The Corona Hawaiian Open leg of the U.S. Pro Longboarding Championships took place over August 23-26 at Kuhio Beach Waikiki, Oahu.

Local surfer Ned Snow blazed to victory at Kuhio Beach today in the all-Hawaiian finals of the men’s division of the Corona Hawaiian Open, winning $4,000 and denying his friend and fellow Waikiki-based longboarder, Kai Sallas, a chance at capturing the US championship title.

Snow played a patient waiting game during the finals, was highly selective with his waves, and the strategy paid off handsomely. “I was here to win and I got the waves I needed,” said a jubilant Snow, who was the runner-up in the recent world pro longboarding titles held in Costa Rica. “I had to be on top of my game because all the guys are trying to stick it to me after that result.”

Nobody could have been more pleased with the result than national pro longboard ratings leader, San Diego’s Taylor Jensen, who had been eliminated from the contest in the first-round and had to endure three anxious days waiting for today’s result to see if he would become the U.S. champion despite his own disappointing showing. Had Sallas won the event, he would have taken the crown away from Jensen.

“I watched the event from the balcony of my hotel room and I was freaking out the whole time,” said Jensen. “This is a huge plus for me.”

In the women’s division of the Corona Hawaiian Open, Lindsay Steinriede of Dana Point, California, won top honors in the event, but the US
Championship went to fellow Southern Californian, 17-year-old Marissa Barry, who had racked up enough points from her third place quarter-final result to be unbeatable in the three-event championship series.

Results

Corona Hawaiian Open Men’s Division

• 1. Ned Snow, HI, $4,000
• 2. Kekoa Uemura, HI, $2,000
• 3. Kai Sallas, HI, $1,500

Corona Hawaiian Open Women’s Division

• 1. Lindsay Steinriede, CA, $1,000
• 2. Ashley Quintal, HI, $500
• 3. Miku Uemura, Japan, $375

Reactor Timed Noseriding

• 1. Chey Morley, Australia, $1,000
• 2. Duane DeSoto, HI, $500
• 3. Troy Mothershead, CA, $250