For Vanina Walsh, the happiest place on Earth is a Waikiki wave.

For her, Disneyland rides don't even compare to the rides she gets on a surfboard.

"My dad showed me how to surf right here (in Waikiki) and I kind of fell in love with it," Vanina said. "Now I surf every day, when ever I can."

Vanina is 12 and recently completed the sixth grade at Elite Element Academy.

While a love for surfing is common among many Hawai'i children of that age, Vanina's path is different, maybe even script-worthy.

In the 1987 movie "North Shore," a surfer travels from Arizona to Hawai'i to become an improbable champion.

In the summer of 2006, Vanina entered China Uemura's Wahine Surfing Classic for the first time. She was a novice surfer at the time, a resident of Arizona on a vacation in Hawai'i, and she borrowed a surfboard to compete in the contest.

It didn't come with a Hollywood ending — she didn't win. In fact, she finished in last place in her division.

But when contest director China Uemura heard of Vanina's love of surfing — and her good grades in school — he awarded her a new surfboard.

"She was the biggest winner of the contest that day in her eyes," said her father, Jim Walsh. "It changed her life. Changed our life."

On the plane ride back to Arizona, Vanina asked her parents if it would be possible to move to Hawai'i so she could make use of the surfboard.

The Walshes were already familiar with Hawai'i. Jim was a recreational surfer, and he took Vanina into the waves several times a year. It's how her interest in the sport sprouted.

"At the time, I was working for an airlines, so we could fly for free," said Vanina's mother, Carolin. "I told (Vanina) she could come to Hawai'i any time. That's actually what we were doing — flying here to surf several times a year. But she said she wanted to surf every day."

The strength of the Waikiki waves were apparently enough to push the Walsh family from Phoenix to Kapolei.

"I'm a water person also, so when she brought up the idea of moving to Hawai'i, it didn't take long to convince me," Jim said.

The Walshes have been living in Kapolei since 2007.

Uemura created the Wahine Surfing Classic in 1997 to give females an extra opportunity to compete. The 13th annual edition of the event will run this weekend at Kuhio Beach, Waikiki.

Vanina will enter the event for the fourth consecutive year.

"I do a lot of contests now, but this one will probably be my favorite contest ever," she said.

Uemura said: "When I hear stories like this family moving to Hawai'i, it makes me want to keep the contest going. The sponsors are not as strong nowdays because of the economy, but when I hear how much a girl like Vanina loves surfing in this contest, I cannot stop."

The longboard she received in 2006 now has numerous dings in it. She doesn't ride it anymore because she is now sponsored by Walden Surfboards. But it has become like Vanina's favorite teddy bear or security blanket.

"She won't let us touch that board," Carolin said. "It's beat up, and she has a bunch of new boards now, but she still wants to keep that board."

The move to Hawai'i has contributed to a quick progression in Vanina's surfing. She is now adept at shortboard surfing, longboard surfing and stand-up paddle surfing. She's even starting to train as a tandem surfer on O'ahu's North Shore.

But she is equal parts precocious and precious, and several sponsors have taken notice. Roxy — a popular international brand — recently agreed to sponsor Vanina.

"She's uniquely talented in surfing, which is great," Roxy photographer Jim Russi said. "But she has the most delightful personality and that probably has more to do with it. Roxy is all about girls having fun, and Vanina is a perfect fit for that."

Vanina said moving to Hawai'i has been "the best." Her father said "a million good things have happened" since the move from Phoenix.

And it all started with a contest she entered on a whim and with a borrowed surfboard.

"You hear people talk about changing one life with your efforts, and it's worthwhile," Jim said. "China Uemura never has to question that. He has changed Vanina's life forever with this contest."