Kauaiians crowned kings at Rip Curl USA Gromsearch#2

At first glance you would think the surfing that took place at Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach, CA today was from a crew of Pro/Am surfers battling it out in a WQS event. Look again, it was the talented crop of Surfing’s next generation – the colossal king’s of the Rip Curl GromSearch.

Groms piled in from all over the nation including Southern California surf rats, grovellers from all over the East Coast, and Hawaii’s clan of Kuauians seeking out their crowns. No matter where you were from the 2-3ft. southwest/northwest combo swell allowed all groms to showcase their latest repertoire of explosive maneuvers in front of a tough panel of judges and Rip Curl’s GromSearch Scouts.

Rip Curl Pipeline Master, Jamie O’Brien made a guest appearance at today’s event to present the “Freak Show Award” – an award Jamie “Freak Show” O’Brien would present to the grom who performed the best maneuver of the day.

Surfing Highlights –

The 12 & Under mini-groms took to the water with a vengeance, using their small stature to maximize wave scores, milking many of the tricky waves all the way to shore. 7-year-old Kalani David out of Hawaii pushed his surfing to limits progressing all the way into the final. Kalani was able to weed out much of the competition that was about twice his age and earn himself of solid 3rd place finish. 2nd place went to the explosive surfing of Nick Rupp and Rip Curl Team Rider and Kauai’s own, Koa Smith, smashed his way to victory by combining countless turns across the PB beach break.

14 & Under standouts consisted of Taylor Brothers, Brent Reilly and another Hawaiian hot shot – Granger Larson. Taylor came out fighting, utilizing both the lefts and right handers that pushed into the pier resulting in a strong 3rd place finish. One of Orange County’s upcoming surfers, Brent Reilly, showcased his strong forehand attack on Crystal Pier’s left handers earning him 2nd place honors. The win went to Hawaii’s Granger Larson whose progressive surfing style allowed put him a league above his competitors.

The Boys 16 & Under final brought forth some of the best amateur surfers set to hit the upcoming NSSA Nationals including a trio of Rip Curl Team Riders – Tyler Crawford, Alex Smith, and Kyle Ramey. Crawford (AKA – TC) wore his East Coast heart on his sleeve, maximizing every wave score with countless maneuvers that earned him a healthy 3rd place finish. Kuauian representatives, Smith and Ramey battled it out in the deteriorating Pacific Beach conditions, answering each other’s scores blow for blow. However, with only moments to go, Kyle Ramey murdered a right hander with numerous vertical maneuvers weaving his way through the pier pylons and down into the shoreline. Smith made a valiant effort to destroy the groveling waves that petered in toward the closing moments of the final; however it wasn’t enough to out due his teammate. In the end it was Alex Smith holding down 2nd and Kyle Ramey taking the win.

Last but not least – the Girls 16 & Under division also featured some of tomorrow’s most talented surfers. Rip Curl’s own NSSA standout and inspirational surfer, Bethany Hamilton, put on an outstanding performance at today’s event. With support of some adoring fans, and her incredible surfing talent, Bethany powered her way to a 3rd place finish. Another Rip Curl standout sure to make waves at this year’s NSSA Nationals, Alana Blanchard, also showcased a strong performance. Alana continued to wave the Kuauian flag as she took home 2nd place honors. Her size may be small but her surfing is big-time - Nage Melamed proved she meant business by taking down the two Hawaiian heavyweights and securing the Girls 16 & Under victory.

Special mention goes out to Rip Curl’s own Alex Smith who earned Jamie O’Brien’s “Freak Show Award” by transitioning a backside vertical snap into a fins-out reverse. Congratulations Alex, and enjoy your new Nintendo Gameboy Advantage and Surf One Skateboard.

Special thanks goes out to all the Rip Curl GromSearch sponsors including Nintendo, Monster Energy, FCS, Surf One Skateboards, Sticky Bumps, Surfing Magazine, SG Mag, wavewatch.com, and ADD Marketing. Rip Curl would also like to thank South Coast Surf Shops, Groms + -, and all the Pacific Beach locals for their support.

Results from stop #2 of the Rip Curl GromSearch – Pacific Beach

Boys 12 & Under     Boys 14 & Under
1st – Koa Smith 1st – Granger Larson
2nd – Nick Rupp 2nd – Brent Reilly
3rd – Kalani David 3rd – Taylor Brothers
4th – Shaw Kobyahsi 4th – Dylan Melamed
5th – Austin Ganz 5th – Dege O’Connell
6th – Dom Dipietro 6th – Sean Bacon

Boys 16 & Under    Girls 16 & Under
1st – Kyle Ramey 1st – Nage Melamed
2nd – Alex Smith 2nd – Alana Blanchard
3rd Tyler Crawford 3rd – Bethany Hamilton
4th – Chris Slayter 4th – Amy Nichol
5th – Ben Powell 5th – Lacey Pfilbsen
6th – Travis Scarbrough 6th – Chloe Cruse

Stop #3: Rip Curl GromSearch presented by Nintendo
Goldenwest Street, Huntington Beach, CA
Wednesday, July 6th – 7AM Start

Source: Global Surf News

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