Piercing northwesterlies and blowing sand exemplify springtime Jalama Beach, correct?
      Sure, though not on Saturday, May 12, the timeslot for contest no. 4 of the Santa Barbara Surf Series, an AAAA-rated season finale blessed with an orderly, four-foot south swell, morsels of sunlight through the clouds, and a conspicuously absent wind factor.
      The morning minus-tide morphed into a smooth incoming flow for much of the day, thickening the water depth beneath the consistent left-hand barrels. Contestants and free-surfers alike reveled in the beachbreak glory, mere spitting distance from Jalama Burger Land (quite a few of those were consumed, needless to say).
      The event proceeded without a hitch, even luring a few campers to scope the action. Highlights included the ever-popular Airshow, the longboarding (it's no simple feat weaving nine feet of foam and fiberglass through the Jalama vortex), and the men's heats - always a vivid illustration of pushing the contemporary surfing envelope, Santa Barbara style.
      Winners of the 2001 season score a September week in Peru, to be announced at an awards ceremony in June.
      The Santa Barbara Surfing Association would like to thank Wavehunters Surf Travel, the Beach House/Surf-n-Wear, Beatty Products, Surfer magazine, WetSand, Kinko's and Woodstock's Pizza for their continued support.
      For information about the June awards ceremony or the 2002 contest series, ring 805-560-8383 or peruse www.surfsb.com.