By Thane Milhoan Big Island Sports Network
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HILO — It was a beautiful spring day in Hilo town this past Saturday, as young surfers from the Hawaii Surfing Association (HSA) charged down the steps at Honoli’i Beach Park to compete in the final contest of the 2024-25 season. Although the Big Island season came to a close, the day helped set the stage for this year’s state championships — which are scheduled to take place in late April on Oahu.

The final HSA contest of the season was an opportunity for some athletes to make the required number of competitions or record a score high enough to qualify to surf in the state championships. The more-seasoned competitors who have already qualified for states were in it for the experience and to hone their skills for the higher level of competition they will face on Oahu.

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One of the young athletes who competed at Honoli’i and hopes to perform well at the HSA state championships was Kalei Garr-Rivas of Hilo. Kalei came out on top in the last final of the day in the boys 16-17 division, squeaking out the win by .10 points over Zal Costa. Michah Gardner finished in third, and Kona Costa finished fourth.

According to Garr-Rivas, who also reached the finals in the boys 14-15 and men’s open divisions, said that “each heat was super close and everybody is pretty much at the same skill level now, and it was really about who got the better waves.” Unfortunately for Kalei, the best waves did not come his way during the other finals.

In the boys 14-15 division, Zal Costa took the top spot with brother Kona in second. Keali’i Lambeth finished third and Garr-Rivas was fourth. Kona Costa came out on top in the men’s open finals with Keali’i Lambeth in second, Garr-Rivas in third and Antoine Fichefeux in fourth.

Garr-Rivas, a ninth-grade student of the Kanu o ka ‘Aina home school program, has been riding a wave of success recently having just qualified for the Hawaii Surf Team during tryouts at Haleiwa in February. The Hawaii Surf Team competes each year at the International Surfing Association World Junior Championships, which are held each year at Surf City in El Salvador.

When asked about the accomplishment Kalei said, “It was awesome; the waves were firing for the tryouts, and it was probably one of my biggest accomplishments, because to be representing Hawaii is just incredible.”

Because of a smaller number of participants, the girls only had two divisions to compete in — under 16 and women’s open. In the girls under-16 division, Ho’onani Lambeth took first place with Maren Davis coming in second, Maile Roger was third with Berit Ronning in fourth. In the women’s open division, Lambeth was once again standing on top of the podium with Nami Roger taking second, Ronning fishing third and Davis in fourth.

When it comes to crowd pleasers, the younger boys were at the top of the list with some of the biggest cheers coming when the youngsters were fighting to paddle out to the line-up. In the boys 11-and-under division, Pohaku Lambeth added to the family trophy total with a first place finish, with Bryce Martins, Makua Lambeth and Owne Cartwright rounding out the top 4. The Lambeth family kept accumulating trophies, with Keali’i Lambeth finishing in first place in the boys 12-13 division followed by Kai Martins in second, Malakai McCall third and Pohaku Lambeth fourth.

Competition was also held in the bodyboarding and longboard divisions. Fichefeux exchanged his shortboard for a sponge long enough to win the bodyboarding title with Tino Rivas taking second, Kannon Miranda was third and Mahina Roger finished fourth. Alex Ranne was able to work some magic on the smaller afternoon sets to take the longboard crown with Nami Roger second, Amaya Ranne third and Aadam Gaiden fourth.

For more information on the upcoming HSA State Championships and the ISA Junior World Championships, follow @hsabigisland, @hsaoahu and @hawaiisurfteam on Instagram.