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Mother Nature had other plans for the group of cold weather athletes that set off at 8 a.m. Saturday to participate in the inaugural East Coast rendition of the Red Bull Switchboard in Asbury Park.

“It’s a bucket-list day, where board sports enthusiasts have the opportunity to surf and skate in the morning and snowboard in the afternoon,” Madison Marquette Director of Communication Adam Nelson said.

While one of the coldest mornings of the year didn’t stop surfers, skateboarders and snowboarders from turning out, the placid ocean rhythm limited the surf portion to a few brave participants.

“We’re grateful to Forth Union for opening the skate bowl,” organizer Josh Pierce said. “It keeps the switch in switchboard.”

Noted surfer Rob Kelly and local legend Jon Coen joined the 100 dedicated surf, skate and snowboard individual and families.

“If there were waves everybody would be in the water,” Coen said.

Pierce, a Hoboken resident, who administered Switchboard in his native Southern California, said surfing in the cold Jersey waters is ‘definitely a commitment.’

“It makes me feel more impactful to the scene and more connected to the sport itself,” he said. “It’s like hey – you got to earn this.”

Thus, the launch of the East Coast Red Bull Switchboard.

“It’s a celebration of the fact that we do this out here,” Pierce said. “Everyone is gritty and passionate about it, its pretty cool. It’s all about extracting that community passion and the grit.”

Father daughter duo Lauren Sigut, 15, and Donny Sigut [shown above] traveled from Pennsylvania to participate in Switchboard as a birthday celebration for the soon to be 16 Lauren, an avid surfer.

“That was the main thing we were looking for,” Lauren said.

“Yeah, we have our wet suits and boards,” her father said. “We were open to it but it’s flat though.”

“I’m more of a surfer than a skateboarder if anything,’ Lauren said. “This will be our first time snowboarding.”

By 9 a.m. the duo joined a half dozen die hards, diving in the waters in front of iconic Casino on the Asbury Park boardwalk.  

Inside the Carousel building at Forth Union 9-year-old Seamus Waltsak [above, right and left] and his dad Dave opted to stick to skateboarding before heading out on the snowboarding leg.

“In New Jersey you can do it all in one day,” Waltsak, a Point Pleasant resident said. The younger Waltsak said he’s been surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding for three years.

“It’s just a lot of fun,” he said.

Ocean Township/Asbury Park residents John Waldron and Alex Kringle were joined by 18-year-old Paul Francisco of Long Branch [at right]. While they planned on surfing, the lack of waves also kept their early morning athletic endeavors to the skateboarding offering. The trio said growing up on the Jersey Shore they surf year round and skateboard more often that snowboarding.

Avid surfer Ian Roth, 28, of Lewes, Del., although disappointed by the waves, donned his 5 mill suit, gloves and shoes before paddling out with buddy Jerry Saluti, 22, of New Brunswick.

“It is called switchboard,” he said. “We are here to surf, and we’re here to snowboard, so why not. Hopefully the snow conditions will be a little better. But I’m jumping in – flat or not.”

The cold weather athletes embarked near 10 a.m. on a shuttle ride by OvrRide to Mountain Creek Resort [shown above] to hit the slopes. 

By 6:30 p.m. they returned for an After Party at Anchor’s Bend, located in Convention Hall’s Grand Arcade at 1300 Ocean Ave.  

For more information, visit www.Switchboard.RedBull.com.

[Special thanks to local Jersey legends Derek Rinaldi and Jon Coen for photo assistance]

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The Asbury Park Sun is affiliated with the triCityNews newspaper.

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