Colt Ward. Photo: Jack McDaniel
By Andrea Swayne
Colt Ward, 17, of San Clemente is on a tear and Steamer Lane was his latest victim. The Surfing America Prime event, Jan. 10 and 11 in Santa Cruz marked his third straight Boys U18 victory in the series and solidified his position as the No. 1 division seed. The Lane was going off, and so was Colt, scoring some of his best waves ever. His best ride came in the semifinals. Colt was the deepest in the lineup, having waited until the horn to jump off the cliff, when a big set wave came through. He took full advantage of it, carving out a series of five turns and showing a variety of technical skill that the judges awarded a 9.40, out of 10. “It was the most perfect right I’ve ever caught at The Lane and my highest wave score of the year,” Colt said. “Steamer Lane was perfect, overhead, no wind, and I felt pretty confident for the whole event. I was super happy to win my third in a row. That’s never happened to me before so I was pretty stoked.”
Colt is finishing up his last year of high school—with all ‘As’ and one ‘B’—in an independent study program, a format he hopes to continue next year in college. He has an interest in real estate and investing and would like to prepare for a second career in the field, after surfing professionally.
Colt headed to Oahu’s North Shore on Tuesday and will be there until Jan. 29 to train and compete in the Sunset Beach Pro Jr.
His main goal for the season is to win a U.S. Championship title, to be able to travel with the USA team for a second time and to finish his fourth year on the team in high style.
“This is my last year in the junior ranks and looking forward it’s really a wake-up call,” Colt said. “The next step is the WQS, and that’s a long, hard road you have to be both physically and mentally prepared for.”