A Look Back on CBA Surf This Year
By Jack McGee ’27
The CBA Surf Team was a tremendous success this year, regardless of wins and losses. We had many students eager to come out and produce a team of surfers representing our school. After much planning and construction during the 2023-2024 school year, Steve Skribner, with the assistance of Christian Brothers Academy, was able to finalize a program for this band of surfers, form a team, and lead us as our head coach.
Finding a good location for surf practices was difficult, with students coming from many different areas. Still, Steve decided to settle in Asbury Park as it was more efficient for everyone. It was a great location with a lot of history, consistent waves, and people on the beach and boardwalk watching the team most of the days we were there from September to late October.
One coach wasn’t enough for the team, so Coach Skribner recruited four assistant coaches: Paul Fransisco, Cole Conti, Max Hoyle, and Thomas McMahon. All five coaches were critical to the success of the team riders coming together as a team, improving technical skills, and working on competing. During the season, team riders practiced for two hours after school each day of the week if conditions were good. The coaches wanted to install the use of photography to help the team riders improve their mechanics, so coach Paul Fransisco and team rider Jack McGee assisted the team as photographers.
As competitions neared in early September, the team was dedicated to competing hard for CBA. The first competition was against Manasquan, the perennial winner of the Shore Conference. After getting adjusted to the rules and the format, CBA put their surfers out in the water and the season officially began. Despite the outcome of a loss, the team and coaches were all thrilled to have had their first competition. The coaches knew the team would learn more and improve. Their next competition was against Wall Township, and there was a clear improvement over just one week. The CBA team was able to make it to the finals but unfortunately came away with a team loss. All of the coaches were happy to see that the riders had enhanced their skills.
In the team’s final competition of the season against RFH, everything went well and the hard work paid off. Four of the team riders, Bradley Sink, Andrew Abatemarco, Dennis Hall, and Jack McGee made it to the finals. Dennis Hall received first place and gave the team its first victory. It was a great sight for the coaches who had put so much work into this.
Next up for this team was supposed to be the States competition in Atlantic City, but due to weather and wave conditions, it was postponed until May. With the season coming to an end and Halloween near, the team decided to surf with costumes on and have some fun on the last day. The coaches surfed with the team riders and celebrated the progress that the team had made. Everyone left the beach that day a better surfer and better teammate after a full first season of competitive surfing under coach Skribner.
