Grom Report

Grom Report: Makai McNamara

Name: Makai McNamara
Nickname: Eggy
Birthdate: March 3, 1995
Stance: Regular
Sponsors: …Lost Surfboards, Blackline, Sanuk, Surf N Sea, Sambazon, Waterman’s Sunscreen

Grom Report: Ezekiel Lau

Grom Report

Ezekiel Lau is one of those kids who doesn’t say much, but he doesn’t have to, he lets his surfing do the talking. When Zeke does have something to say, he’s articulate and witty. A Kamehameha student, he’s definitely all there. Zeke is known for his fins-free surfing and his shaved head, a testament to his determination to win Nationals. Keeping that dome glowing must be a daily ritual. Respectful of his elders and peers, Zeke can be seen hitting lips and pulling in from Kewalos to Bowls on a daily basis. Right, left, lip hits and airs, he’s a staple on the south shore all summer and known to put his time in the water at Pipe and other various locales all winter. Zeke’s holding a nice bag of tricks and with his focus on surfing backed up by classroom knowledge spilling out from his ears, he’s ready to grow his hair. —Tony Heff

Grom Report: Kaulana Apo

Attack of the Mini Grom
By Kevin Whitton

Kaulana Apo
4/9/98
Ewa Beach, O‘ahu

Ewa Beach is known for being hot and it’s surf centrality to any shore on O‘ahu. Kaulana Apo has taken advantage of this and put it to good use. The year-round high temperatures means Kaulana is always in the water and the centrality provides world-class waves in any direction.

Viva La Gromfest

By Jeff Mull

Event: 11th Annual T&C Surf Grom Contest
Date: July 12–13, 2008
Location: Kuhio Beach, Queen’s
Conditions: 3-foot peaks

Below an open-ended blue sky and a scorchingly hot Waikiki sun, July 12 and 13 saw hundreds of towheaded groms take over the lineup at Queen’s and the surrounding beaches at Waikiki like a nomadic pigmy hunting party setting up camp. But for this camp and hunting party, there would be no kills (that I am aware of) and a sacrifice was not in order. The gods were clearly happy and smiled upon the groms with 3-foot peaks dotting the coast of Honolulu for the much anticipated T&C Gromfest. With the luck of being able to surf picture-perfect Queen’s with only a handful of friends, the weekend felt like a surf fantasy had just run head on into Christmas morning.

Occhilupo Officially Opens Billabong Occy’s Grom Comp On Gold Coast

Billabong Occy's Grom Comp

Duranbah, Gold Coast Australia
July 5 - 6, 2008

July 5, 2008 - Wild weather was not enough to dampen the spirits of a talented-stacked field of the country’s top young surfers as they descended on Duranbah Beach today to contest the opening day of the Billabong Occy’s Grom Comp.

Grom Report: Davey Brand

Split Peak

Davey Brand has a much different upbringing than most of the local talent shredding the Pipe to Pups lineup. The 15-year-old goofyfoot spends part of the year in chilly Cape Town, South Africa and the rest of the year beachfront at Pupukea. Bouncing back and forth between two obverse surf towns has likely strengthened his dynamic surfing and competitive prowess. The young South African cites moving to the North Shore as the highlight in his surfing career. “It pushed my surfing to the next level. There is so much competition over here, it's amazing!”

Grom Report: Little Big Man, Koa Smith

By Alee Thompson

When FSM finally tracked down Koa Smith he was in a hospital on Kaua‘i with what might be a broken wrist. Twenty-four hours later he was in the final heat of the No Fear contest with a brace on, and won the event a la Michael Ho at the 1982 Pipe Masters. But to a 13-year-old with a national title under his belt and five first place Hale‘iwa Menehune Championship trophies on the shelf at home, the win is no biggie. If you haven’t already seen the kid consistently ripping on the contest circuit, you may have seen him conducting hilarious interviews for Surfer Magazine at the Surfer Poll Awards wearing a leopard print suit (get your own at www.littlefelladesigns.com). Koa’s got a sense of humor, a sense of style and a way of surfing that has Andy Irons calling him a cross between a young Rob Machado and a young Tom Carroll. You’ve been warned.

Volcom Surf Team Update: Groms off, Quinn wins, more

January 23, 2008 - Aside from having greasy noses, armpits that smell like roadkill and an alarming disregard for their own lives by continually busting my chops, the Volcom Oz grommets have been in good form lately. After spending December in Hawaii soaking up the North Shore, they’ve returned home to dive head first into the new Pro Junior Season. At present Chris Friend is our best performer with a fifth at Bells and a 12th at Gunnamatta.