AMATEUR SURFING
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
First-place finisher Brennan Boudreau tore up a wave during the final of the junior men's shortboard division.
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Boudreau, Byrne-Wickey spring into summer with wins
The annual Surf Into Summer holiday contest draws 225 contestants to Sandy Beach
By Brandon Lee
Special to the Star-Bulletin
Some people like to hit the mall or the movie theater to celebrate the beginning of summer.
Hawaii's best amateur surfers prefer to mark the season's start by hitting the waves at the Local Motion Surf Into Summer event.
Although numbers were a bit down -- 225 instead of the typical 300-plus -- the three-day contest over Memorial Day weekend is still recognized as the one of the largest and most prestigious surf events for amateurs in the state.
The finals of all 13 divisions were held yesterday at Sandy Beach's Full Point break, in waves with faces that ranged from 1 to 4 feet. The competition had been moved from its traditional site at Ala Moana Bowls because of lingering concerns over water pollution,
"When I got out there, first thing I was thinking was, 'Wow!' " said 16-year-old Brennan Boudreau, who participated in the junior men's (ages 15-17) shortboard final. "I was really scared, but then the horn rang and I just had to get it on."
After not making it out of the first round in his previous two Surf Into Summers, Boudreau made the most of his opportunity this time, not only advancing out of the early rounds, but also winning the title in the ultra-competitive division.
Many of the junior men's surfers are considered professional prospects.
The Makakilo resident, an incoming junior at Kapolei High, totaled 12.34 points for his top two rides during his 20-minute, six-surfer final. His best wave of the pair scored a 7.67, coming after he executed a big backside carve going left and then worked his way inside with several more snapping turns.
Kekoa Cazimero (11.12 total) finished in second place, and Hizon Lin Kee (11.00) was close behind in third.
"Everyone was really good, it was a really close contest," Boudreau said. "First place. This is a big win -- my biggest. Bowls, everyone knows it's such a good wave, but surfing Sandys and I won it ... I'm just so happy right now."
A few years away from a potential shot at pro stardom, Kapolei's Keanu Asing won the boys (12-14) shortboard title in another hotly contested division.
Asing scored 12.00 points for his top two waves in the final. John Florence (11.16) -- one of the favorites entering the event -- finished as the runner-up, and Kyle Galtes (9.50) placed third.
"I was trying to pick the best waves and just do as much as I can on them," said Asing, who turns 13 today. "This is a pretty big win because this is the biggest contest of the summer, and it really helps me show everybody that I'm growing bigger and better."
In the most competitive female division, Hana's Monica Byrne-Wickey won the girls (17-under) shortboard final after nabbing one near-perfect score and then adding another solid ride to finish with 17.17 out of a possible 20 total.
Lani Hunter (11.17) finished well back in second place, and her younger sister, Ashley (7.83), ended up in third.
Taking advantage of a left-breaking set during their 20-minute decider, Byrne-Wickey pulled off multiple, big backhanded snaps on the wave and averaged a 9.67 from the three judges. One of them gave her a perfect 10 for the ride, and the other two both gave her a 9.50.
"I just found a pretty good spot to sit at," the 15-year-old Byrne-Wickey said. "This is my second event here, but my home break (on Maui) is kind of like this -- very windy. I got a pretty good one, it had a nice wall to it, and I was able to kind of go more vertical than on any of the other waves I got."
Other division winners were: Travis Smith in junior men's (17-under) bodyboard; Mark Gervacio in men's (18-over) bodyboard; Koa Smith in menehune (11-under) shortboard; Jensen Hassett in men's (18-24) shortboard; Keli Everett in masters (25-34) shortboard; Andrew Coutts in senior men's (35-over) shortboard; Helena Suehiro in women's (18-over) shortboard; Genki Kino in men's 30-under longboard; Gavin Hasegawa in men's 31-over longboard; and Mimi Horiuchi in open women's longboard.