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Malibu surfside news | October 12, 2017 | 49
Young surfer medals individually and with Team USA
International
competition marks
a first for 15-yearold
Malibuite
Brittany Kapa
Assistant Editor
Surfing was already an
addiction for Taro Watanabe.
Now, after a recent introduction
to the international
surfing circuit, Watanabe’s
passion for the sport has
reached a new level.
The 15-year-old Malibu
resident recently returned
from the 2017 Vissla International
Surfing Association’s
World Junior
Surfing Championship in
Hyuga, Japan. The competition
was held over a
period of nine days, from
Sept. 23-Oct. 1, and each
surfer competed in six different
heats.
Watanabe won an individual
silver medal in the
boys U16 competition.
As part of Team USA, he
helped his team take home
a gold medal after narrowly
beating Team Hawaii.
“It was a really cool experience,
because I usually
just surf nationally,” said
Watanabe, a sophomore at
Viewpoint School in Calabasas.
“I would go to [different]
places, but it would
pretty much be against the
same people.”
Watanabe said he had
to adjust which board he
used, going to a lighter
one, because the surfing
conditions in Hyuga were
vastly different than the
waves he normally rides at
Topanga Beach in Malibu.
“It was pretty cool, it was
tropical like Hawaii and I
Malibu resident Taro Watanabe competes in Hyuga,
Japan, for Team USA. Sean Evans/ISA
didn’t expect that,” Watanabe
said. “It was a good
experience going there and
meeting new people.”
Watanabe said the waves
were slower and a little
weaker than he expected.
Still, the experience as a
whole, and his venture into
international competition,
had a lasting impression.
“I learned that, because
it was a team contest, you
can never underestimate
anyone because they’re
from a certain country,”
Watanabe said. “There are
a lot of good surfers. For
example, Israel, I didn’t
even think there was going
to be any good surfers.”
Watanabe said there
were some nerves going
into the competition, but
he tried to remain calm.
“I was just surfing it heat
by heat,” Watanabe said
about the close competition.
“I just tried to stay
focused, and I just surfed
my heart out.”
During his last heat
Watanabe said he was not
getting the waves he had
hoped for. It was not until
the end of his run when he
finally got the breaks he
was looking for. He rode
two good waves back-toback,
putting him in first
place. Then, Joh Azuchi,
the Japanese surfer who
competed after Watanabe,
outscored him with
an 8.6-point wave. It was
enough to secure Azuchi
the individual gold medal;
Watanabe finished just
0.16 points behind Azuchi
with a 16.44 final score
and a silver medal.
Team USA racked up
7,003 points to take home
the gold, edging out second-place
Team Hawaii’s
6,740 points. This was
the second gold medal for
Team USA, which also
won in 2015.
The experience, for
Watanabe, was humbling.
He credits his practice
in Kyokushin karate, in
which he is a black belt, in
helping him stay grounded.
“It really helps me with
respect and discipline,” he
said. “It helps me respect
Taro Watanabe walks out on Okuragahama beach in Hyuga, Japan, before a heat for the
2017 Vissla International Surfing Association’s World Junior Surfing Championship.
Watanabe won an individual silver medal and a gold medal with Team USA. Ben Reed/ISA
everyone and it’s really
humbling. They make sure
you’re not a stuck-up kid.”
The discipline Watanabe
learned from karate has
fueled his passion for surfing
— a sport he picked up
when he was 7 years old
at the urging of his father,
Masato.
Masato found professional
surfing teacher and
coach Brad Gerlach when
Watanabe was 10. Gerlach
has been working with
Watanabe ever since.
“In a nutshell, [Taro] has
the drive to be the best, is
humble, and has great guidance
and support,” Gerlach
said.
Watanabe practices between
three and four hours
during the week, often
waking up at 5 a.m. to get
in a couple of hours on the
water before school. On the
weekends, Watanabe said
he is out in the water as
much as he can be.
“It’s an addicting feeling,”
Watanabe said. “I
feel like I have to go in
the ocean every day and
ride the waves and feel the
breeze.”