Bethany Hamilton and Alana Blanchard, two of the most influential female surfers in the world, in partnership with Rip Curl and Hanalei Surf Company, are hosting the third annual Bethany and Alana Keiki Classic this Sunday, April 17th at their home break of Pine Trees, Hanalei, Kauai. The event was originally scheduled for Saturday, April 16th, but due to impending swell the event has been moved to Sunday for safety reasons.
The surf competition is a free and fun event for male and female groms 14 years old and under. The event will be an opportunity for local Kauai youth to interact with their role models, compete in a relaxed, fun environment, while practicing their skills in pursuit of amazing prizes from Rip Curl, GoPro, Sticky Bumps, Cobian, Spy, Futures Fins, SMS Audio, Crush, and Ormco. Jamba Juice will be on site providing free smoothies to all event participants.
“I love being able to get to know the youth of Kauai and see the up and coming talent here at the Keiki contest” says Hamilton. “It’s really important to me to give back so I am stoked it has become an annual event. I look forward to a fun time of surfing and beach games!”
For Bethany, the event is an opportunity to positively impact the local youth and promote education, which is why she is hosting the Keiki Classic Essay Challenge. Competitors can submit an essay the day of the event describing how drugs and alcohol take you away from your passions and dreams. Two participants will be selected to win this prestigious award, which will be hand picked by Bethany from the essay submissions.
Alana will also use the event as an opportunity to encourage positive vibes, fun and sportsmanship amongst all the competitors. She will also be awarding two Sportsmanship Awards for the male or female that demonstrates the best sportsmanship and attitude throughout the event.
Throughout the day, competitors will be encouraged to participate in the #RipCurlKeikiMoment Instagram contest. Groms will be asked to post their favorite moment from the day for the chance to win a GoPro camera. To see what is happening at the event in real time, follow along on Snapchat at ripcurl_usa.
Sunday the surf forecast for Hanalei Bay is expecting slowly declining swell in the head high to a few feet overhead range. Short to mid period swell will produce consistent sets, with mostly light winds and scattered showers throughout the day. Sign ups for the contest are full but alternates may be taken at Hanalei Surf Shop.