Mongoose Cup Race Report from Nick Scheel
The Mongoose Cup
The Mongoose Cup was my fourth race of the year. The Mongoose Cup is a tribute to big wave surfer and SUP enthusiast Mickey Munoz. This event was amazing – I volunteered to help set up and register, so I arrived at Dana Point Harbor bright and early! It started off with what was to be a fun paddle around the harbor. It turned a bit tough when a huge surge of water rushed deep into the harbor and knocked many people off their boards. Hard to believe the tsunami in Japan could affect our waters the way it did. Fortunately, nobody got hurt.
After the fun paddle, a quick break, and lunch, it was time for the amazing relay race! The race was a four-person relay – “luck of the draw”. I was randomly paired up with Rainbow Sandals founder Sparky Longley and two others. How cool to race on Sparky’s team! He is an incredible man and largely responsible for the growing popularity of this sport. Even though our team didn’t qualify for the finals we had a blast. So did my dad. He was placed with elite racer Dane DeBoer and their team took first place! Wow! What an event! — Nick Scheel
