Top young surf talent in town to compete at USA Surfing championships
The competition this week at Lower Trestles is a front-row seat to witness the next generation of the country’s best wave riders at work.
The best young surfers in the country are battling it out at the USA Surfing National Championships through Saturday, June 22, an event that draws about 200 competitors from around the country, many from Southern California beach towns.
The championships, hosted just south of San Clemente at San Onofre State Beach, are a chance for youngsters under 18 years old to not only earn a prestigious USA Surfing title, but also get in front of sponsors to showcase their talents.
“It’s so exciting to be here at Lower Trestles, which is such a renowned surf break,” said USA Surfing Executive Director Becky Fleischauer. “The next generation of American surf talent is so exciting to watch. It’s where they can really show what they’ve been working on all season. There’s just a great energy. I’m really proud of how the kids are working in and out of the water.”
Waves beefed up to the 3- to 5-foot range for the second day of the event Tuesday, though the waves are expected to ease to 2- to 3-feet tall through the week, with Surfline forecasts showing a slight bump in size for the final day on Saturday.
The competitors had to make their way through regional qualifying events for their spots and the chance to battle it out for a national title. Some competing are recently home from earning a copper medal in El Salvador as part of the USA junior national team in the ISA World Junior Championships.
Huntington Beach surfer Sara Freyre, 17, earned a bronze medal at that event and hopes to take home her first USA Surfing National Championship this week.
“I just want to take it one heat at a time and focus on my surfing, and end up on top,” she said, gearing up for her afternoon heat. “I love events at home, all my family and friends can come down and support me.”
Freyre is training with coach Courtney Conlogue, a World Tour veteran who spent more than a decade battling against the world’s best.
“I just enjoy sharing the knowledge, I’ve done so many years competing and now to be able to help Sara out and help guide her to really good performances is a lot of fun,” Conlogue said.
USA Surfing, along with surfwear company and sponsor Hurley, have been holding a “Power Your Performance” workshop series for the up-and-coming surfers, offering development in and out of the water with topics such as deep-water breathwork, aerial maneuver techniques and meditation.
USA Surfing head coach Ryan Simmons knows how valuable the program is for the amateur surfers, many who aspire to have professional surfing careers.
There are currently more American rookie surfers on the elite World Tour than ever before, including a crop from San Clemente, nearly all of them coming through the USA Surfing ranks, he noted.
“The waves are going off, the talent level might be the best we’ve ever had,” Simmons said on Tuesday. “Every year, it seems to get better and better. “
For the older surfers, it’s their last year surfing on the amateur circuit before they start surfing more World Surf League Qualifying Series events, the minor leagues of the sport, and move up the ranks to, hopefully, land on the World Tour.
Manhattan Beach surfer Kai Kushner is in his last year surfing for USA Surfing – on Tuesday he won his heat to advance to the next round.
“I made a little mistake and took off on a closeout,” he said. “But I stayed calm and got my two waves.”
Eden Walla, from San Clemente, is one of the young teens to keep an eye on, an up-and-coming surfer who already at age 14 has two national championships – U14 and U16 – under her belt.
“It’s super cool having it here, I can literally bike down from my house,” she said of the Lower Trestles location. “It’s really nice to be able to sleep in your bed at night and have everyone else from around the world surf my home break.”
Her goal for the week?
“I just want to have fun,” she said, “and I want to win, of course.”