Sports
All-Star Surfers Ride Hermosa Beach Waves
In the South Bay's high school varsity surf championships, Mira Costa's Maddie Hawks surfs the sea in a commanding performance and teammate Jordan Wible takes 2nd Place in longboard.
The South Bay Surf League championships pitted the top high school performers of the season against one another Saturday near the Hermosa Beach Pier, with all surfers vying for the opportunity to claim top honors in their respective competitions.
Mira Costa senior Maddie Hawks captured the girls overall shortboard title in head-high Hermosa Beach waves in the individual surf-off.
Her win may have felt a bit familiar—just last year, she took first place in the individual championship longboard division. This year's win, however, was even sweeter.
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“Longboarding is more for fun,” said Hawks, who took fourth in longboard this year. “I take shortboarding much more seriously and get more competitive with it. I was still shocked that I took first. I wasn’t expecting it.”
The quality of the girls competition continues to get stronger every year, Hawks added. “The girls get better and better as the years go on, which is pretty cool to see,” she told Patch.
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Although the competition may be getting better, at the end of the day, Hawks' competitors were left in the wake of a Hawks cutback turn.
Mira Costa’s Jordan Wible finished second overall in the girls longboard, and in the boys shortboard final, Mira Costa’s David Slay was the top overall Mustang with a sixth place finish.
Redondo Union’s Connor Beaty took first place in the boys shortboard and was later honored as the South Bay Surfing League’s Athlete of the Year.
The South Bay Surf League’s season finale is set for May 14 with the Hennesey’s Cup Team Competition. The title will go to the top overall high school team.
