The Surfing America USA Surf Team. Courtesy photo
Groms of the Week: Surfing America USA Team
By Andrea Swayne
With ISA World Junior Surfing Championship competition on day four Wednesday in Salinas, Ecuador, team USA was holding on strong and still in medal contention.
The competition was halted mid-day Tuesday due to a shark sighting in the lineup but continued Wednesday morning with all USA team members surfing well and still in the running.
Four members of the team hail from area. Representing San Clemente are Griffin Colapinto, Tia Blanco and Malia Osterkamp and from Capistrano Beach, Jacob Davis.
The remainder of the team is made up of Californians Kanoa Igarashi, Nic Hdez , Jake Marshall, Nolan Rapoza and Frankie Harrer. East Coast team members are Daniel Glenn, Luke Gordon and Maddie Peterson round out the talented group.
Minutes before press time on Wednesday, Blanco continued the team’s strong showing, winning her Girls U18 Qualifier 3 heat. Dominating the lineup, she came up with a two-wave score of 12.27 (out of 20) over runner-up Kim Veteau of France who earned a 6.33.
“It was definitely nerve wracking,” Blanco said in a post heat interview. Blanco went on to say she knew how talented the other surfers were and felt lucky to be the only one to get a quick start in the tough conditions.
The contest will be broadcast live through its conclusion, which weather and “sharkiness” permitting will wrap up by April 13. Catch all the action, live at www.isawjsc.com.