i was part of the 1990 hawaiian amateur team that competed in japan. as much as it was hard to make the team, it was hard to come up with the thousands of dollars to pay for the trip. at that time, i was in college so i ended up selling fundraising tshirts to pay for most of my trip. i remember working hard and still remember all the people who bought tshirts from me. it’s a dream to compete in the world contest and there was no way i was going to miss it.
then at the TSSC contest, Hinako Kurokawa (2012) japan world team member) was setting up her handmade keychains to raise money for her upcoming trip. it made me flash back 22 years ago when i did had to do the same thing. other competitors had their sponsors or parents pay for everything, but i was on my own. i was so happy to see such a young girl with so much ambition.
this is how businessmen and business women are born. they have a dream, they raise money for that dream, and they achieve their dream. i know first hand how to work and when i see other kids working at such a young age, it makes me happy, and makes me want to support them.
Hinako Kurokawa and Shun, Murakami are representing Japan for the upcoming world contest in Panama. they are both 15 years old and are 2 of the 10 that qualified. they leave on April 11th and it’s not too late to support these kids. they are japan’s surfing future!
then after thinking about things, this years contest has a lot of meaning to me. these 2 kids i’ve been cheering for since they started surfing. then you have kairi and reika noro, who i took surfing in hawaii for the first time a few years ago. then my 3 nephews that will be representing hawaii. they will be competing against each other and fighting till the end. i’m cheering for hawaii and japan and i’m very proud of all these kids. win or lose, they are all champions to me. 22 years ago, my life changed. and come next week, these kids lives will change too. this is your chance kids, give it your best!
