LIHU‘E — The slimmest of margins was the difference between advancement and elimination for Ka‘oli Kahokuloa in his Boys Under 16 heat. The Kaua‘i surfer, having reached the second round of his division at the 2010 Surfing America USA Championsips
LIHU‘E — The slimmest of margins was the difference between advancement and elimination for Ka‘oli Kahokuloa in his Boys Under 16 heat.
The Kaua‘i surfer, having reached the second round of his division at the 2010 Surfing America USA Championsips at Lower Trestles in California, finished third in his heat by a mere 0.01 points, knocking him out of the competition instead of heading into the quarterfinals.
One of four Kaua‘i surfers still in the Boys Under 16 draw, Kahokuloa’s top two waves in the round’s fourth heat netted him scores of 5.33 points apiece for a 10.66 total.
Noah Schweizer’s first score averaged out to a 5.17, which he then added to with a 5.50 ride for a 10.67 total.
That sum held for second place, as Cole Yamakawa finished first with an 11.20.
The other three Kaua‘i boys going for the Under 16 crown all found themselves paddling out in the second heat, meaning that at least one would not be moving on.
The trio, Keola Carreira, Christian Graham and Jesse Gugliemana, were all chasing Colin Moran from the start of their heat. Few rides presented themselves and the surfers had to make the most of each opportunity.
In the end, Carreira took advantage of two late waves and garnered second place with an 11.96 tally, good for second behind Moran’s 13.67.
Graham and Gugliemana were eliminated after scores of 8.40 and 7.10, respectively.
Carreira moves on to the quarterfinals among the 12 remaining competitors.
The Boys Under 18 bracket was also rough on the Kaua‘i contingent, as Kaimana Jaquias, Kaimana Wong and Gavin Klein were all knocked out in their second-round heats.
Jaquias was unable to find many rides and took fourth with a 6.84 total.
Wong also mustered very few rides, taking fourth in a highly-competitive heat featuring Tanner Hendrickson, Evan Thompson and Keanu Asing, one that saw Asing eliminated despite a 12.47 score.
Klein took third in the round’s final heat, a mere 0.99 behind second place Matty Costa.
The girls had better luck than the boys, with six Kaua‘i wahine taking to the water for their first heats in the Girls Under 18 division.
Brianna Cope got things started in style with a victory in the opening heat, notching an 11.17 total for a comfortable first-place finish to move into the quarterfinals.
Not to be outdone, Tatiana Weston-Webb claimed victory in the second heat that featured high scores across the board. She won with a 15.80 total, as Nikki Viesins took second with a 13.76. Kaua‘i’s Kiana Fores was unlucky to also be placed in this tough group, finishing fourth with an 11.80 total.
Nage Melamed made it three straight heat wins for Kaua‘i surfers, with little resistance. Her top total of 15.60 was more than double the effort of second-place finisher Lulu Erkneff’s 7.04.
The final two Kaua‘i representatives were both in heat No. 7, but neither will be advancing as Leila Hurst finished third (8.83) and Lianna Patey was fourth (6.86).
A lay day is scheduled for today and action should pick up again Sunday.
Results, news and photos can be found at surfingamericalive.com.
