Moku winners clinch wild cards in elite contest

Moku surf shop held its sixth annual Longboard Classic on Aug. 18, an event that gave winners an opportunity to compete in the World Surf League’s International Longboard Tour in Long Beach on September 6-12.

Christopher Koerner won in the men’s division and Dominique Miller in the women’s division, which allowed both to clinch wild card entries in the WSL’s Longboard Tour.

“It’s truly amazing and heartwarming to watch the local surf community come together every year for a day of genuine and kind-hearted competition,” said Johnny Barnas, co-owner of Moku Surf NY. “We were graced with some unbelievable talent this year with the possibility of a WSL wildcard entry into the upcoming New York Longboard [contest] in September. The WSL wild card possibility certainly brought our small hometown competition to a new level this year with contestants coming from as far as Mexico and Hawaii to compete.”

Competitors Hayden Levi won the junior’s competition and Larry Guli came out on top in the legend’s division, with both taking home the first-place prize in their respective divisions.

The Moku Longboard Classic was founded in 2014 by Kevin Sim to celebrate the often overlooked sport of longboard surfing. However, it has grown significantly, and the city will welcome the international surfing tournament, considered the largest professional surfing contest in town since the Quiksilver Pro New York in 2011.

In December, the WSL was awarded a $254,000 grant through New York state’s Regional Economic Development Council initiative to launch what the state described as a “landmark” professional surfing competition. The WSL teamed up with I LOVE NY, the New York State Division of Tourism and other agencies to bring the tour together. The funds will be used to promote New York and Long Island and highlight the region as a “family surfing and coastal destination.”

Professional big-wave surfers Will and Cliff Skudin, who own Long Beach-based Skudin Surf, which is hosting the WSL event, told the Herald at the time that they worked with city and state officials and the league to attract the Longboard Tour to town. Long Beach will be the third of four stops on the pro tour, following competitions in Noosa, Australia, and Galicia, Spain.

“When we were talking to them, they had a few choices, and we lobbied the WSL to bring it to Long Beach,” Cliff said. He added that the WSL could have chosen Montauk or Rockaway to host the event, but ultimately decided to go with Long Beach.

This year’s Moku’s Longboard Classic gave local surfers an opportunity to compete in the WSL event. The tour is expected to attract some of the world’s best surfers, who will be on their way to the Taiwan Open World Longboard Championships, where 24 men and 24 women will compete for a $60,000 prize purse in their respective divisions.