Lenny wins overall title
Maui’s Kai Lenny won two events and finished second in another to take the overall title of the Huntington Beach Pro Grand Slam last weekend in California.
Lenny claimed the Surfing World Tour and Stand Up World Series sprints titles, then placed second to Australia’s Jake Jensen in the Stand Up World Series distance race. In the five-lap distance race, Lenny, Jensen and Maui’s Connor Baxter were among the elite six stand-up paddleboarders who battled through the final buoy before Jensen pulled it out.
Hawaii dominated the Grand Slam event, sweeping the top four places and taking six of the top eight. Mo Freitas was second overall behind Lenny, and also won the under-16 event the morning of the distance race.
Kody Kerbox and Zane Schweitzer were third and fourth overall, respectively, with Riggs Napoleon seventh and Noa Ginella eighth.
In the women’s competition, France’s Caroline Angibaud was the overall winner. Hawaii’s Vanina Walsh took second and Halie Harrison third.
Freedom Surf Contest at Kuhio
The annual Freedom Surf Contest, promoting "Surfers for a Drug-Free Hawaii," kicked off its three-day run this morning off Kuhio Beach.
The featured competitions are The Surf Garage Hawaiian Nose-Riding Championship and the ITSA Pro-Am Tandem Hawaiian Classic. The event includes entertainment and family-oriented activities.
Other divisions are shortboard, longboard and stand-up paddleboard. Youth competition (17-and-under) are scheduled for only Saturday and Sunday.
Beach entries were being accepted starting at 7 a.m. today. For information, call 622-6234.
Free inline hockey lessons at KIHA
Team USA member Jami Yoder, who helped co-found the Professional Inline Hockey Association, is the lead clinician at Saturday’s "Learn to Play" session at the Kapolei Inline Hockey Arenas.
Participants should arrive by 7:30 a.m. to be outfitted with gear. The free session runs through 9:15 a.m. at KIHA, located at 1057 Opakapaka St. in Kapolei.
For information, contact Yoder, KIHA’s hockey director, at 682-5442.