Page 4 - MidWeek West - Jan 12, 2022

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JANUARY 12, 2022
Aloha surfers and beachgoers,
Happy New Year! I’m back from holiday with family and ready to go surfing!
BY GARY KEWLEY
Waiting To See What Local Surf Talent Does In 2022
John John Florence of the North Shore celebrates a recent victory by displaying the Hawaiian flag.
I hope you and your friends and family scored plenty of stoke out in the lineups, or anywhere for that matter. There’s certain- ly enough to go around for everyone. Surfing is and has been sorely needed during times such as these.
lenge champ — took third. Paddling into behemoths garners the most prestige since it’s just man and wom- an against nature.
of wave only the best tries to win. Yes, you guessed it. Pipe will start it all with the Billabong Pro Pipeline hold- ing period Jan. 29-Feb. 10.
It was an incredible and memorable year to put it mildly. Surfing and living well means adjusting to change, adapting and grow- ing. Indeed, there’s good mixed with bad, though the 2021 good was really good.
PHOTO COURTESY MATT DUNBAR/WSL VIA GETTY IMAGES
The World Championship Tour kicks off in Hawai‘i now — versus ending with the Vans Triple Crown and Pipe Masters.
Mahalo for sharing the new year surf with me here in MidWeek’s West O‘ahu Voice. I’m stoked! Aloha.
The most incredible mo- ments that happened this year have to go to the Olym- pic debut of surfing with Ca- rissa Moore winning gold. She also won her fifth world title and she’s done it all car- rying Duke Kahanamoku’s mantle of aloha around the globe. She’s a blessing.
Here’s how we
Meanwhile, Gabriel Me- dina added his third title for
The local resident prodigy won two North Shore events back-to-back in a manner that can best be described a supreme command. One was the Michelob ULTRA Pure
Changing gears to the big stuff, Maui’s surfers Paige Alms and Kai Lenny earned top paddle honors, versus
fight omicron.
John John Florence to go after. Medina is Brazil’s first champ, in 2014, 2018 and now 2021. Florence owned 2016-2017, back-to-back. Though he’s had three knee injuries that stopped two ti- tle years. Many believe he’d have won just based on the dominating start of those years. Knees aside, Flor- ence just keeps coming back stronger.
Gold Hale‘iwa Challenger on Dec. 6 and the other was the HIC Pipe Pro on Dec. 16. It was his fifth victory for this competition. These give Florence a total of nine North Shore victories to his name, tying Andy Irons. I claim it’s only a matter of a couple years for Florence to surpass Irons. I also would not be surprised if Florence wins another world title soon, barring another knee mishap.
towing, at the 2021 Red Bull Big Wave Awards back in late October. Billy Kemper — a four-time Pe‘ahi Chal-
Get boosted, get tested and keep taking precautions.
HawaiiCovid19.com
A message from the Hawai‘i State Department of Health.
GQ, droppin’ in 4 U!
HAWAII FENCE SUPPLY
HAWAIIFENCESUPPLY.COM
Of course, so much more happened last year than we could hardly cover here, but I think our local surf talent truly inspired the globe. I can hardly wait to see what hap- pens this year.
Can you imagine Flor- ence’s nerves? Yikes! Plus, the girls get it all to them- selves — a first this year. It’s all equal, all the way down the line to the purse. Go, girls.
Guess where? It rhymes with type — and it’s a type
gary@surfnewsnetwork.com