Log Jammin’ Old City Style
Words & Images: Darby Moore | darbymoore.com | @darbyjanemoore
“I watched a WSL event last weekend for the first time,” jokes Duval’s Trenton “Tarpits” Phillips, “turns out we’re doing this thing all wrong.”
Phillips hails from a small group of NE Florida sliders the likes of Chris Tincher, Cole Hardwick, Alex Hobbs and Luke Kothera that are striving to keep the stoke alive. With a shared affinity for classic single-fin longboarding, this salty tribe dedicates their time and talents annually to create what’s become one of St. Augustine’s most cherished surfing events: the Oldest City’s Log Jam.
In a way, Phillips is right. The Log Jam is all “wrong” in terms of mainstream competitive surfing. Shared waves are encouraged and rewarded, style is king and points become paltry. This year’s Log Jam event featured an open longboard division, a women’s division, a twin fin division, as well as awards for Best Nose Ride, Most Stylish, Most Radical Maneuver and an award for the winner of the event’s well-anticipated Expression Session.
“It’s all out carnage,” St. Augustine’s Chris Tincher remarked of the Expression Session. “It’s complete chaos but that’s what’s great.”
It’s this focus on the joy of the sport that sets the Oldest City Log Jam apart from other events seen in NE Florida and what makes it more on par with Joel Tudor’s Duct Tape Invitationals. Between the rising temperatures, increase in crowds and decrease in swell, summertime in NE Florida can leave a lot to be desired for the average surfer. Following a multiple day span of offshore winds and clean loggable lines, Saturday’s event produced less than desirable conditions for our Old City Sliders. But adapting to the conditions presented is part of what Log Jam is all about, and this year’s competitors were more than willing to rise to the challenge.
The open longboard heats took to the water first with excitement at an all-time high, especially for our goofy-footers of the event. The opening heat of the day produced some quick inside lefthander sections, while winds remained calm. The show of talent that followed was one not to be missed, as competitors hung heels, toes and just about anything else they could think of from the nose.
Among the standouts of competitors was Alex Hobbs, musician, logger, and all-round shredder that’s no stranger in the lineup along the East Coast. Making a Log Jam first, Hobbs took the win in both the open longboard and twin fin divisions. Despite admirable efforts from fellow competitors (Duval’s Joe Pulido and St. Augustine’s Chris Ropero to name a few), an increase in tide and improvement in conditions let Hobbs unleash his stylish flair.
Hobbs was joined in the winner’s circle by Duval’s Fallyn Yarbrough, who’s fancy footwork and switch stance put her ahead of the pack among the lady sliders competing. As for this year’s Expression Session, Garret “the Grom” stood out among the chaos of the frenzied trim session while Billy Marshall claimed Most Stylish. Not to be outdone, St. Augustine’s own Chris Ropero took home Most Radical Maneuver for his performance in this year’s twin fin division while Surf Station’s Josh Richardson was awarded Best Noseride of the day.
Until next Log Jam, our Floridian sliders will be left cherishing the community that life-time loggers the likes of Tincher and his companions have created for the surf scene in NE Florida. For now, check out some images from the event, grab your single fin and do your part to keep the stoke alive.
