Tony Silvagni Kure Beach, N.C ~Photo: R. Bickford
Tony Silvagni is the most winning surfer ever at Belmar, taking the Pro Longboard title the last three years in a row. From Kure Beach, N.C., he is the proud owner of Tony Silvagni Surf School that has been operating for the past four years in the surrounding areas of Carolina Beach, Kure, Ocean Isle, and Wrightsville Beach. He recently opened up a shop in Carolina Beach as well. Silvagni is a big part of his community -saving lives, being a role model for the youth, and putting on multiple non-profit events. He enjoys working with people who are challenged by autism and cystic fibrosis, competes all over the world and travels to surf at many exotic surf breaks. He is looking forward to the event again this year, seeing all of his friends and defending that title.
Brian Dalton, Belmar, NJ ~ Photo: Stockdale
No one loves the Belmar Pro like Brian Dalton. After all, he competes during the day and makes money at night, bartending at The Columns, which hosts a Fosters Belmar Pro party each year.Dalton is a true-blood local boy, longtime friend and team rider for Eastern Lines Surf Shop. As a young man, he was driving down Ocean Ave., and was distracted watching a set break. This caused him to hit the car ahead of him. “She ended up getting out of the car and was hot looking, so we got married,” he recounts.Dalton competes in the Am and Pro weekends in both short and longboard. He has taken second place in the Am event several times. In big surf in 2010, he had the whole beach rooting him on to second place in the Longboard Pro to Tony Silvagni.
JJ Egan, Wall, NJ ~ Photo: Spagnolo
When you’re looking for local longboard talent, look no further than JJ Egan of Wall Twp. This 23 year-old can shortboard, but chooses to compete in longboard events on the East Coast. Usually surfing nearby Avon, he has built a decent competitive record. His best finish at Belmar was a fifth place in 2012. He took second place 2012 ECSC mens longboard, third at the 2011 ESA Easterns mens longboard, first place 2011 ESA Northeast Regionals Mens Longboard,, and first place 2011 and 2012 Belmar Am Weekend Longboard. Showing his ability to ride anything, he also nailed first place at the 2011 ECSC Mens Shortboard and second at the 2011 ESA Reionals mens shortboard. Egan looks forward to Belmar every year to surf against the guys who he used to watch growing up.
Rene Gough Cabarete, Dominican Republic ~ Photo:Stockdale
Rene Gough was awarded “Athlete of the Year 2011” by the Dominicann Olympic Committee, nominated by the Dominican Surfing Federation for his excellent achievements in the sport of surfing. A competitor in Open and Longboard Surfing, Rene became a National champion in 2011 as the top-ranked Longboarder in the Dominican Republic. A member of the Dominican Surfing Team for many years, Rene was recently selected to compete at the ISA Billabong World Surfing Games in Peru in 2010, and at the X Pan American Surfing Games in Guadeloupe in 2011, where he took fifth place overall in Longboard. In 2004, he received 1st Place Longboard at the Latin Pro event held in Cabarete, Dominican Republic. Rene enjoyed his debut at the Belmar Pro in 2011, where he took Fourth Place in the Monster Energy Longboard Pro amidst tough competition, and returns to compete at this years event in 2012.
Mikey DeTemple Indialantic, Florida ~ Photo courtesy Ron Jon
For years, Mikey DeTemple has been known as the most dangerous East Coast longboarder, and every year, you can be sure to find him in the finals at Belmar. DeTemple won the Unsound Longboard event three years in a row. But recently, DeTemple has focused more on filmmaking. In 2009, he released “Picaresque,” which was widely loved by surfers of every kind. This year, he stepped it up, scoring waves in New York, Nicaragua, the Bahamas, Canada, Baja, and Maine for his new film “Sight Sound,” which premiered summer 2011.
