Kaua‘i surfers brought home a total of nine trophies from the 29th annual Rell Sunn Menehune Surf Championship that was held over the Thanksgiving weekend at Makaha on O‘ahu. Travis Smith topped the 10-12 Boys Body Boarding with two perfect
Kaua‘i surfers brought home a total of nine trophies from the 29th annual Rell Sunn Menehune Surf Championship that was held over the Thanksgiving weekend at Makaha on O‘ahu.
Travis Smith topped the 10-12 Boys Body Boarding with two perfect 10’s on two waves while Leila Hurse earned top honors in the 10-12 Girls Longboard, following that up with a second place in the 10-12 Girls Shortboard competition.
Kalen Galtes topped the 7-9 Boys Shortboard with Kaikea Elias filling in the second place slot in that competition.
Koa Smith, finishing the event with a pair of third place trophies, rounded out the leaders in the 7-9 Boys Shortboard with a third, and the 10-12 Boys Shortboard event.
Anabelle Marvin was also a double division finalist, finishing the event with sixth place finishes in both the longboard and shortboard events for the 10-12 Girls.
Waves in the three-day competition were perfect on the first two days of matches, but disappeared on the final day noted one observer who accompanied the Kaua‘i competitors.
Rell Sunn, a champion surfer from Makaha, started this contest 29 years ago on her daughter’s 5th birthday.
Her goal was to involve families, and to have children enjoy competitive surf contests where everyone emerges a winner. Her daughter Jan has continued to host the contest in her mother’s memory.
Rell Sunn passed away following a 14-year battle with cancer.
