Liam Murray. Courtesy photo
By Andrea Swayne
Liam Murray
Age: 12, Bernice Ayer Middle School
Liam Murray has only been shortboarding for a year but is already well on his way to a great amateur career.
His combination of talent, motivation and stoke for the sport also shows promise of future competitive success at the pro junior level and beyond. Liam currently competes in the Scholastic Surf Series as a member of the Bernice Ayer Middle School surf team and is in his first season on the Western Surfing Association Championship Tour. At school, Liam is a straight-‘A’ seventh-grade student whose favorite subject is science.
“I want to be a mechanical engineer, so I’m going to keep my grades up so I can get into a good college,” he said.
His other interests include playing baseball for his club team, the San Clemente Tritons, and dirt biking. Liam credits his love for surfing and early success in the sport to his dad and friends.
“My dad learned to surf as a kid and wanted me to learn too,” he said. “I would always see him in the water and it made me want to try it. Now I want to do it all the time. Surfing is fun. It can be challenging, but it’s a fun challenge.”
He also gives props to his neighbors and friends, the Colapinto brothers, for encouraging him and inspiring him with their talent.
“Becoming a pro surfer someday would be nice, but even if that doesn’t happen, I still want to surf for the rest of my life,” Liam said.