Erika Hunting. Photo: Andrea Swayne
Grom of the Week: Erika Hunting
Erika Hunting, 14, of San Clemente is making the most of her summer, concentrating on the two most important activities in her life—school and surfing. While completing a summer school class to get a jump start on her freshman year at San Clemente High School, she paddles out to practice shortboarding at least twice a day.
Her training paid off July 12 as Erika made her first ever podium appearance in a surf contest, taking third place in the Girls 13-16 shortboard division at the Western Surfing Association Menehune Surf Fest in Huntington Beach.
Surfing and school have always been important to Erika. Her mother’s family is from the North Shore of Oahu and surfing there with them since she was a little girl has made it an important part of her life. Not only a member of her Shorecliffs Middle School surf team, she also maintained a 4.0 GPA through middle school. She is looking forward to the academic challenges high school will bring as well as trying out for the SCHS surf team or taking Surf P.E.
“A few years ago I decided I wanted to take my sport more seriously, so I started doing WSA and Scholastic Surf Series events,” Erika said. “I take school really seriously too, so I want to do both well and not compromise one for the other. I just want to take surfing as far as it can go and see where it takes me. I really love it. I’m 10 times happier and feel 10 times better after surfing. I have to get in the water or I just don’t feel quite right.”