Local legend — and international surfing superstar — Rob Machado was on the beach Monday in Del Mar to celebrate surfing's next generation, including Encinitas' legend-in-the-making, Alyssa Spencer.
Dozens of the premier surfers in the world 20-and-under turned out for the World Junior Championships at Encinitas' Seaside Reef. Cardiff State Beach did not disappoint, churning out fairly pristine 4-6 foot waves on the regular. The waves are supposed to increase another two to three feet over the next several days.
"The wave we have on offer here is a really good wave for competitive surfing," said WSL's Chris Cote. "I"m talking opportunities for big turns, big air sections. Seaside really has a lot for everyone. It is a pretty confusing wave to figure out, so you might see surfers from California with that slight advantage."
Last Week's Big Waves
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This is the 19-year-old Spencer's sixth year competing on the WSL — on her home break, no less — and, while this week's event is for juniors, she has been on the Women's Championship Tour for the past two years as well. She was among 10 wild-card entrants selected by the World Surf League's Tours and Competition team.
"I think last year I learned so much through so many ups-and-downs," Spencer said in a video posted on the WSL site. "I'm just excited to have another opportunity, another crack at it, and, yeah, I'm gonna take everything I learned from last year and apply it to this year," adding "to start the year here at home is pretty rad."
Spencer said she's been surfing Seaside since she was just a 5- or 6-year-old grom. In fact, it's where she learned how to surf.
"I feel like I'm really comfortable out there and know the wave really well," Spencer said. "It can be kind of tricky sometimes, with finding the takeoff zone and just getting in rhythm with the wave."
Another bonus for our local: When she arrives at the beach after her 10-minute drive from home, there will be lots of friends and families on the sand supporting her.
This competition will last through the week and is the first World Junior Championships held since 2019, due to the pandemic. Points from the 2021 world juniors events were rolled over to 2022, giving surfers who missed out last season another opportunity to qualify. Surfing may problematic on at least Tuesday this week; heats will only take place if the surf is good or there's no rain, which makes judging difficult and tends to feature wind shifts.
Monday will see the first heats for both men and women, in the Round of 24, which is broken up into eight heats.
San Diegans can stay home and watch the surfing here on the World Surf League website.
