Teen is rising star in East Coast surfing circles.(Virginia Beach Beacon)
| From: The Virginian Pilot | Date: May 18, 2006 | More results for: Steel Pier Virginia Beach

Byline: STACY PARKER

 

Kate Easton is putting her best foot forward on both short and long surfboards, and she's only 13.

She recently snagged first place in women's longboard and second place in girl's shortboard at the Mid-Atlantic Region Surfing Championship in Folly Beach, S.C. Easton outshined 11 others in the longboard division for ages 29-and-under .

"She surfs just as good as anybody else does, despite her age," said Morgan Knight, who took second in pro-women's longboard at the 2005 East Coast Surfing Championships. Knight has competed against Easton, but the two surfer girls from Virginia Beach are good friends.

They recently honed their surfing skills at Ollie's Point in Costa Rica.

"She was surfing like she was my age," said t Knight, 23 "She was fearless."

Kate's verve and skill has not gone unnoticed. WRV, O'Neill, Point Conception and Reef supply her with clothing and gear.

Kate gets to stay home this weekend for the third annual Steel Pier Classic at the First Street Jetty. The contest benefits the Noble Men of Virginia Beach, an organization that helps underprivileged children.

Kate will compete in Junior Wahine and Nose Riding. She'll also step up with her father, Bud Easton , in the Tandem division. He's "Kahuna." She's "Keke."

"Team Easton" took first place last year.

Kate, a seventh-grader, also swims year-round and plays junior varsity soccer at Cape Henry Collegiate. But surfing is in her blood.

Bud taught Kate to surf when she was 6 and they live on Oceanfront Avenue, a short walk across the street and over the dune to the beach. Finding time to surf is easy.

Bud has always enjoyed catching waves for fun, and has his own collection of boards in the garage. Kate's mother, Nancy , drives her to the First Street Jetty, where there are fellow surfers in the water to keep an eye on each other. When the crowd becomes too thick, Kate surfs her home base at 58th Street.

On a recent afternoon, Bud was working up a sweat in their yard, waxing Kate's new Jesse Fernandez WRV longboard. He jokingly calls himself "Board Boy," because he often carries his daughter's board to the beach for her.

However, their relationship is much more involved than that. Kate started competing in surf contests in 2001, and Bud coaches her from the beach, using hand signals and head nods to communicate.

"When I get a good wave my dad gives me two thumbs up," she said.

CAPTION(S):

Northend resident Kate Easton, 13, is a force to be reckoned with on a longboard. She'll be among the competitors at this weekend's Steel Pier Longboard Classic.