Day 1 of East Coast Surfing Championships, Virginia Beach, VA (Wednesday, August 22, 2007) - Travis Mellem (San Clemente, CA), a former amateur national champion, proved to be the form surfer of the day with his speedy-yet-explosive backhand attack. Mellem won both his Round 1 and Round 2 heats today, netting the event’s highest single-wave score with an 8.67 out of a possible 10.

“As soon as I paddled out, everyone went toward the jetty as I hung back and that little peak came through,” Mellem said. “There wasn’t a lot of chop on it and I did a few check turns before I finished with a bigger, proper turn that allowed me to come all the way off the bottom and hit the lip. I think the judges liked that.”