Roxy team rider Kelia Moniz kicks off day two of Roxy Jam Cardiff with a great ride and won her first heat.

"I was a little nervous when I first got into the water, but then I warmed up. The water is not that bad and it’s getting more consistent," said Kelia.

Right now the conditions are slightly bumpy and textured but they’re hoping to improve with the high tide around noon.

Cardiff has a special place in Kelia’s heart, this is where she was first scouted by Roxy team manager Torri Alexander two years ago.

"I guess they saw me at the competition but I didn’t know it. They talked to my mom about it but she didn’t tell me until a couple of months later, she didn’t want me to get too excited," said Kelia. Since that time Kelia has become one of Roxy’s star team riders, spending her time surfing in Hawaii when she’s not traveling the world for competitions. She also has a blog. Read about all that she’s up to! 

Image: Kelia with her surf board right after she came out of the water

The qualifying round of the 3rd annual Roxy Jam Cardiff, featuring the Linda Benson Women’s World Longboard Pro, featured sunny skies, warm water, and excellent surfing. The qualifying round had many great heats but three bright stars: Cori Schumacher, Rachel Spear, and Juli Warisaya. 

Local north county surfer Cori Schumacher demolished the competition. She had the highest combined scores of any competitor today. Roxy’s newest team rider Rachel Spear, from Hawaii, had a great debut at her first event in California as a Roxy girl. She made it through both of her heats and will be competing tomorrow. International surfer, Juli Warisaya, from Japan placed first in both of her heats and will also be competing tomorrow. 

The conditions were peaky with waves between two and four feet. Warm water made the competitors wary of sting rays and they were cautioned to shuffle their feet. Tomorrow the defending longboarding champion Jen Smith, Kassia Meador, and Hawaiians Kelia Moniz and Crystal Dzigas will all be competing.

For the complete results of the day click here.

For more event photos click here.

While it is fun to surf, it is also important to stay safe while you’re in the water. Here are a few tips from surfers (right to left) Anneke Barrie, Kaitlin Maguire, Tory Gilkenson, and Rachel Berry on how to stay safe.

To avoid being stung by sting rays you should:
1.    Shuffle your feet
2.    Try not to walk if you can help it
3.    Watch the water for sting rays

If you do end up being stung by a sting ray you should immediately get out of the water and soak your foot in a tub of hot water.

Beware when you’re in the water, even Roxy girls can get hurt! On her way out for her first heat, Roxy rider Anneke Barrie was stung. “I was on my first step out and then it got me,” said Anneke. After soaking her foot Anneke wrapped it up and got ready for her next heat.

It’s a beautiful morning at the Roxy Jam Cardiff, warm 78 degrees with not a cloud in the sky. The conditions are glassy and peaky with 3 – 4 ft. waves and the first two rounds of the contest are off to a great start. The water is super warm. Roxy girls Torri, Jamie, and Roxy’s newest team rider from
Hawaii, Rachel Spear had an early morning interview in the water with Fox 5. You can watch the interviews on Fox 5 all day today. Competitors and spectators kicked off the morning with a delicious pancake breakfast, courtesy of the Encinitas Fire Department. The waves are starting to cooperate and there are a lot of spectators on the beach watching the ladies compete. Surfers have come from all over, including Hawaii, Australia, the Netherlands and Japan, a great international representation!

Listen to LIVE audio from the Roxy Jam.

Live results from the event will be available online all weekend.

Waking up at 5:30am is not always the easiest, but it’s certainly more enticing when you’re on your way to hang out with Roxy pro surfers to clean the beach.  On Tuesday, that’s exactly what I got to do! 

During one of our Roxy marketing meetings for the Roxy Jam Cardiff, the topic of how dirty Cardiff beach must be after Labor Day got brought up.  We decided it would be a fun thing to organize a beach clean up for after the long weekend.  We had a pretty good showing. Roxy pro surfers Kassia Meador and Jen Smith joined us… Linda Benson came down… Surfrider Foundation was there… people from the San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy helped out… and of course, we had lots of volunteers swing by.  The local CBS station showed up to cover the event too.

We had $100 gift cards to give out to the person who collected the most trash, weirdest trash, etc.  People found some crazy items.  For example, who would have guessed someone would come across a pair of zebra print high heels on the beach?!

Surprisingly (and luckily) the beach wasn’t too trashed; but we were able to clean it up even more just in time for the Roxy Jam Cardiff long board competition that we’re having there at the end of this month.

Jen Smith captured the gold last year at the Roxy Jam Cardiff, lets see if she does it again!

This year, 2008 Roxy Jam Cardiff will be held from September 19th – 21st at the beautiful Cardiff Reef in San Diego, CA. Add the event on facebook…the site will be up soon.