The Verizon Wireless Junior Hawaii Surf Team journeyed to Ecuador to compete and represent Hawaii as official Ambassadors of Aloha in the largest Amateur Surfing competition of its kind. The Hawaii Team was on the road for more than three weeks competing initially in the NSSA Hawaii Regional Championships on Oahu.  They also initiated a beach clean up during that Kewalo Basin NSSA contest, and attended a Hard Rock Café Send Off Party that featured inspirational words from Lieutenant Governor Duke Aiona and State Senate Minority Leader Fred Hemmings. Hemmings was the first ISA World Champion representing Hawaii in 1968.

Team captain Rainos Hayes led the charge to Ecuador along with trainer Kahea Hart and girls coach Megan Abubo. The water temperature in Ecuador was about 78 degrees, the air temperature was well over 85 degrees daily and there were many swells and waves on tap for days to come.

On Saturday evening a traditional Parade of Natons took place with 28 countries and a record number of the worlds best surfers 18 and under marching together. The parade route thru Salinas was jammed with over 10,000 Ecuadorians cheering as the Hawaii team marched by with flags waving, shaka signs high in the air, chants of aloha, and the singing of Hawaii Pono I.  A traditional pouring of sands from around the world then took place. There was music, cultural dance, and fireworks with the first day of competition scheduled for Sunday.

On Sunday, the waves were running consistently 4-5 feet and continued that way right thru Tuesday  On Wednesday the surf rose to a solid 8-12 feet with plenty of current. It took about four a half minutes to paddle back out after riding a wave to shore and some of the competition on Wednesday had to be postponed until the surf subsided a bit on Thursday. Eight days of competition would provide a variety of conditions to test all the competitors.   

From the outset Hawaii was focused on gaining a top four finish and coming home with a medal. Other teams with an outstanding chance of finishing in the top four were the United States, France, Brazil, South Africa, and perennial favorite Australia. Ever since 2005, when Hawaii won the championship at Huntington Beach Australia has been motivated to regain the championship crown. Their countries program is a full year of training and competition supported by their national and local governments. And they have won consecutive events ever since!  Other teams that feature extremely  competent individual riders were poised to be spoilers in the team competition. Those nations that received additional support from their countries include Costa Rica, and Puerto Rico, and a motivated and very well organized  New Zealand team.  

Because of the double elimination there wasn’t a day that passed when the Hawaiians  did not spend at 8-10 hours at the beach.  Hawaii’s surfers advanced thru many of the early rounds. Rainos Hayes the team captain and experienced leader kept the team motivated, and positive.  He was there to help those that needed a lift, while calming those that needed to remain focused.  Team meetings were held each evening after dinner to reinforce the next days schedule.  Kahea Hart the official team trainer held stretching and yoga sessions at dawn every morning, and Megan Abubo provided the girls with priceless professional insight before their heats.

After 6 solid days of surfing,  Hawaii found itself with 7 of its 12  surfers still up and riding in the double elimination event.  

On Saturday the waves dropped to about a less than two feet, and the extra high tide made for flat spells and poorly shaped waves.  The contest had to be rearranged to accommodate the conditions. Malia Manuel experienced her first loss due to the lack of waves.  Nage Melamed managed to win her first heat of the morning but also ran into those high tide inconsistencies in the afternoon.  She bowed out of the competition with a strong 6-2 record, finishing 8th overall, while setting the stage for our remaining ladies. That evening  however after Malia scored a 17 point wave combination she too was eliminated during the last heat of the day at 6pm. She finished the event 6th overall. The stage was now set for a womens semi final and repercharge round on Sunday that would feature two Hawaiians Leila Hurst and Alessa Cuizon against former Australian champion and  runner up Laura Enever and Tyler Wright.  

In the under 16 division Keanu Asing continued to advance all day Saturday while Kaimana Jaquias remained undefeated heading into Sunday.  Dylan Goodale on Saturday maintained his winning ways and advanced straight to the finals on Sunday afternoon.  

Sunday, Grand Finale Day found a new swell rising slowly but surely. Kaimana lost his first heat and wound up surfing in a repercharge for the boys under 16 to determine who would surf in the finals.  Kaimana could not get untracked in that repercharge and was eliminated.  He finished in 5th place overall.  Keanu Asing however was relentless and moved onto the finals.

In the  Qualifying Womens semi final and resulting repercharge heat Leila Hurst was unable to find a rhythm and finished with a solid 5th place overall. Alessa Quizon did however advance and she was to represent Hawaii against France’s Cannille Brusard, along with Australia’s Laura Enever and Tyler Wright.

The finals were now set with basically Hawaii and Australia duking it out for the overall  Gold Medal championship.   

In the under 16 division Grand Finale Keanu Asing continued his relentless attack. Brazil’s Gabriel Medina led off with a solid 9.5 and Keanu had about 20 minutes to answer. He quickly scored a 7.5 right off the bat, and then went to town with a solid 9 and 8 to seal the deal. Keanu won the individual first place crown for the boys under 16, joining the ranks of 2005 under 16 champion Tonino Benson.  Australia’s fourth consecutive gold medal world championship was in jeopardy.  

In the under 18 womens division Alessa Quizon managed a third place finish with Tyler Wright of Australia capturing 1st  place and Laura Enever stroking to shore with a fourth place finish leaving one last heat to determine the world team championship winner.

Favorite Miguel Pupo of Brazil, power surfer Dean Bowen of Australia, the fluid Maxime Huscenot of France, and Hawaii’s versatile Dylan Goodale were to face each other in the final heat of the 8 day event. Dylan’s undefeated record throughout the contest put Hawaii in a position to capture it all.  It was his steady performances throughout the 7 days of competition, that kept him in an almost invicible rhythm against the worlds finest amateur surfers.  

The rising swell on this late morning was delivering only two key waves per set. And Dean Bowen as well as Brazilian Miguel Pupo were in position for each of the two best sets of this Grand Finale Heat. They continued exchanging high scores while Dylan was getting waves that just did not line up all the thru to the inside shelf.  With just 3 minutes left  Maxime Huscenot got a strong midsized wave and a solid 8.68 score that went unanswered. Dylan settled for a fourth place finish in the world championship round. The heat failed to deliver enough waves that Hawaii needed to gain a world championship crown. And when the dust settled, the Australian team had withstood their strongest challenge since 2005 in what was the most exciting, action packed, suspense filled event in ISA history. Little more than 100 points separated first place Australia and 2nd place Hawaii. The awards ceremony followed at 2pm.

The Hawaii team was greeted with loudest cheers at the podium, at private parties,  national functions, during the Parade of Nations, as well as on the streets, as they wore their Verizon Wireless/Hard Rock Cafe uniforms with pride and humility.  The respect worldwide that  Hawaii commands in the sport of surfing is quite obvious, but even more so is the respect that stems from being true Ambassadors of Aloha. Though Hawaii flew home with a highly tauted and well respected 2nd place trophy it pales in contrast to the grace, love and acceptance the world pours onto us as we represent the Hawaiian islands around the world.