Jacob Atwood
Age: 13, Shorecliffs Middle School
Jacob Atwood started out longboarding but began competing on a shortboard last year as part of the Shorecliffs Middle School surf team. In SSS competition he was the middle school longboard champion and took first place at state and second at nationals. Jacob kicked off the new WSA season August 4 with a third-place finish in U18 Longboard. This summer he has been working toward advancing his shortboarding skills for the new season and plans to enter both divisions throughout. On a Tuesday practice session at Lowers, Jacob came face-to-face in the lineup with his favorite pro surfer Julian Wilson. The two exchanged small talk, Jacob congratulated Wilson on his U.S. Open win and Wilson gave him half of a surfboard he snapped that morning. “It was pretty cool meeting him,” Jacob said. “In basketball you can’t just go down to the floor and talk with the pros.” Although focused on a pro surfing career, education comes first, he said. Jacob is an ‘A’ and ‘B’ student who speaks Spanish fluently and would like to become a bilingual attorney. Having learned Spanish from his mom is something that has also added tremendously to his enjoyment of surf trips to Mexico. “I want to thank my parents for helping me, not only in surfing but with my education and life in general. I love them very much. I love my brother too and hope we surf together for the rest of our lives,” said Jacob. “I owe all my success to my family and to God.”
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