Twelve divisions and 345 groms giving everything they had in the friendly two-to-four-foot surf at Kuhio Beach, Honolulu, Hawaii. It could only be the T&C Surf Grom Contest.
The 19th annual grom competition attracted hundreds of families to the heart and sands of Waikiki. For many boys and girls, it was their first ever surf contest. Did they feel the pressure? Maybe a bit, but everyone had tremendous fun.
Craig Sugihara, founder and president of T&C Surf, was happy to "see the smiles and laughter of the many young groms. We feel fortunate, not only for their participation but to be blessed with fun waves for the event."
There were famous surf stars in the audience. Joel Centeio and Fred Patacchia, for example, had their kids competing in the Kokua division. The event distributed all sorts of prizes: medals, goodie bags, surf cameras, skateboards, surfboards, sunglasses, bodyboards, watches, and more.
"Our son Castle is so jacked up right now all he wants to do is surf. He made the 6-9 longboard final and ended up 5th and was so stoked with all the killer goodies in the bag. Thank you again so much as it really was awesome," said Jim Foti, a surf dad.
In the end, there could only be 12 winners: Coco Kakikawa and Stone Suitt (Shortboard 6-8), Puamakamae Desoto and Nalu Deodato (Shortboard 9-10), Anela Francisco and Toby Watanabe (Shortboard 11-12), Marina Fonseca and Mala'e Mcelheny (Longboard 6-9), Samantha Rust and Benjamin Johnasen (Longboard 10-12), Coral Asam (Bodyboard 6-9), and Dayton Cantiberos (10-12).
All groms made Duke Kahanamoku proud. The 20th edition of the T&C Surf Grom Contest will certainly exceed all expectations.
