Bacalso, Hunter rule Kewalo waves
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
For the first time all year, Kekoa Bacalso got to compete against surfers his own age.
As a result, he won the prestigious Billabong Junior Pro In Memory of Ronnie Burns contest yesterday at Kewalo Basin.
Bacalso
"I've been going up against a lot of the top international guys all year," Bacalso, 19, said. "It was nice to get home and go against some younger guys for a change, and finally win one."
The contest is for the state's best surfers under the age of 21, professional or amateur. The top performers were selected to represent Hawai'i at the Billabong World Junior Championship in Australia next January.
"That's the biggest contest out there for guys this age," Bacalso said of the Australia event.
Bacalso is in his rookie year as a professional surfer. He is ranked No. 73 on the World Qualifying Series.
"Surfing against those guys picks up your own ball game," said Bacalso, who is from Mililani. "It's actually given me a lot of confidence."
It showed throughout the day, as Bacalso consistently posted high scores in all of his heats. Waves were only 1 to 3 feet, but he said familiarity with the break played a role in his victory.
"There's been so many contests here ever since I was a kid," he said. "I kind of know it like the back of my hand already."
In the 30-minute final, Bacalso set the tone with his first wave. He completed several textbook turns, and received a score of 8.75 (out of 10) to give him a lead he would not relinquish.
"When everybody is good, it comes down to who rips the hardest," Bacalso said. "Somehow, I got it this time."
Bernie Baker • Special to The Advertiser
Bacalso's top two waves scored a total of 16.50 points, which was enough to earn him the $2,500 first prize.
As a result of his victory yesterday at Kewalo Basin, Mililani's Kekoa Bacalso will be Hawai'i's No. 1 seed at the Billabong World Junior Championship at Australia in January.
Dustin Cuizon of 'Ewa Beach also made an impressive showing, finishing second by less than one point. His top two waves scored 15.85 points.
"It was all about high-performance," Cuizon, 19, said. "You could go right or left and get a good score."
Hank Gaskell of Maui was third, and Raymond Reichle of Sunset Beach was fourth.
Bacalso, Cuizon, Gaskell, Reichle, Gavin Gillette and Nathan Carroll received Hawai'i's six guaranteed spots at the World Junior Championship contest. Several others could make it as alternates.
Carroll also won a special "expression session" among the non-finalists.
In the girls division, Lani Hunter of Punalu'u captured first place and received $1,000 — the first paycheck of her career.
Hunter caught two waves in the first 10 minutes of the 30-minute final, receiving scores of 8.00 and 7.25. She then sat on her board for the rest of the heat, and maintained the lead.
"It was weird," said Hunter, 16, a home-schooled student. "It looked like there were going to be good waves, but then there was nothing. I was freaking out at the end."
Carissa Moore, a seventh-grader at Punahou, scored a 9.00 in the closing minutes of the heat to finish a close second. Her two-wave total of 15.00 was .25 short of Hunter's total.
Ashley Hunter, Lani's younger sister, placed third, and Tory Titcomb was fourth.
"It's hard surfing against my sister," Ashley, 12, said. "But once she moves up to the next level, then I can take her place because I'm still four years younger."
There is no girls division at the Junior World Championship event at Australia.
Yesterday's contest was held in honor of the late North Shore surfer Ronnie Burns, who died in a motorcycle accident in 1990.
Final results
Junior Men
1, Kekoa Bacalso, $2,500. 2, Dustin Cuizon, $1,500. 3, Hank Gaskell, $1,100. 4, Raymond Reichle, $900. 5 (tie), Gavin Gillette and Nathan Carroll, $600. 7 (tie), Mikey Mitchell and Casey Brown, $400.
Girls
1, Lani Hunter, $1,000. 2, Carissa Moore, $500. 3, Ashley Hunter, $300. 4, Tory Titcomb, $200. 5 (tie), Leah Dawson and Coco Ho. 7 (tie), Alana Brennan and Katherine Van Dyke.
Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8101.
