Amateur surfers shine at contest

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

The waves were good and the surfing was better at the Hawai'i Amateur Surfing Association State Championship meet yesterday.

Payne

"Every heat you do is really tough," said Casey Brown, who won the open men's division. "There are so many good surfers from all the islands."

Among the standouts:

• Dusty Payne of Lahaina, Maui, won the prestigious junior men's division.

The 16-year-old junior at Thompson Academy scored a 9.2 (out of 10) late in the heat to win the first state championship of his career.

"We're used to competing against each other, but I usually lose to these guys," Payne said. "I was just looking for the open (waves) and tried to do as many maneuvers as I could."

The junior men's division is for surfers ages 17 and younger, and many of the top entries are expected to turn professional within the next few years.

• Alex Smith of Kilauea, Kaua'i, scored the only perfect 10 of the day to win the boys division (for ages 13 and 14). It was also his first state title.

Dusty Payne of Maui scored a 9.2 late in the heat to win the junior men's surfing division of the state amateur championship meet. Bernie Baker • Special to The Advertiser

• Alana Blanchard of Hanalei, Kaua'i, won the girls division for ages 17 and younger. She clinched the heat with a near-perfect 9.3 on her last wave.

"I really needed a wave and so when that one came, I just did as many turns as I could," said Blanchard, 15.

• Brown of Kailua, Kona, placed second in the junior men's division and won the open men's division, which is for all ages.

"Dusty (Payne) got me in the juniors so I really wanted to come back and win this one," said Brown, 17. "I'm happy overall. To get a first and a second in this contest is really good."

• Tucker Bontecou of Kailua, Kona, won the boys bodyboarding division for the fourth consecutive year.

"I just try to go out and have fun," said Bontecou, who is 14 and in the eighth grade at Kealakehe Intermediate.

• Proving that the contest was not just for kids, Makani McDonald posted the best total score of the day in winning the masters longboarding division (for ages 30 to 39). McDonald, 36, had a two-wave score of 17.5.

"When I was a kid, I always used to surf in the states," said McDonald, who was raised on Kaua'i. "But this is the first time I won it."

All the top performers earned invitations to the U.S. Surfing Championships later this summer at California.

Final results

Bodyboarding

Boys: 1, Tucker Bontecou. 2, Noah Murray. 3, Kailon Tyndzik. 4, Travis Smith. 5, Etienne Trillo. 6, Chad Villarin. Junior men: 1, Trader Wilcox. 2, MacKenzie Yoshida. 3, Cedric Caires. 4, Kawika Kaui. 5, Brian O'Brien. 6, Alan Hoffman. Men: 1, Jason Bartels. 2, Ata Meyers. 3, Travis Miyazaki. 4, James Clancy. 5, Alika Gaspar. Women: 1, Liane Chang-Remular. 2, Nani Ping. Dropknee: 1, Alika Gaspar. 2, Ata Meyers. 3, Kawika Kaui. 4, James Clancy. 5, Tucker Bontecou. 6, Christian Graham. Launch: 1, Noah Murray. 2, Travis Miyazaki. 3, Alika Gaspar. 4, Alan Hoffman. 5, MacKenzie Yoshida.

Shortboard surfing

Girls: 1, Alana Blanchard. 2, Malia Manuel. 3, Alana Mock. 4, Kristen Steiner. 5, Leila Hurst. 6, Camille Brady. Women: 1, Virginia Fajardo. 2, Katherine Van Dyke. 3, Angela Patch. 4, Caroline Day. 5, Brooke Bateman. 6, Kamalu Hawelu. Menehune: 1, Ezekiel Lau. 2, Koa Smith. 3, Malia Manuel. 4, Keanu Asing. 5, Kalen Galtes. 6, Matthew Costa. Boys: 1, Alex Smith. 2, Granger Larsen. 3, Derek Wong. 4, Kiron Jabour. 5, Albee Layer. 6, Haku Makaio. Junior men: 1, Dusty Payne. 2, Casey Brown. 3, Nalu Wallace. 4, Kekoa Cazimero. 5, Wesley Larsen. 6, Kai Barger. Men: 1, Masaijah Lani. 2, Zach Arreola. 3, Makai McMichael. 4, Atsushi Fujimura. 5, Kea Espiritu. 6, Jared Clapper. Masters: 1, Richard Tom. 2, Donald Day. 3, Brad Chang. 4, Matt Kenny. 5, Eric Fisher. 6, Darren Mahoe. Senior men: 1, Robert Howard. 2, Adam Escobar. 3, Kal Faurot. 4, Chris Owens. 5, Todd Murashige. 6, Dexter Shimabukuro. Grandmasters: 1, Les Tabuchi. 2, Bobby Judd. 3, Craig Balmores. 4, Raymond Shito. 5, Nelson Togioka. Senior grandmasters: 1, Eddie Piper. 2, Wendell Payne. 3, Craig Sugihara. 4, Ben Aipa. 5, Russell Blair. Legends: 1, Koapaka Brown. 2, Malcolm Ing. Open men: 1, Casey Brown. 2, Granger Larsen. 3, Dusty Payne. 4, Jared Clapper. 5, Kevin Sullivan. 6, Neekowee Clearwater. Air show: 1, Masaijah Lani. 2, Albee Layer. 3, Levi Gonzales. 4, Robert Hennessy. 5, Dyland Goodale. 6, Nick Schenk.

Longboard surfing

Open men: 1, Daryn Flem. 2, Kaimana Beauford. 3, Ken Goring. 4, Makani McDonald. 5, Aka Pai. 6, Shane Stedman. Girls: 1, Erika Steiner. 2, Kristen Magelssen. 3, Moana Wietecha. 4, Kristen Steiner. 5, Megan Godinez. 6, Taylor Haines. Women: 1, Mimi Horiuchi. 2, Caroline Day. 3, Katherine Van Dyke. 4, Jeanna Fear. 5, Virginia Fajardo. 6, Kamalu Hawelu. Menehune: 1, Kekai Ministero. 2, Micah Moniz. 3, Kristen Steiner. 4, Shaun Teruya. 5, Erika Steiner. 6, Jedidiah Pacheco. Junior men: 1, Emerick Ishikawa. 2, Geoff Wong. 3, Genki Kino. 4, Cedric Caires. 5, Rhyan Kinoshita. 6, Lyon Young. Men: 1, Shane Stedman. 2, Kendall Saxman. 3, Aka Pai. Masters: 1, Makani McDonald. 2, Lucas Won. 3, Lopaka Loke. 4, Ken Goring. 5, Len Barrow. Senior men: 1, Daniel Stein. 2, Eddie Piper. 3, Lance Ohata. 4, Les Tabuchi. 5, Dean Nakamaru. 6, M. Philpotts.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8101.