If Tatiana Weston-Webb keeps up her current pace, she’s going to need her own division. The Princeville resident took first place in the Girls Under 16 and Girls Under 18 divisions this past weekend at the 2011 Quicksilver Under 18
If Tatiana Weston-Webb keeps up her current pace, she’s going to need her own division.
The Princeville resident took first place in the Girls Under 16 and Girls Under 18 divisions this past weekend at the 2011 Quicksilver Under 18 USA Surfing Championships in Lower Tressles, Calif.
This is the second year in a row that Weston-Webb, 15, has won two categories. At last year’s championships she took home trophies in the Under 14 and 16 categories.
“I had no idea how I was going to do this year,” Weston-Webb said. “I just wanted to come and do my best. I didn’t think I was going to win both. I figured I would just go out and have fun with the 18s.”
Weston-Webb managed to take home the U18 trophy despite stiff competition. Division favorite Lakey Peterson posted a perfect 10 earlier in the day, putting pressure on Weston-Webb to come out on top.
“I was pretty nervous. All of these girls compete so well,” she said. “It was really tough. All of these girls are super good and competitive.”
While winning two titles for the second year in a row would normally be cause for celebration, Weston-Webb doesn’t have the time. She competed and won a title in the U14 Explorer Girls division Tuesday and is shooting for an Open division title today at Huntington Beach. Then she may finally have a break, albeit short because she has August’s U.S. Open to train for.
“I really have to keep my focus up through tomorrow,” Weston-Webb said of today’s open division. “Then maybe I can relax and party on the Fourth of July.”
That relaxation won’t last long, as training for the U.S. Open will start right away. She’s currently deciding whether to come back to Kaua‘i before the Open, or to stay in California and prepare. She said that by staying on the Mainland, it can help her train and study the local waves.
“The waves are definitely different in different places,” she said. “You really have to study and be prepared.”
Weston-Webb wasn’t the only local that saw success at the Championships though. In the U18 Leila Hurst of Kapa‘a was only edged out by Weston-Webb on the podium, finishing second.
