Braeden Kopec Takes The Win!
Eleven year old Surf Station Team Rider Braeden Kopec secured the win at the 17th Annual Tommy Tant after two days of competition. Winds were primarily offshore all weekend with generally glassy conditions and waves in the 3 foot range. The event, held at the iconic Flagler Beach Pier, is a longtime favorite for surfers in northeast Florida and attracts talent from all over Florida as well as from out of state.
Braeden made the switch to Channel Islands Surfboards over the summer and has been testing and riding multiple C.I. models over the past couple months in various conditions up and down the U.S. east coast. He has been thrilled with the performance of his new Channel Islands quiver. Within days of taking delivery of the first two boards he won his third east coast title in Virginia Beach using a couple different C.I. models to handle the varying conditions through several rounds of competition over several days.
He took delivery of his most recent C.I. board just hours before the Tommy Tant contest. After a quick 30 minute test at the Flagler Pier the evening before the contest Braeden was immediately impressed with the performance of his latest C.I. board. After just a handful of waves he said he knew right away that the new board would be “the” board for the event.
Asked what it is about the Al Merrick boards that he likes so much, Braeden replied: “They just feel good under my feet. It’s a combination of several things really. I’ve really been tweaking my boards quite a bit and the guys at Channel Islands really nailed it with the boards I’ve received. The boards are coming out exactly as I hoped.” Braeden continued: “I usually test a new board design for a while before I use it in a contest to make sure I’m happy with it. But with my Merricks I’m instantly liking the way they perform because my goals are being incorporated into the designs perfectly. I won my third East Coast Title after literally just a couple sessions testing two completely different C.I. models and designs. So of course I’m stoked on the performance of the boards. And then with the win at the Flagler Pier, I had only tested that new board for a half an hour the day before the event and after a few solid rides I immediately knew I was going to use it to compete the next day. They are really working well for me and I’m super stoked to be riding Channel Islands!”.
Braeden Kopec is the youngest surfer to be named an Eastern Surfing Association All Star. He is an O’Neill team rider and also surfs for Nixon, FCS, SunBum, Oakley and Channel Islands. Follow Braeden on Instagram: @braedenkopec
