Big News! ESA Puts All Competition On Hold!

A couple of weeks ago it was shocking but smart to postpone – til further information was available –  the upcoming 2020 Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Regionals as the effects and repercussions of the Covid-19 Pandemic first started to come into clearer focus. There was still some hope it could still happen but, as we all can plainly see as our beaches and states close down one after the other, those hopes have been dashed as the insidious virus rampages up and down the east coast, across the Nation and around the world.

Ben McCarthy totally charging the south side of Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head, NC during the 2019 ESA Championships. Photo: Dick Mez” Meseroll / www.easternsurf.com / @mezapixels

It is just something we all have to come to grips with, make peace with and do all the right things to help tamp down the infection rate, death rate and get to the other side of this historic, perhaps unprecedented, viral scourge who’s depth and breadth cannot yet be calculated.

And the Board of Directors and exec director Michelle Sommers at ESA HQ are taking no chances.

The Corona virus may have us on lock down now but the stoke – and the competition – will be back! Abbie Yates all smiles after her big victory at the 2019 ESA Championships! Photo: Mez @mezapixels

To that end the Board and brain trust of the Eastern Surfing Association has officially made the following decision and stated in the following release today to the ESA sprawling family of competitors, parents, sponsors and supporters:

“The Eastern Surfing Association Board of Directors is closely monitoring the COVID-19 virus and the effect that it may have on our members and their families during this spring competition season.  We are especially concerned about the health of our competitors, sponsors, officials, volunteers and community members.

We are meeting regularly to discuss the impacts of the crisis and are actively working on plans that include postponement, or possible cancellation, of the three Regional events.  We have also put all local ESA district events on hold until the social distancing recommendations are lifted.  Our priority remains the health of our competitors and officials, and our commitment is to communicate regularly with our ESA family in the coming weeks.

We hope everyone stays healthy and safe in the coming weeks, and look forward to an exciting 2020 surfing season as soon as this subsides”.

Jennette’s Pier, Nags Head, NC during the 2019 Championships-. WE shall return ! Photo: Mez @mezapixels

And the ESA is a family- a now 53 year old family – and family looks out for one another as the ESA has done today with this temporary shut down to make sure we all do our part to help push this disease out of all our lives and help us live to surf another day. For any and all updates please go the ESA website at https://www.surfesa.org or give them a follow at @surfesa on Instagram. – Mez –

ESA All-Star coach Jason Motes wins again and gets another victory shower by co-MC’s Travis Ajay and Jim Mc Mullen at the 2019 Easterns! Photo: Mez @mezapixels