14-Yr-Old Surfing Prodigy: Kanoa Igarashi

Here's a replay of Kanoa's Wave. He's a little fella, isn't he? Well, he's 14. He's up against kids that are 20 years old. First time I started surfing was when I was 3 years old. He reads waves like he's 40. He's at the top of the heap. Surfing's just natural for me. I can't even imagine myself not surfing. He's right on track to be a professional surfer at the highest level someday. My name's Kanoa Igarashi and I'm a surfer. I usually wake up every morning and look at the waves. I love waking up early and going surfing early. It's my favorite thing. Whenever you wake up early, it feels like the day goes longer, so I like that. You get slowed down a little bit. Let's do this. A good ride for me would be just a full, complete wave. In a session, there's always going to be that set, the biggest wave that comes in. Just linking my turns together and then finishing it off with a big air or something. It just feels like you won something. Well, you have seen young Kanoa here, Brett, surfing here at Huntington Beach for many years. He's got a lot of style. It shows that he's smart out here. He goes big. Yeah, just 14 years of age. Kanoa's meeting expectations probably a lot sooner than everybody thought he would. He did a really good job. He wound up winning the heap. He's surfing really confident at his home spot. I'd expect him to keep doing well, but once again, he's only 14 and he's against 20-year-olds. He's way ahead of schedule. The first time I started surfing was when I was 3 years old in Hawaii. He tried to surf, and then just one day, he caught a wave. Then he could stand up by himself. Maybe he's going to be a good surfer. Since then, I've been hooked, and I can't really get enough of it. This is Tokyo. He's like a big brother to me. He's definitely a huge part of my career. Kanoa's a normal 14-year-old. He loves his candy. He loves his ice cream. But on the other side of that, he's a really mature kid. He hangs a lot with adults. He carries himself really well. When I was 12, that's when I signed on with Quicksilver. Quicksilver, we support Kanoa with keeping him connected to the best surfers in the world. Monetary support, making sure he's building himself up as his own brand. It's a lot harder to get sponsored now than I would say it was 10 years ago. My current life is definitely a little different than everyone else's lives. I travel probably just as much as I'm home. Maybe more, actually. France, Indonesia, Australia, Brazil, Spain. I love traveling, and I love meeting new people, and I love surfing new waves, seeing new cultures. If you're going to invest in an athlete, even at a young age, you're going to want to give them the collateral to do the travel and be exposed to different surf spots and conditions. Everything goes around surfing. I do homework a week early than I should be doing because I want to go to the surf trip. I'm mostly a straight-A student. Actually, I have one B in history, but I'm not sure if anyone really cares about history. Even when I go golf, I golf because golf is really mental, and I want to practice my mental. It's a really good way to channel my energy and relax and forget about surfing a little bit. It's fun to do something else with my friend Andrew. I've known Andrew for about three or four years now. He's beaten me once by a couple of points, a couple of strokes, and that was sad. I was so happy that day. If I make it in this hole right here, that means I'm going to win a world title in surfing and then make the PGA Tour after. So just wish me luck, everybody. Okay, that's not going to happen. All right, I'm going to give myself two more chances. I'd say my biggest fears for him right now is just staying healthy and being real mindful of his body, some of the technical surfing that he does and where he puts himself and how he lands. He puts his knees at risk pretty much on a daily basis. I want to be pro because having a job that you love to do is probably the best thing ever. I want it so much, and I'd be really disappointed if I didn't make it. I would like to see him succeed at what he loves to do. In this sport, there have been kids that have just kind of spiraled off the map. I can't even imagine myself not surfing and what I would be doing. Getting on the wave and being free and connecting with the ocean, it's so natural. It's kind of a feeling you can't get anywhere else.