November 3rd, 2016

Somewhere in Nicaragua

This morning was the first annual Shapeshifter Invitational. There are a ton of awesome shots and moments so fasten your seatbelt, find that comfy spot in your chair, and enjoy!

Ok, the contestants are set and ready! The rules to enter are simple: be a local Shapeshifter ripper.

Jamie Kocher and David Barr had the idea to host the contest while we are in the slow season. Also, it gave the boys an opportunity to show off their skills in front of their sponsors.

Speaking of, check out Jackson Obando’s “club sandwich.” Keep scrolling down!

This is why he is one of the best surfers in the area and has an especially bright future. Sick combo, Jackson!

Josh Springfield had the lone tube of the day. The tide was draining and the waves were opening up for the first heat.

Josh always hangs with the big boys on a daily basis but the contest solidified his position among them. Log your time and you’ll take your surfing to new heights like this guy.

Elvin Jose, El Chocoyo, switched boards at the last minute and still showed off an impressive rail game. He is the local king of turns, cuts, and snaps.

Whether it’s a Halloween surf off or Shapeshifter contest, Ryan Cook shows off his trademark cut. After fueling up at Vana’s Tacos, he had plenty of energy to stomp this shoulder.

Solid start boys! Way to set the bar heading into heat two of round one!

Kevin Cortez just returned from a trip to California. What was the first thing he did after returning? Grab a board, surf, and destroy the lip.

Truth be told, he did have a little jet lag in him too…

Jackson Obando’s brother, Elvin, was filling in and shredding!! Nice to meet you today hombre.

See.. I told you so!! Good idea going easy yesterday Lesther! He was going all out and surfing really well today.

Gary Strahle was the final competitor in that bracket. He put his Fresh Pineapples board to the side and picked up his Shapeshifter. Judging by the cutback, it was a good idea!

Ok heat two results are in and the judges will start tallying the scores. Thank you Dexter, John, and Dan for helping out the contest this morning! Dan, thank you for the impartial judging, unlike Uncle Billy at the Iguana Player’s Club Open.

Meanwhile, David Barr is helping Tony Z do a quick switcharoo. The idea behind Shapeshifter is simple: have a highly versatile board that works in more conditions. Because the conditions were changing, Tony wanted to stick the squash tail on.

What do you think??? Good idea, huh? Nice turn Tony Z!

Matthew Blevins debuted in heat three also. Him and Shapeshifter together do a lot for the local rippers so it was cool to see Mateo do well in the contest.

Carlos Perez was ripping in this heat too. He’s the barrel king so the changing winds forced him to adapt.

As for Oscar Espinoza, he’s a very well rounded surfer. You’ll find him conquering small rippable waves or big backside tubes.

He knew he would differentiate himself by sliding his fins out. He’s also one of the more progressive surfers at our beach.

Ok, round three is done! Judges graded on speed, power, flow, and style.

Who advanced?!?! Who is in the semis and who is in the repacharge???

After a quick lunch break, a few of us returned to the beach to find different conditions. As the tide came in, the waves were (slightly) bigger, the onshore blew in, but the sun came out.

Finals are set!! Jackson, Kevin, Carlos, and Gary are in. Just remember, everybody is already a winner because you get to surf epic boards from Shapeshifter…

If you want to see powerful stylish surfing, looking up Mick Fanning or Kevin Cortez on Instagram. This muchacho blasted the waves apart.

Jackson is precise and progressive. In and out of the water, him and Kevin are best friends and make a well balanced team.

Yet, he executes the basics so well. Yeah primo!!

Carlos has one of the coolest styles out there. Too bad we couldn’t show you him casually manhandling an overhead screaming barrel.

Gary comes from a skating background so he’s exciting to watch. Keep click those arrows down to see what he shows off.

Yes, I’ll order a pair of those fins too please. It was also great to see his wife and little boy cheering him on throughout his heats.

What a sick round to witness! There were numerous jaw dropping airs, carves, and turns displayed. As Jamie said, it was a very close one…

Before we announce what we waited all morning to see, let’s give a huge thank you to Shapeshifter, Jamie Kocher, and David Barr. Thank you for a fun morning and getting everybody together. More importantly, thank you for taking care of the local boys, stoking them out, and being an asset in the community!

Congratulations Jackson Obando!! He claimed first place, Kevin snagged second, Carlos took third, and Gary placed fourth. Congrats chicos and let’s take your prize money to Don Eloys tonight!! Ok damas and caballeros, we had a sick morning and we hope you enjoyed the report. Check out Shapeshifter’s website to see their cutting edge surf products. Have a good weekend guys!