Congratulations to Kalani for becoming a national champion at the NSSA Nationals this June! After the event...
Kalani: I just want to say Thank You to my Mom and Dad, My little brother, RVCA, ELECTRIC VISUAL, Santa Cruz Surfboards, Rory Parker my coach, Garrett McNamara for getting me my first sponsors, my fellow competitors for pushing me to my limits, and all the people who helped me get thru each event this year, I truly owe this win to them! SO WHAT'S NEXT? Oh...this is just the beginning, I know that, so I'm back out there getting prepared for next year!

NSSA Nationals- Tuesday 6/24/08
Kalani: Well here it is 1st day of Nationals at Lowers, I made it thru my heats at Salt Creek just 15 minutes North, to come here today for the semi final of the Explorer Division. If I make this heat, I have 1 final on Saturday, before I even start my main division. How cool would that be, I always walk away from this event bummed because its a hard one to win for any surfer, good waves/bad waves triangles/strategy.
      I am in my heat, I posted a 6.5, but didn't know it. The highest score so far is a 7. I am raising my hands so the announcer will give me my scores and what I need to advance thru or win. I have one of my best friends from home who I skate and surf with a lot in my heat, its his last year in this division, he's a little older than me. Just then he was paddling back out, a set wave was rolling in, I paddled from the outside and heard the announcer say, "Kalani you need a 4.5 to advance, this wave could have given me a 7 or better, there was minutes left, I could move into first place. I was happy just looking down the line while I was paddling thinking about it. Then, all of a sudden my friend turns to inside paddle me, I thought no way, he would never do that to me, and he's too deep. Well, he did, he caught up with me down the line and I got a triangle and needed a 7.5 now? ARGGG!!!! I went to sit so deep no one could trap me again, and of course a huge set out the back, but now I was too far on the left, and had to go left, the right would have been a 10 or better! haha The left was big and slow no shoulder, all I got was this huge backside air that sent the crowds cheering, but as I landed, I came undone, caught my rail and went down about 2 feet from where I landed. Well, I lost in the Semi's, I do have another year in this division I was thinking, I was so mad at my friend I couldn't look at him, I wasn't thinking of crying, but I was thinking of going in the woods and screaming at myself. My dad and I got back to the house, I asked him what he thought, and he started explaining the heat to me what he saw from the beach. He felt I had put too much thought and energy into asking for my scores by raising my hands, and not paying attention to the rest of the heat. He also said my friend heard the announcer say that I needed a 4.5, as he was paddling back out, and he was in 3rd place, he would lose his seat in the final if he didn't stop me. And the huge left I caught in the end would have gotten me thru the heat anyway with the triangle, if I wasn't so freaked out and mad and I sat too deep to go right and let the triangle make me worry, I was the only one out the back when it came. I could have won the heat with the triangle all the same. When I got home, I sat down to meditate with all the information from my Coach, my Team Manager, I asked my Dad what he thought really happened. After hearing his version,  I came to the conclusion that what he did (my friend in my heat) was the right thing for him to do, to see his way thru to the final. I realized that I had shown poor sportsmanship in losing for being mad, and thinking it thru, I had to admit that I have done the same thing before in my heats to others. Not deliberately give them a triangle, but turn and burn on the wave when I know its good enough to let them beat me, ( Hey, it gets gnarly out there, I have some of my best friends saying "I love you Kalani my friend" as they are paddling right over top of my head to get the wave). I made sure I found my friend the next morning, and I apologized and congratulated him, we talked and joked about it a bit, and wished each other luck, and as I walked away,...I realized, I just learned something from this...losing sucks!!! hehehe No,.. its just a contest, and everyone is surfing a contest to win, you are not going to win everyone, and if you can be a good loser you're going to be a great winner!  Which means, you did learn from losing! OK, I hope I have better news for you this weekend, and remember,....The one that had the most fun,...won!  lol   Aloha Kalani