• Support
  • Advertise
  • Locations
  • Contact
Wednesday, March 22, 2023
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTERS
San Clemente Times
  • Calendar
    • Event Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Sections
    • Eye on SC
    • Soapbox
      • Submit a Letter
    • Getting Out
    • SC Living
    • Sports & Outdoors
    • SC Surf
    • Dana Point Times
    • Capistrano Dispatch
  • Digital Edition
  • Best of SC
  • Explore SC
  • Legals & Classifieds
    • Locals Only Business Directory
    • Classifieds
    • Submit a Classified
    • Obituaries
    • Announcements
    • Submit an Announcement
    • Legal & Public Notice Advertising
  • Special Publications
    • A New You
    • Aging Well – For the Young at Heart
    • Best of San Clemente
    • Crib to College
    • Festival of Whales Event Program
    • Go See Do
    • Holiday Happenings & Gift Guide
    • Money Matters
    • Swallows Day Parade & Mercado Event Guide
    • The Green Issue
    • Triton Football Preview
  • SC Guide
  • Real Estate
    • South County Real Estate Guide
    • Real Estate – Who’s Who
  • Calendar
    • Event Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Sections
    • Eye on SC
    • Soapbox
      • Submit a Letter
    • Getting Out
    • SC Living
    • Sports & Outdoors
    • SC Surf
    • Dana Point Times
    • Capistrano Dispatch
  • Digital Edition
  • Best of SC
  • Explore SC
  • Legals & Classifieds
    • Locals Only Business Directory
    • Classifieds
    • Submit a Classified
    • Obituaries
    • Announcements
    • Submit an Announcement
    • Legal & Public Notice Advertising
  • Special Publications
    • A New You
    • Aging Well – For the Young at Heart
    • Best of San Clemente
    • Crib to College
    • Festival of Whales Event Program
    • Go See Do
    • Holiday Happenings & Gift Guide
    • Money Matters
    • Swallows Day Parade & Mercado Event Guide
    • The Green Issue
    • Triton Football Preview
  • SC Guide
  • Real Estate
    • South County Real Estate Guide
    • Real Estate – Who’s Who
No Result
View All Result
San Clemente Times
No Result
View All Result

Team USA Wins Second Gold Medal at VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship

Staff by Staff
October 6, 2017 1:26PM
in SC SURF, Surf Headlines
Team USA Wins Second Gold Medal at VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship

Team USA won gold at the VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship in Hyuga, Japan on Oct. 1. Photo: Courtesy of ISA / Sean Evans

0
SHARES
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

By Jake Howard

For America’s next generation of surf stars, the future is now. Claiming a team gold medal for only the second time in the U.S. program’s storied history, the boys and girls rallied to win team gold at the VISSLA ISA World Junior Championship. Heading into the final day of the week-long contest—taking place in quality, highly contestable surf at Okuragahama Beach in Hyuga, Japan—the Americans were in the lead, but needed some solid results to bring home the gold. That’s exactly what they got, including stand-out performances from a couple of local ladies.

In the Under 16 Girls final, Team USA’s Alyssa Spencer got on a roll early and never looked back. Hailing from Carlsbad, she opened the final with a near-perfect 9.87 to jump out to an early lead. She held on to claim her first individual gold medal, while San Clemente’s Samantha Sibley earned a bronze medal for her part in the action-packed final.

“This has been my dream since I started surfing,” Spencer said. “I can’t believe it’s actually true. I’m speechless. I wanted the gold so bad, and getting that nine right off the bat boosted my confidence so much. After that, I just needed another score to back it up.”

The girls kept rolling in the Under 18 final. Hawaii’s Brisa Hennessy successfully defended her 2016 VISSLA ISA Junior title, while San Clemente’s Kirra Pinkerton stepped up against the older competitors to earn a copper medal (fourth place) and help cement Team USA’s standings.

Team USA won gold at the VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship in Hyuga, Japan on Oct. 1. Photo: Courtesy of ISA / Sean Evans
Team USA won gold at the VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship in Hyuga, Japan on Oct. 1. Photo: Courtesy of ISA / Sean Evans

On the men’s side, South Orange County surfers Kade Matson and Cole Houshmand put in valiant efforts in the early rounds of the contest, but were relegated to the cheering section by the last day. Carrying the torch for the American boys, Los Angeles’ Noah Hill stepped up his game in the Boys Under 18. After snapping his femur trying a full-rotation air in 2016, he bounced back from injury and finished with a silver medal. Winning the division was Argentina’s Ignacio Gundesen.

“I am so happy to win this,” Gundesen said. “I am so proud that I’ve earned a top-eight spot for my country to compete in the ISA Aloha Cup next year. I couldn’t have done this without my team. This is for them. This is for Argentina.”

