By Jake Howard
We all should have seen this coming. It was only a matter of time. San Clemente’s Zion Walla just won his first-ever NSSA contest, and the vibes couldn’t be any better.
The pint-sized goofy-footer rolled up to Ventura for the Southwest Open Season finale and got right down to work in the Under-10 division. Not only was it his first NSSA contest, it was his first final and his first win. That’s a lot of firsts for one day.
“And if that wasn’t enough, he crushed the heat with monster scores of 8.17 and 8.83 for a 17.00 total,” reports the NSSA.
“This was the best day of my life,” said Zion after the final.

That’s a big statement considering how much fun he always seems to be having. Just like his pops, he’s an absolute weapon in the water with a spear gun and has been bringing home a lot of dinners lately. And like his mom, he’s equally happy to spend a few days scaling rock faces in Joshua Tree.
But now with a contest win under his belt, watch out, surf world; Zion’s coming!
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