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 Candice Appleby (Honolulu) enjoys her moment in the sun. Photo: Bernie Baker
It was also a day of double victories for 13-year-old Maui stand-up paddler
Slater Trout. Trout won the highest scoring heat of all the finals - the men's
amateur division against surfers more than twice his age - as well as the
12-mile C4 Waterman/Honolua Surf Co paddleboard race from Hawaii Kai to Duke's
Restaurant, Waikiki, held earlier in the day.
The winner of the junior
SUP surfing division was Kai Lenny (Paia, Maui). Like Trout, Lenny and three of
his fellow finalists - Brendan Bradley (Honolulu), Micah Liana and Connor Baxter
-- contested the 12-mile paddleboard race earlier in the day. The youngest of
all was 10-year-old Liana.
Appleby fulfilled a dream today; a dream that
was inspired by the very surfers she overcame to taste this
victory.
"Today was a total dream come true," said Appleby, 23, a student
at UH Manoa, where she studies Tropical Plants & Soil Science.
"I
live right down the street and I surf here every day. I've just been really
focused and training hard.
"I can't really say I was nervous. I felt
honored to be in a heat with them. All those guys (in the final), I learned from
watching them and they have inspired me to do what I do.
"Given the
conditions, I think it's whoever really wants it the most. You've got to be 100
per cent with your mind, your body and your spirit. The ocean conditions did
play a part, but it takes your personal strength to get you
through."
Thirteen-year-old Trout also breaks with convention. While most
aspiring surfers his age have their sights set on the world of pro shortboard
surfing, Slater is passionate about the sport of SUP, a sport that first
resonated with an older crew before permeating the younger ranks, as witnessed
today.
"I'm really excited to be a part of this sport and pursue it as
much as I can," said Slater, who stands at six feet tall and is from Lahaina,
Maui.
"I started out shortboarding but it wasn't going so well for me. I
had some friends who started stand-up paddling and they got me started. From
then on, every morning at 5:30 a.m., I was getting out there. That's what got me
here: practice and motivation."
Another surfer who embodied the fire of
SUP passion today was lone Australian Stuart Murray. He was in the amateur
final alongside Trout and placed third. Murray came to Hawaii earlier this week
to be married. The wedding went down on Monday, and by 7 a.m. Tuesday morning he
was surfing in this event. Not expecting to make it all the way to the final, he
kept his original travel plans that had him flying out the next morning. After
qualifying for today's final, his wife flew home Wednesday and Murray stayed on
to honeymoon alone while waiting for to surf today. He is still
married.
The C4 Waterman/Honolua Surf Co event was part of the week-long
Duke's OceanFest. Various finals were held today with clean but very small one-
to two-foot surf on offer. Of all the events, the SUP surfers enjoyed conditions
the most, able to squeeze out every point and inch of ride with their
paddles.
Many thanks to sponsors C4 Waterman, Honolua Surf Co., Blue
Planet, Nixon watches, Maui Jim sunglasses, and Sector 9
skateboards.
Stand-up paddle surfing combines the elements of two
traditional Hawaiian ocean sports: canoe paddling's paddle, and longboarding's
surfboard. Surfers paddle into waves and ride, always in the standing position,
and are scored on critical surfing maneuvers.
The C4 Waterman/Honolua
Surf Co paddleboard race from Hawaii Kai to Duke's Restaurant, Waikiki, was won
by Honolulu's Brian Rocheleau.
To view the full results of the
paddleboard race, please visit: www.pacificsportevents.com
For more information about
the sport of SUP, please visit www.C4waterman.com
Aloha!
RESULTS:
Surfer's
total score based upon their best two rides. Total score is out of 20
points.
1. Candice Appleby (Honolulu) -12.05
2. Noland Martin (Makaha)
-11.65
3. Noah Shimabukuro (Kula, Maui) -7.4
4. Brian Keaulana (Makaha) -
7.25
Women:
1. Candice Appleby (Honolulu) -10
2. Pinoi Makalena
(Honolulu) - 9
3. Jennifer Koki (Honolulu) - 8.37
4. Geodee Clark
(Honolulu) - 7.52
5. Tiare Lawrence (Makawao, Maui) - 7
6. Heather
Jeppesen (Honolulu) - 4.89
Junior:
1. Kai Lenny (Paia, Maui) -
17.38
2. Brendan Bradley (Honolulu) - 13.01
3. Kawika Kinimaka (Lahaina,
Maui) - 9.25
4. Micah Liana (Honolulu) - 6.5 (countback)
5. Connor Baxter
- 6.5 (countback)
6. Noah Yap (Kihei, Maui) - 5.41
Amateur:
1.
Slater Trout (Lahaina, Maui) - 14.26
2. Chris Martin (Honolulu) - 11.88
3.
Stuart Murray (Australia) - 9.88
4. Dennis Matos (Waipahu) - 6.38
5. Mike
Mendez (Honolulu) - 4.51
6. Bill Ward (Haleiwa) - 3.01
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Event Reports 
