Leif Engstrom Wins The Empire State Championships

Posted on July 19th, 2011 by JZ

Leif Engstrom solidified his spot in the big league trials by boosting airs like this in the finals.

The last day of the three day waiting period for the Empire State Championships or the Trials for the Trials was a rather crappy day for waves but it was the last day and they had to run the competition. Out of the 16 local surfers competing, only one would be victorious and be granted a spot in the Quiksilver Pro New York Trials which will take place in September. That surfer was Leif Engstrom.

The event kicked off on Sunday morning at 6:30am at National Blvd in Long Beach. With rather small surf in the knee to waist high range, it was tough to really see the full potential of the level of surfing that the 16 competitors are capable of. With his signature airs, Leif Engstrom, from Montauk, battled his way through the event and took the top spot.

The Quiksilver Pro New York ASP World Tour Trials presented by Unsound Surf will take place from September 1st – 3rd in Long Beach. There will be 16 surfers competing for one, chance of a lifetime, spot into the main event, the Quiksilver Pro New York. We’ll be sure to keep you updated as the event gets closer.

Below are the final results of the Trials for the Trials and some photos from the event.

1. Leif Engstrom
2. TJ Gumilea
3. Chris Martin
4. Richie Bogart
5. Alex Fawess, Jeff Anthony
7. Chris Rempe, Chris Tomlin
9. Shane Ward, Joe Parrino, Will Skudin, Jimmy Pallazoo
13. Brian Pollak, Chris Jones, Ryan Rochford, James Theobald

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