Mardi Gras in Honolulu is for Foodies. Check it out!

North Shore Menehune Surfing Championships

North Shore Menehune Surfing Championships
Up and riding: The North Shore Menehune Surfing Championships showcase the next generation of surf stars.

Menehune madness

They rip, they shred, and by 9pm, they'll be in bed

North Shore Menehune Surfing Championships / The equation is simple. First-class waves plus mini-groms who surf as soon as they walk equals a future world-class surfer. Just look at the old heat sheets at the North Shore Menehune Surfing Championships held at Hale’iwa’s Ali’i Beach Park–the contest graduated O’ahu greats like Derek Ho, Liam and Garrett McNamara, Jamie O’Brien, Pancho Sullivan, Kalani Robb, Ross Williams, Rusty Keaulana, Fred Patacchia, Jr., Joel Centeio, Sean Moody, Kanoa Dahlin, the list goes on and on.

Now in its 30th year, the North Shore Menehune Surfing Championships opens the North Shore’s winter season with two days of competition for kids ages 4 to 12 years old. These are keiki of the next generation, saltwater in their veins, stoke passed down from their parents, who, at least for this contest, are proud spectators on the beach. For the groms, the high-performance waves–often way overhead–serve as a main stage for up-and-comers. Among the little rippers (with surnames like Ho, McNamara, Little, Moniz, Owens, Johnson, Perkins and Blomfield) are pre-teen talents like John John Florence, Ezekiel Lau and Carissa Moore, who show up and throw up spray like they’re already on the pro tour.

Last year, about 200 participants entered the contest, surfing in 11 different shortboard and longboard divisions. Co-director Ivy Blomfield expects even more this year. They may also add a tandem expression session this year, where parent and child can surf together.

‘That’s how most of us surf with our kids in the beginning, anyway,’ says Blomfield. ‘Everyone tandem surfs all the time with their keiki at Hale’iwa, so it would be really fun. That’s what this contest is about–fun and family.’ The absolute must-see action of the competition is the Kokua division, in which parents push their water-winged progeny into waves and the tiny surfers glide sumo-stance all the way onto the sand where someone is waiting to catch them. Although this division is reserved for girls and boys 4 to 6 years old, there are always an impressive number of keiki in the same age group who paddle out and catch waves on their own.

Every year, a slew of generous prizes is donated by the Hale’iwa community and Menehune Contest alumni, including 11 custom surfboards from Surf N Sea, bikes, G-Shock watches, some serious loot. And it’s always a fun surprise to see who will be the face of the contest T-shirt–no one finds out until the posters go up just before the event. Menehune graduate Jack Johnson, who was featured on the 2005 contest tee, stopped by last year to sign autographs and hand out trophies.

Contest co-director Skill Johnson has helped run the event since day one,but the contest was actually founded in 1977 by a hui of formidable women surfers: Rell Sunn, Jeannie Chesser, Becky Benson, Gale Dahlin, Claudia Kravitz, Sally Prang and Patty Paniccia. It was born out of an impromptu contest the women held one day when they found themselves surfing with a dozen keiki at Ali’i. Celebrating 30 years, some of the original women who started the event will be in attendance and might even hold a little expression session.

‘Personally, it’s different because I’ve never had any kids of my own,’ Johnson says. ‘So this contest is all about hanging out with the kids and helping them learn about life, making it a fun atmosphere for the kids and the parents and giving back to the community.’ While the event has grown immensely from its grassroots beginning, the stoke and pure fun remain, and the menehune are sure to be ripping.

30th Annual North Shore Menehune Surfing Championships, Hale’iwa Ali’i Beach Park, Oct 14-15

SURFER, The Bar

COMMENTS

We often print online comments in our “Letters to the Editor” section of Honolulu Weekly. While submitted letters are often edited for length and clarity, online comments we use are printed entirely as they are written for the website. If you do not wish for your comment to be used in Honolulu Weekly print issues, please write “Don’t Print” at the end of your comment. For questions, e-mail editorial@honoluluweekly.com. Thank you!

blog comments powered by Disqus

This week

Game Changer

After retiring from public service in 2002, Ben Cayetano seemed to be taking it easy on the political scene–until 2005, that is, when then-Mayor Mufi Hannemann revived the long-lapsed idea of a Honolulu heavy rail project. Needless to say, Cayetano did not concur.

Geo Gold Rush

Last Thursday, the House Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection had a busy session hearing several controversial bills relating to geothermal energy. Chairman Denny Coffman introduced HB2689, which seeks to exempt slim-hole, or exploratory, geothermal test wells from any sort of environmental review as is currently required under Chapter 343 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes.

Stop Stalling

On Feb. 1, the Hawaii State House Agriculture Committee heard testimony on HB2703, dubbed the Food Self-Sufficiency Bill.

Farm Friends

Mega-developer Castle & Cooke has re-filed an application with the Land Use Commission (LUC) seeking to convert approximately 768 acres of Ag land–currently in cultivation–into a “master-planned community” entitled Koa Ridge. If successful, the project will consist of two parcels–Koa Ridge Makai and Castle & Cooke Waiawa.

Civics

Office of Hawaiian Affairs holds a second round of community meetings to discuss the latest updates on the Kakaako land settlement. Stevenson Middle School, 1202 Prospect St., Wed., 2/8, 6:30pm; Waimanalo Community Center, 41-253 Ilauhole St., Thu., 2/9, 6:30pm City Council committees on Zoning and Planningand Transportation will take public testimony on agenda items.

Kinda Hawaii?

[Feb. 1: “Kinda Kona”] The trade secret argument would fall to the wayside if it would read “10 percent Kona Coffee 90 percent Foreign Coffee,” or something to that effect.

Duplicating Crap

If they are choosing the cheapest coffee from anywhere, then the “trade secret” is that they are adding crap and not a sp

No HART

[Feb. 1: “Rail Boss Wanted”] $300,000?

Future Politician?

[Jan. 4: “Boss GMO] Dean Okimoto is a sell out and a criminal.

Oust Monsanto

Monsanto is a major component of the NWO drive to reduce the world’s population in a global genocide program that includes the poisoning of the water, air and food. This criminal activity must be stopped.

Okimoto VS Small Ag

Lets be real here, Dean Okimoto is not interested in anything other then keeping the status quo of industrial Ag. He is merely a puppet, playing it safe, a small game of following the money and corrupt political trail.

Locals Know Best

[Jan. 25: “Weaving the Future on Molokai”] Good luck to all those who possess the ability to balance long-term vision with short term opportunity.

We’re Being Railroaded

[Dec. 21: “Underground Railroad”] This is, indeed, a “lunatic project,” as pointed out by a professor at the University of Hawaii.

Rail = Ego

This is such a bad idea for the overall architecture of Oahu. I visit here because my family is here and part of the charm is taking the bus or driving.

Plain stupid

I cannot imagine how anyone can think this is a smart idea. I’ve lived in places with rail, but this Honolulu Rail Transit is stupid, plain stupid.