Finally, in the Boys Under 16 final, Malibu’s Taro Watanabe barely missed out on a gold medal of his own. In the dying second of the final, Japan’s Joh Azuchi ripped a wave all the way from out the back to the beach. The judges threw him an 8.6 for the effort. It was enough to edge out Watanabe by a mere 0.16 of a point.

“I can’t believe this happened,” Azuchi said afterward. “I am so stoked. I was able to win because there are so many people behind me, supporting me.”

The combined results of the American surfers proved to be just enough to edge out a savvy Hawaiian squad. Earlier this year it was announced that the sport of surfing would be included in the 2020 Olympic Games in Japan. The VISSLA ISA World Junior Championship is the first step toward the Games.

“What an incredible week of competition. We have witnessed history here in Japan on many levels,” ISA President Fernando Aguerre said. “We crowned the first VISSLA ISA World Champions in Japan in 27 years and also saw new nations earn their first gold medals…We certainly will see some of the athletes that competed this week in Japan among those representing their nations at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in three years.”

Final Team Results:
1 (Gold) – USA
2 (Silver) – Hawaii
3 (Bronze) – Japan
4 (Copper) – Australia
5 – France
6 – Brazil
7 – Costa Rica
8 – Argentina
9 – Portugal
10 – New Zealand

Girls Under 16
1 (Gold) – Alyssa Spencer (USA)
2 (Silver) – Keala Tomoda-Bannert (HAW)
3 (Bronze) – Samantha Sibley (USA)
4 (Copper) – Gabriela Bryan (HAW)

Boys Under 16
1 (Gold) – Joh Azuchi (JPN)
2 (Silver) – Taro Watanabe (USA)
3 (Bronze) – Keanu Chris Kamiyama (JPN)
4 (Copper) – Lucas Vicente (BRA)

Girls Under 18
1 (Gold) – Brisa Hennessy (HAW)
2 (Silver) – Leilani McGonagle (CRC)
3 (Bronze) – Summer Macedo (HAW)
4 (Copper) – Kirra Pinkerton (USA)

Boys Under 18
1 (Gold) – Ignacio Gundesen (ARG)
2 (Silver) – Noah Hill (USA)
3 (Bronze) – Cody Young (HAW)
4 (Copper) – Dylan Moffat (AUS)

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Tags: ActionBronzeFeaturedGoldISAJapanOkuragahama BeachPeopleSilverSportsurfVisslaWavesWorld Championship
ShareTweetPin
Staff

Staff

Related Posts

Gas Station

Property Owner Removes Abandoned Gas Station Following Settlement Agreement with City

March 22, 2023
San Clemente Baseball Dominant in 8-Game Win Streak

San Clemente Baseball Dominant in 8-Game Win Streak

March 22, 2023
Landslide

Landslide Leaves Evacuated Residents’ Futures in Limbo

March 22, 2023
Council Backs Pending State Legislation, Pushes Back on Bicycle Omnibus Bill

New Legislation Proposes a Study to Determine How to Regulate E-Bikes

March 21, 2023
Next Post

School District Officials Say CUSD Students Were Not Given Potentially Contaminated Flutes

Discussion about this post

No Result
View All Result

SC Times Daily
Get important news and updates delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up here.

Subscriptions
Don’t get the SC Times delivered to your home? Subscribe today.

Advertising
Get new customers and drive traffic to your business. Advertise with us.

Support Local Journalism
For less than the cost of a couple of cups of coffee a month, become an “Insider” member and continue to get “Local News You Can Use” from the only independently owned, dedicated local news organization in South Orange County.

Contribute today.

Picket Fence Media is a proud member of the SoCal Media Network.

  • Archive
  • Contact Us
  • Dana Point Times
  • The Capistrano Dispatch
  • Terms of Use
  • About Us

© 2023 Picket Fence Media

No Result
View All Result
  • Calendar
    • Event Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Sections
    • Eye on SC
    • Soapbox
      • Submit a Letter
    • Getting Out
    • SC Living
    • Sports & Outdoors
    • SC Surf
    • Dana Point Times
    • Capistrano Dispatch
  • Digital Edition
  • Best of SC
  • Explore SC
  • Legals & Classifieds
    • Locals Only Business Directory
    • Classifieds
    • Submit a Classified
    • Obituaries
    • Announcements
    • Submit an Announcement
    • Legal & Public Notice Advertising
  • Special Publications
    • A New You
    • Aging Well – For the Young at Heart
    • Best of San Clemente
    • Crib to College
    • Festival of Whales Event Program
    • Go See Do
    • Holiday Happenings & Gift Guide
    • Money Matters
    • Swallows Day Parade & Mercado Event Guide
    • The Green Issue
    • Triton Football Preview
  • SC Guide
  • Real Estate
    • South County Real Estate Guide
    • Real Estate – Who’s Who

© 2023 Picket Fence Media