PB Drive Rip Curl Gromsearch

Throw San Diego’s hottest crop of up-and-coming shredders, a shoulder high pulsing southern hemi, a whole slew of prizes and loot, not to mention a ASP World tour formatted event, and you have one heck of a Rip Curl GromSearch.

The 2nd stop of the Rip Curl GromSearch presented by BOOST Mobile saw this exact scenario, and SD’s youngsters made sure to take advantage. Despite a bit of June gloom cloud cover, the groms weren’t forced to deal with the normal spring-break atmosphere that usually defines this legendary stretch of sand known as Pacific Beach Drive.

Instead, full focus was dedicated to what was on the line: a National Final invite for the top 2 finishers in each division, the newest in BOOST Mobile celly technology to the winner, not to mention a free day at Disenyland with VIP treatment to the BOOST Mobile Pro of Surf at Trestles.

The result? Enough lips were smacked to make Chuck “The Iceman” Lidell’s beating look like a slap on the wrist. And, enough about these contests giving everyone a chance to see the future; the future is now.

Kanoa Igarashi, at only 9 years of age, is legend status. Hovering a mere few feet above the sand, and sporting a valiant mane that would rival any 80’s rockstar, the kid put a smack-down in the Boys 12/under division. Crisp, full-rail carves, fin-free lip cracks, as well as vertical wall hits- Kanoa unleashed the fury; which, is a scary thought, considering he still has 3 years left in the Boys 12/under.

Taylor Thorne, reppin’ HB, tore his final up in the Boys 14/under division, as the kid methodically linked, flowed, and connected the dots to lock in an 8 and a 9 to not only combo the field, but walk away with the bragging rights + loot. He made sure to leave no doubt who was the standout.

Alexa Frantz took care of business in the Girls 16/under division, edging out Kendall Krebs, but the real talk was about the transplanted South African with the Dane Reynolds approach. Beyrick (pronounced “Barrick”) de Vries, hailing from South Africa, held a simple philosophy throughout the event. “If I fall….then, oh well.”

The result of this audacious state of mind? More grab-rail air reverses, fins-free boardslides, and committed fin hucks than a Jamie O’ flick. “Yeah, I’m really stoked with the result,” said a well-mannered Beyrick clutching his new BOOST Mobile phone at the awards ceremony. “There was a great vibe at the event, and I’m looking forward to the National Final this November with that chance to win the trip to Bells!”

GromSearch frothers now look to stop #3, going down June 16-17 at Huntington’s 9th Street. There’s still some limited slots open, so log on to www.ripcurl/gromsearch to enter, as well as for updates. Big props to all G-Search supporters: Boost Mobile, Unbound Energy, Arnetter Eyewear, Surfing Mag, Surfline, Sticky Bumps, ADD Marketing, and Wahoos.

 

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