Tandem News

Kauai's Kalani & Ala Vierra take tandem crown home

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 24 September, 2009 : - - Lihue -- Kaua‘i’s Kalani and Ala Vierra were crowned champions of the Duke Kahanamoku Surf Festival on Waikiki on Aug. 26. The accomplishment was not out of the ordinary for the father-daughter duo, as they have become adept at taking home tandem titles over the past few years.

The Duke Kahanamoku festival comes with a good amount of prestige and honor for the winners, as it was Kahanmoku who started tandem surfing at Waikiki.

Kalani has risen to the top of his sport after only beginning tandem surfing in 2007, then with partner Blanche Yoshida. It was shortly after that Ala tried her hand at the tandem world with her father. The Vierras have now been competing together in the highest level competitions for two years.

Their success was virtually immediate, as they were able to win the International Tandem Surfing Association’s tour championship in 2008. They also sit atop the standings for the ISA 2009 season. The win at Waikiki is not new for Kalani, who won the same event in 2007, his first year surfing tandem, with then-partner Yoshida. They also finished first in the ISA chart standings that season.

In an e-mail, Kalani said that the Duke Festival is probably the biggest tandem contest of the year. A total of 16 teams from Hawai‘i, France, California and Australia were all competing at this year’s event. It was also considered an ISA World Title, so he felt that coming away with the win “was a great accomplishment.”

Read the full article at The Garden Isle

What's your take on this?
Post your thoughts: SV Forum

New Survey: Map Surfing’s future 

Check the latest Hawaii Surf Reports and Forecasts
More Hawaiian & USA Surfing News available here

New! B2B News ASBE-Surf   |  Receive News-Alerts

Source: The Garden Isle

Tandem - Surfersvillage