Page 3 - MidWeek West - Oct 20, 2021

Aloha surfers and beachgoers,
Wow, have we been in a blustery trade pat- tern? Those strong high pres- sures — that spin clockwise to our north and east — have been reeling off heavy trades for weeks. They’ve given us tons of high surf for our Windward shores, but also gale, small craft and wind advisories. Now, high trades, plus low humidity and heat, may also mean a relatively new red flag warning (criti- cal fire conditions, which ad- vise against outdoor burning like slash and burn, smoking, fireworks, barbecues, etc.).
BY GARY KEWLEY
Longboard Champs From 2 Sides Of The Spectrum
Huge news in the beautiful and flowing world of long- boarding — we have two new champs: Hawai‘i’s very own Honolua Blomfield and California’s Joel Tudor.
that’s A-OK with longboard- ing; you don’t need big, you need long! Wow, did Mali- bu live up to its reputation. There was more “nose time” than at an anteater’s buffet. These athletes know how to step up to the tip of that 9-foot board and hang five and 10 as fast as you can say five and 10!
of all of this is that I final- ly beat Kelly at something. So, remember that,” Tudor jokes of another multi-world champion while celebrating his win.
“When you’re a dad, you don’t really talk about your accomplishments with your kids, especially when it’s prior to their existence. It’s nice that they got to see their dad do something cool.”
watch for burnout; though so far, she’s only showing signs of blowing up ... the record books, that is.
Check how special this is: First, both are now three- time world longboard cham- pions, and second, Tudor is the oldest to win a title at age 4, while Blomfield, 22, is the youngest ever to reach the top. Talk about a twist of fate and surf synchronicity.
Joking aside, Tudor hum- bly gave credit to one of Ha- wai‘i’s legends.
Blomfield was able to achieve her historic win during the quarter finals. This made it back-to-back world championships. Her first title was in 2017 when she was only 17. Plus, she shows no signs of slowing down, which makes sense at 22. Still, this native of Hale‘iwa has been surf- ing since she was 2. That’s over 20 years, so you might
“I feel amazing, I really didn’t expect this to hap- pen,” says Blomfield im- mediately after winning the title. “I am so grateful and thankful it did, it feels amazing to be the youngest three-time world longboard champion.”
The Jeep Malibu Classic finished Tuesday, Oct. 12, in 2-3-foot surf over the course of the contest. Not big but small surf prevailed, and
Tudor won his first title in 1998 then again in 2004, so it’s been a while. Usually, waiting that long and being middle aged, no one would even think of gunning for an- other world title. But Tudor did—andhedidit!
“This was for Donald Takayama,” Tudor says af- ter claiming his third title. “I said it to Kai right before I paddled out. He kind of mentored my whole exis- tence, I wouldn’t be here where I am today if it wasn’t for him.”
Truly amazing. Thank you for the inspiration to both our new world longboard champs!
“The most proud thing
gary@surfnewsnetwork.com
Tudor also recognized his children through it all.
GQ, droppin’ in 4 U!
OCTOBER 20, 2021 3
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