Sunset Clips Classic (SCC), a surf film competition, is a tradition carried on by Jacob Le, a Point Loma Nazarene University fourth-year mechanical engineering major, who is the campus activities board (CAB) team lead for the event. While the event has gone strong for four years, he expressed concerns about the future of SCC after this year due to the majority of organizers being fourth-years and graduating.
The annual event was started by alumnus and former Associated Student Body (ASB) Director of Activities Brennan Ziegler in his third year. The potential last showing will take place on Wednesday, April 23, in the Activities and Recreation Center (ARC) at PLNU.
The competition allows for 15 teams of two to four students – anyone from pro to poser – to create a short surf film lasting anywhere between 1 and 1/2 to three minutes. The only catch is that the surfing must be done at Sunset Cliffs or Ocean Beach, a way to honor the location that most of the community surfs at.
Divided into a shortboard and a longboard division, it’s judged by students and various judges of surf expertise at the films’ premiere at the end of the spring semester. The winners receive cash prizes; last year, the first place prize was $250. Le said this year’s amount is to-be-determined, but he estimates $250-$300.
The tradition has since been carried on by Le. He was an important force in getting the event to continue last year after Ziegler graduated since he was the CAB team lead for the event. As he leads again, he expressed high hopes for the event.
“It’s gotten progressively better each year,” Le said.
While the format has remained relatively the same since its conception, the location of the premiere has changed throughout. First, it began at the Wasson Terrace, then moved to the Crill Performance Hall, finally landing at the ARC last year and lingering at the location for one more. It has also grown in popularity as well; Le said that the first event only received two film submissions and grew to eight last year and this year.
As continuity in location is a new concept for the crew, Le is looking to switch things up by bringing more participants on board.
This year, Le said he is focused more on the opportunity to collaborate with artists of a variety of mediums, not just film. Le was able to find artists, like fourth-year students Savannah Ames and Tyler Smith, to design shirts for the events. On top of that, the premiere event will feature the PLNU band Superbloom.
Will Freds, a fourth-year marketing major and CAB member, has similar hopes as Le for the event.
“We just want to keep the tradition going,” Freds said.
Freds also sees the event as inclusive to bring the surf community and PLNU student body together.
“It does reach a large demographic [surfers], but it’s an inclusive event on campus,” Freds said.
Andrew Kramer, a fourth-year biology major, has competed in the event the past two years, winning the longboard division in 2024. He plans to submit a film this year with fourth-year marketing major Braden Tarka.
“It’s a great expression of the surf community outside of the surf team. It’s good to see surfers who might not get that much attention otherwise,” Kramer said.
As Le starts to take a step back from the event, he said he has trouble finding anyone else who is willing to take on the load of organizing the event.
“This event might be the last one,” Le said. “I don’t know if there’s anyone willing to take on the headache or has the passion for it.”
Le said that the event feels like a passion project for him, and he receives funding from ASB for it because of its impact on the community.
“It could have just been a good run we had, you know,” Le said.
Dane Persky