us and vice versa.”
The surfers will compete in a variety of divisions, including: drop knee; juniors (17 and under); men (18 and older); open; and women (17 and older). The contestants will be judged on radical maneuvers, using the entire wave, variety and difficulty of move, and their ability to stay on the wave for 30 seconds.
“It is definitely a spectator sport,” said Mr. Thole.
Built in 1998, the $1 million Flow Rider at Wipe Out Beach enables riders to “surf” on body boards. Flow Rider pumps 75,000 gallons at high velocity and forces a 3-inch sheet of water continuously over a paddled, contoured surface shaped like a wave. Surfers slide off a ramp, either kneeling or belly-down on the boards, into the water.
Park spokesman David Mandt called the Flow Rider “the next best thing to actually riding a breaker in Hawaii.”
Trophies and Flow Rider body boards will be awarded to division champions. Audience seating is free with park admission.
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