KOHANAIKI — Stepping out of the water with their surfboards, 11-year-olds Leila Brackett and Marley Collins were feeling pretty good about the waves they had just caught. And the fact that the pair of best friends were able to surf on the same team during the Tombomb Wahine Classic made it all the more memorable.
“It’s a dream come true to be able to surf in a contest with your best friend,” said Brackett, as one of the competition’s spectators offered them kudos for their efforts in the water.
The contest, held Saturday, marked the eighth or ninth Tombomb Wahine Classic since it was first held in 2008, said creator Keli Campbell. And for those competing, it was, in Collins’ words, a chance “just to come together and just celebrate girls.”
“I love this contest,” Brackett said, “because it’s all about girls working together on a team and having fun.”
The two girls, both on team “Purple Thunder,” were among dozens of women and girls of all ages taking part in the competition. The Tombomb Wahine Classic takes a different approach from most other contests — here, each team works for a collective score, emphasizing cooperation and teamwork over sheer competition.
“I used to compete as a kid, and it was pretty cutthroat in those normal competitions,” said Campbell, “so we just wanted to make sure — a lot of these girls are young — their first intro into surf competition was really fun. So, ‘fun’ is sort of the name of the game.”
Each team has a mix of ages and skill levels, giving participants a chance to meet each other as well as offer those new to the sport an opportunity to surf with and learn from more advanced surfers.
“They all come into it a little nervous about meeting new people,” Campbell said, “but by the end of it, it always seems like they’ve made a couple new friends, which is great.”
And regardless of how long they’ve been surfing, that camaraderie at the Tombomb Wahine Classic is part of what makes the competition a special event.
“It’s more about team spirit than just competition,” said Loke McMichael of the team AquaChicks, “because you have to work together as a team.”
Campbell said she hopes the contest’s participants come away feeling more confident to surf as much as they can and to feel empowered to get in the water with other women.
“They have a day like this where it’s only five of them in the water — they’re with some of their heroes,” she said. “A lot of times, there’s these older girls that are ripping, and the little ones look up to them. And sometimes they’re on the same team. So for them, that’s a real game-changer in their own surfing and their own development.”
Indeed for the competitors who took to the waves, getting out there is an experience that can’t be beat.
“It’s just all fun,” Collins said. “Simple.”
“When you’re in the water, you just feel free, and it’s the best feeling ever,” Brackett added.
And as each team surfed, those on shore meanwhile took part in a beach cleanup, which Holly Kersten, chair of the Surfrider Foundation Kona Kai Ea chapter, said helps inspire a sense of stewardship in the girls.
“You actually want this beach to be here for many generations,” she said. “So we have to take care of it, and teach everyone to be stewards of our environment.”
In addition to feeling empowered when on the water, Campbell said she also hopes the girls come away feeling empowered when they’re out in the community.
“When the girls feel really empowered and confident, they become better surfers; they become better members of their community,” Campbell said. “And instead of shrinking away, they will stand up and help. They’ll be the ones to stand up and extend that hand when it’s needed or help their teammate. And that empowerment is really valuable to everybody, it’s not just a singular thing. I think it makes better community members.”