Hawai‘i High Schools Finally Add Surfing to Their Lineup of Championship Sports
The inaugural HHSAA Surfing State Tournament will debut next May on Maui.
In the category of it’s about damn time, we’re pleased to report that nearly 120 years since Duke Kahanamoku and the Waikīkī beach boys first thrust it into the national spotlight, surfing has become a state championship high school sport.
Photo: Sri Maiava via Getty Images
If you thought that already happened in the 2010s, you’re partially correct. Hawai‘i’s Department of Education originally sanctioned the sport in 2016, but only one of the Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association’s five interscholastic athletic leagues supported it. This time, all five leagues are providing sponsorship. Additionally, Act 141, passed earlier this year, appropriates $685,870 per season to the DOE for the first two seasons.
The inaugural HHSAA Surfing State Tournament, with girls and boys shortboard championships, will take place on May 1 and 2 at Maui’s Ho‘okipa Beach. The Maui Interscholastic League will host, drawing on its 11 years of interscholastic surfing experience. Along with further raising surfing’s profile, the move also aims to provide keiki with a smoother path to future careers in the sport.
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Brie Thalmann is the home and style editor of HONOLULU Magazine.
