Thursday, October 1, 2026
Dave Juan, owner of Unsound Surf shop on East Park Avenue, said he remembers the days when Long Beach surfers had few opportunities to compete locally level, let alone in a national surfing competition.
“When we first opened the store, it was difficult for kids to ever get sponsors,” said Juan, who has been in business with shop co-owner Mike Nelson since 1997. “One of the reasons we do this is to provide opportunities to surfers, especially in Long Beach.”
Juan was referring to the Unsound Pro Junior competition, part of a series of events that kicked off on Wednesday and runs through Saturday. The contest has attracted roughly 50 surfers, age 20 and under, who compete in the Association of Surfing Professionals’ men’s North America Pro Junior Series. Long Beach is the sixth stop of nine in the series, which also includes the Oakley Pro Junior in California and the Fins Pro Junior in New Jersey.
According to the ASP, the contest will help up-and-coming surfers establish themselves on the junior tour alongside more experienced surfers who are competing for a $10,000 purse. Among them are local surf hero Balaram Stack, 19, as well as 17-year-old Long Beach resident Blake Gregor and Jonathan Kahn of Merrick. The top seed in the series, 17-year-old Keanu Asing of Hawaii, is also taking part. Unsound Surf is the presenting sponsor and organizer of the event, along with sponsors Red Bull, Skull Candy and Oakley.
The top three finishers in the North American series, Juan explained, will compete in the ASP Junior Men’s World Championship.
Juan said that surf forecasters are predicting large waves. “We get a lot of waves this time of year, and it’s a great time of year for it,” he said of the competition. On Thursday, for example, 9- to 12-foot swells were predicted, followed by 6- to 9-foot waves on Friday. On Tuesday Juan said that organizers had not determined which day the competition, on National Boulevard, would take place.
“It looks like we’ll have some good surf — it’s just a matter of what day we hold the event,” he said. “For some of the competitors, the cold water will be new to them — we have a kid from Costa Rica here, Carlos Munoz. It’s his first time surfing in water that’s this cold.”
Asing told the ASP that he is looking forward to competing in New York. “Doing an event in New York is different water,” he said, “and the different atmosphere will be good for me.”
Stack told the ASP that he is looking to use his comfort in cold water and familiarity with his local break to put in a strong performance. Currently ranked No. 14 on the series, Stack was eliminated early in last week’s ASP 4-Star Rob Machado Seaside Pro Junior in San Diego, and told the ASP he is looking for redemption in Long Beach.
“I think it’s good for me to have the event in cold water,” Stack said. “I surf in it all the time. I’m used to it. I was bummed that I lost early at Seaside and I’d like to do well here at home.”
Juan said the event will be streamed live on www.nysea.com, a website launched by Will Skudin, the event’s webcast provider.
“Will is doing the webcast with his production company, NYSea Productions,” Juan said. “They’ve been helping with those efforts and they’re the webcast sponsors.”
Unsound Surf is hosting a series of events to coincide with the contest — and to provide activities for competitors as they wait for ideal wave conditions — including an art show and auction on Saturday to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and the Tommy Brull Foundation, and the Allegria Hotel is planning a surf movie night Friday (see sidebar).
“It’s a great way to kick off the summer season,” Juan said. “There’s a whole list of good activities, with fun things to do, and it’s all family-friendly.”
More information about the ASP tour can be found at www.aspworldtour.com or www.aspnorthamerica.org. For more on this week’s event, go to www.unsoundsurf.com.
The Unsound Junior Pro 2011 schedule of events:
Thursday: Welcome party at the Saloon, 1016 W. Beech St., 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Free food and Red Bull. Sponsored by Red Bull, Oakley and Skull Candy.
Friday: Surf movie night at the Allegria Hotel, 80 W. Broadway. Free kids buffet from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., with free giveaways from Skull Candy. Movies include “who is JOB” at 8 p.m. and Rip Curl’s “Seven Ghosts” at 9 p.m. Sponsored by Red Bull, Skull Candy, SMASH and the Allegria.
Saturday: Unsound’s second annual surf art and photo auction, Unsound Surf Shop, 359 E. Park Ave., from 6:20 to 9:30 p.m. Free food provided by Swingbelly’s. Proceeds benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the Tommy Brull Foundation. After-party at the Inn, 943 W. Beech St., beginning at 10 p.m. and featuring music from Escape Route.
Comments about this story? ARifilato@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 213.
