Huntington Beach, Calif. (February 21, 2021) – After just over a year of Covid-19 cancellations, the best under 18 surfers on the West Coast were back in jerseys and going big at the Toyota USA Surfing Prime Series in Huntington Beach, Calif. Wave conditions shifted from grindy and blown out to off shore and groomed with surfers having to adjust and chase opportunities.

Highlights included double wins in girls U16 and U18 for San Clemente’s Sawyer Lindblad and double podiums for Caitlin Simmers of Oceanside. Cole McCaffray of Encinitas won the Boys U16 with the highest score of the day – an 8.67. 

Coach Brett Simpson said he was stoked to see the surfers competing again. “The kids have been working hard and it showed on the Prime Series stage. Most noticeably Sawyer Lindblad – she’s a year better!” Simpson said.  

The Prime Series drew more than 100 of the West Coast’s best junior surfers to battle it out for West Coast titles and qualification into the Toyota USA Surfing Championships at Lower Trestles in California. The event is the highest level of junior amateur competition in the nation. 

See full event results below and pictures on Instagram and Facebook.

​RESULTS

Girls U18

1st    Sawyer Lindblad, San Clemente, Calif.

2nd   Alyssa Spencer, Carlsbad, Calif.

3rd    Caitlin Simmers, Oceanside, Calif.

4th    Lilie Kulber, Laguna Beach, Calif. 

Boys U18

1st   Jett Schilling, San Clemente, Calif. 

2nd  Lucas Owston, Oceanside, Calif.. 

3rd   Kyan Yang, Encinitas, Calif. 

4th   Raiki Nishida, San Clemente, Calif. 

Girls U16

1st   Sawyer Lindblad, San Clemente, Calif. 

2nd  Caitlin Simmers, Oceanside, Calif. 

3rd   Bella Kenworthy, Dana Point, Calif.

4th   Syd Ott, Encinitas, Calif. 

Boys U16

1st   Cole McCaffray, Encinitas, Calif. 

2nd  Lucas Owston, Oceanside, Calif.

3rd   Ben Brantell, San Clemente, Calif. 

4th   Greyson Grant, Encinitas, Calif.

Boys U14

1st   Rex Hennings, San Clemente, Calif. 

2nd  Adam Bartlett, Santa Cruz, Calif. 

3rd   Petey Romaniuk, Huntington Beach, Calif.

4th   Charlie Stevens, San Clemente, Calif.

The Toyota USA Surfing Prime Series makes stops along both East and West coasts and culminates in the USA Surfing Championships. The competition was created to bridge the gap young surfers experience when trying to make the leap from pro junior competition to next-level competition opportunities, including a position on the USA Surfing national teams, the World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series and potentially the Olympics and WSL Championship Tour. The Prime Series champion and podium roster is a who’s who in American surfing. 

Surfers competing in the Prime Series experience an event with judging, announcing and organization consistent with WSL pro events, including professional WSL/ISA judges and announcers, four-person heats with priority, computer scoring live on the STACT App and instant replay for the judges. 

USA Surfing’s junior national team members had a team training with coach Brett Simpson on Friday morning, Feb. 19. There are two levels of USA Surfing junior national teams. The most elite junior national team members compete internationally in International Surfing Association World Junior Surfing Championship events. The developmental junior team consists of younger surfers who show potential to grow and shine as they age up in divisions. Because Covid shut down 2020 competition, the teams will retain all members except those who aged out. 

USA Surfing’s Prime Series is grateful for the support of incredible sponsors, including headline sponsor Toyota, DJO®, a leading provider of medical technologies designed to support surfer mobility and rehabilitation, SunBum, Wienerschnitzel, GoGoSqueeZ BlastZ, Carver Skateboards, Got Milk?, Hot Shoppe Designs, Outlets at San Clemente, HydroFlask, Tea of a Kind, Blue Diamond Almonds, Jacuzzi, Leus, Rise Brewing Company and DSC Performance.

Contact: becky (at) usasurfing (dot) org

USA Surfing is the National Governing Body for surfing in the United States, recognized by the International Surfing Association (ISA) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). USA Surfing’s mission is to promote and grow the sport of surfing and support United States athletes of all backgrounds to achieve sustained competitive excellence in Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American and Parapan American competition. USA Surfing will oversee and support America’s Olympic team as surfing makes its debut in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and surfing and stand-up paddleboarding athletes compete in the 2019 Pan American Games.

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