All 12 Team USA Athletes Advance to Round 3 with Impressive Performances

Team USA with a strong start, defending their ISA World Junior Surfing Championship title

San Clemente, Calif. (October 30, 2018)– All twelve Team USA athletes are advancing to round 3 with impressive performances in the first three days of VISSLA International Surfing Association (ISA) World Junior Surfing Championship competition. The team is off to a strong start to defend their world title in front of a hometown crowd at Huntington Beach Pier. 
 
Team USA’s U-16 athlete Jett Schilling had the highest heat total for all boys with at 15.33. Team Captain Kirra Pinkerton started her heat with an 8.68 and never let up to clinch a 14.74 heat total. 
 
“The talent and competition at this year’s ISA World Junior Championships is next level,” USA Surfing CEO Greg Cruse said. “We knew we had to start strong and are beyond stoked at Team USA’s performances and the support from our Surf City USA crowd in the first two days of competition.” 
 
The 2018 ISA World Junior Surfing Championship’s drew a record-breaking 362 surfers from 44 nationsand an unprecedented number of female athletes. As the largest junior surfing competition in the world, the event provides an exciting preview of Olympic surfing.For those not able to watch in person, ISA is providing a webcastto all corners of the globe with excellent commentary and analysis. 
 
The ISA World Junior Surfing Championships are a proving ground for surfer’s who have spent months training and practicing to perform at their best. USA Surfing’s team won team gold in 2017 in Hyuga, Japan. 
 
USA Surfing head coach Joey Buran said his team is extremely talented, experienced and ready to give their all to fulfill the goal of repeating a team gold medal.
 
2018 ISA World Junior Surfing Championship team member
 
Boys 
*Team Captain - Cole Houshmand
Under 18
Cole Houshmand, San Clemente, Calif.
Taro Watanabe, Malibu, Calif.
Taj Lindblad, San Clemente, Calif.
Under 16
Kade Matson, San Clemente, Calif.
Jett Schilling, San Clemente, Calif.
Levi Slawson, Encinitas, Calif.
 
Girls
*Team Captain - Kirra Pinkerton
Under 18 
Kirra Pinkerton, San Clemente, Calif. 
Alyssa Spencer, Carlsbad, Calif.
Makena Burke, Ventura, Calif.
Under 16
Samantha Sibley, San Clemente, Calif.
Caitlin Simmers, Oceanside, Calif.
Sawyer Lindblad, San Clemente, Calif.
 
Schedule updates and heat draws can be found here.
 
Contact: Becky Fleischauer, 302-588-0671, 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.