Today was a massive day for the sport of surfing as the world’s best Junior men and women attacked 8 – 10 foot Sunset beach and showed why the future of our sport is in good hands. At first light there were 12 foot close out sets rolling through Sunset and there were 30 juniors paddling out to practice for their heats. The courage and determination these young kids have is revolutionary.
Kelly Slater came down to commentate for the Final and was blown away how hard the kids were charging. He even mentioned “I wasn’t surfing out here when I was their age”
Barton Lynch also offered his time on the live web cast stating, “This has to be the biggest surf ever for a Junior competition, a new bar has been set for the sport of surfing”
Jack Robinson is only 16 years old and came all the way from Western Australia to show his stuff at Sunset Beach and he did just that today. Jack has been in form the whole event but today he really turned up the heat in the semis and Final. In the semis, he put up a 17 point total with two incredible rides showing a variety of rail turns, snaps and off the lips. In the Final he opened up with an 8 point ride and never looked back, finding the best waves in the challenging conditions and surfing them perfectly.
Miguel Tudela, from Peru, finished 2nd in the event and put on a wicked display of backside surfing through out the entire event. Miguel attacked every section that came his way with big backside off the lips and floaters.
Kalani David, from Hawaii, was one of the younger competitors but it didn’t show in his approach. Kalani surfed incredible the whole event with multiple 9 point rides showing a lot of assertiveness and confidence in his approach to Sunset Beach.
Leo Fioravanti, from Italy, rounded out the final in 4th place but surfed really well in every heat and this result will only give him more confidence as he continues to pursue his goals of being a WCT surfer.
Meah Collins is from Newport Beach and is the daughter of former WCT surfer Richie Collins. Meah was charging in the big surf and it was really incredible to see these young girls even paddle out in the treacherous conditions. Meah was ready for the challenge and when asked what she thought about surfing big sunset she simply said, ”Let’s do this!”
Dax McGill finished a close 2nd with an incredible ride in the dying minutes that just came up short on the score she needed to win. Tatiana Weston Webb finished 3rd in the final unable to find the waves she needed in the tricky conditions. Tatiana is one of Hawaii’s most promising young women surfer’s and almost qualified for the A.S.P WCT tour last year and has an incredible backside attack. Brisa Hennessy finished out the final in 4th but at only 14 years old, she showed a lot of courage and skill in these incredibly challenging conditions.
The 3rd annual North Shore Surf Shop Sunset Pro Junior was truly a historic event with the biggest most perfect waves ever seen during a Junior event. The bar has been raised and the youth have answered the call. We will definitely see some of these names in future Triple Crown events here in Hawaii and events like this one is what will give the next generation a fighting chance at success…
The Junior events that the North Shore Surf Shop, Liam Mcnamara, Faith Wenzl and A.S.P Hawaii have put on in the last few years have elevated Pro Junior Surfing in a huge way. This event had over 130 international competitors enter for the chance to surf big Sunset and that’s exactly what they received. These events are not only beneficial for the surfer’s from Hawaii; they are offering chances of a lifetime to junior surfers from around the globe.
This event would not be possible without the support of the local community and businesses. We would like to thank all the sponsors who supported this event and encourage everyone to visit these local businesses and support the companies that support surfing: North Shore Surf Shop, Da Hui, Cutter Auto Group, Turtle Bay Resort, Fullmer Roofing, Volcom, Lui Bueno’s, Turtle Tours, Moku Hawaii, Jerry’s Pizza, Paradise Realty, Kua Aina, Banzai Sushi, Wyland, Surfboardline.com, Growing Keiki, Sharks Cove Grill, North Shore Tacos, Cheap Banners Hawaii, Smith, Car Wrap Hawaii, Haleiwa Bowls, Xcel Haleiwa, Clark Little Galleries, North Shore Coffee Roasters, Waialua Bakery, Future Fins, Mopeds Direct, Channel Islands Surfboards, Surf Tech, Surfboard Factory Outlet, Kono’s, Eric Arakawa, Da Kine
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