National Scholastic Surfing Association
The National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) is a surfing association in the United States. It is a member organization of Surfing America, the National Governing Body of Surfing in the United States. Founded in 1978 by Chuck Allen, John Rothrock, Tom Gibbons and Laird Hayes, the association was formed with the purpose of uniting amateur surfers from around the country under one competitive association. Since much of the membership consists of students, one of the prerequisites in joining the association is the maintenance of good grades.
The NSSA is divided into nine conferences nationwide. The Hawaii conference covers the island chain of Oahu, Kauai, Maui and the Big Island. The Southwest conference, Gold Coast conference, Northwest Conference and the NSSA Junior novice program are based in California. The east coast is represented by the Northeast, Southeast, Southeast/North and Florida Gulf conferences. Surfers from the various conferences compete for slots in regional championships to earn a slot into the NSSA National Championships. Top surfers then earn slots into the Surfing America USA Championships which has competitors from all major organizations competing for USA Championship titles and a spot on the USA Surf Team. Although it has a special emphasis on student surfers, the NSSA membership is open to anyone who wants to surf competitively as an amateur.
Many well known surfers have competed in the association before turning professional. These include Kelly Slater, Andy Irons, Carissa Moore, Kalani Robb, Cheyne Magnusson, Bethany Hamilton and Bobby Martinez. Carissa Moore currently holds the most NSSA Nationals titles with 11 overall while Kolohe Andino holds the most titles won by a male competitor (9). The association once fielded a national team which competed against a Townend/Cairns team from Australia.
The Southwest Conference Explorer Division added kneeboarding in 2012.[1]
References
- ↑ Connelly, Laylan (August 25, 2012). "Kneeboarding sees resurgence". The Orange County Register. p. Local 7.