Surfing Sea Kings

As some students see surfing as an isolated and almost unnoticed sport, senior Charlie Winkworth said, “The PVHS surf team is one of the main reasons I decided to come to this high school.”

Winkworth has been surfing for about ten years and has been on the surf team for four years. After many years of surfing and competing he has earned the role of team captain. 

Only schools somewhat close to the beach have a surf team, making it rare for high schools to have one.

 Surfing isn’t frequently recognized because the competitions are early in the morning or they are during school hours which makes it challenging and unlikely for people to come watch and support. 

The PVHS surf team is made up of around sixty members and only twelve primary starters who surf in the competitions. The typical contest is one high school against another. Some contests, like All-Stars, have multiple high schools competing against each other. 

The surf team came out strong and beat rival, Palos Verdes Peninsula High School. Most of the schools that are near the beach are very competitive in surfing.

“Mira Costa has probably the best surf team in the South Bay,” said Winkworth. Their farthest competition is in Oceanside for state champs. Most of the school’s contests are held at Torrance, Manhattan Beach, or El Porto.
Some surfers are involved with both in school and out of school competitions. 

“In the past seasons I’ve competed in competitions outside of school but this year I’ve just competed in the school contests,” senior Lucas Barajas said.

Surfers compete in heats, which are groups of six people and the highest scorer on the waves is deemed the winner. In school contests, surfers don’t “advance” but in regular contests the first, second, and third place of the heat advance. 

 “There are different divisions in the contests like mens or womens shortboard or longboard,” Barajas said.