Matt Becker has got an all-around game in stand up paddle surfing.
The Santa Barbara Mesa resident returned to Santa Cruz two weekends ago for the Surftech Shootout and Surf and Sand Duel-athlon and captured the surfing competition at the famed Steamer Lane. Last year, he won the duel-athlon paddle race.
This was Becker’s first domestic competition since returning from Peru, where represented the United States at the inaugural International Surfing Association World Stand Up Paddle (SUP) and Paddleboard Championships. He won a copper medal in the paddle race.
In the Surftech Shootout, the 17 year old said the break was similar to the one he rides at Rincon.
“The waves were all time, it was classic Steamer Lane,” he said on the Surftech website. “I love surfing the Lane, the inside Indicators section totally reminds me of my home break, Rincon. That was one of the reasons I was able to pull off a win, because I was able to sift through the sets and find the waves that were going to connect all the way to the inside and have more scoring potential.”
Becker defeated Anthony Vela (Redondo Beach), Avery Dinauer (Bodega Bay) and John Griffith (Santa Cruz) in the final.
He finished eighth in last year’s surfing competition.
“I enjoy events like this because I figure if I don’t do well in the surfing event, I’ll have another chance to do well in the racing event, and vice-verse,” he said.
Becker finished fourth in the duel-athlon, a 6.2-mile paddle and run event. Last year, he won the event in stormy conditions.
The early forecast showed another storm to come through the area, but it was downgraded and event organizers were able to run the full race course.
“We had three different course options planned depending upon the weather,” said Duke Brouwer, race director. “Fortunately we were able to run the full picturesque course, including the beach run to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk and back.”
Vela won the race in one hour. Ben Sarrazin of Sausalito was second and Brennan Rose (Lahaina, Hawaii) took third.
