ENCINITAS — Surf City, El Salvador, will welcome four USA Surfing representatives who honed their craft growing up at Seaside Reef in Cardiff-by-the-Sea.
The U.S. contingent is among teams from 56 countries competing in the International Surfing Association’s World Junior Surfing Championships, scheduled for Sept. 4-13 in El Salvador.
Representing Encinitas and their country are Dane Libby, 18; Jett Maughan, 17; Maddie Stanton, 18; and Victoria Duprat, 17. The Coast News caught up with the Encinitas-raised surfers at Swami’s Beach ahead of the competition.
Duprat and Stanton first met during family vacations in Nicaragua, where they discovered they both lived in Encinitas and shared a passion for surfing.
Stanton said being part of a local surfing community whose members grew up together has been a meaningful part of the experience.
“All the girls we used to look up to like Alyssa Spencer and Ella McCaffray are now competing in the big leagues,” Stanton said.
“There’s a bunch of girls from Encinitas that we looked up to all our lives,” Duprat said. “There’s also a bunch of upcoming girls, too.
“I think having a community based around surfing and having everyone who surfs around us really taught us how to work as a group.”
Libby said he experienced similar feelings while watching the careers of Jake Marshall and Levi Slawson, the past two men’s U.S. Open champions.
“Watching them grow up and always looking up to them and seeing them do well and also getting to know them has been a huge part of it,” Libby said. “Just having a pretty close surf community in Encinitas.”
Maughan said the community created a competitive environment that has pushed everyone to greater heights.
“There’s always someone in the water that is better than you,” he said. “So you always have someone to compare yourself with.”
Maughan said the waves in El Salvador are unlike those the surfers grew up riding.
“They’re very powerful,” he said. “And a lot bigger than anywhere around here.”
Duprat said she looked forward to working with USA Surfing coach Ryan Simmons, whom she has gotten to know well over the years.
“It’s super cool to have him in our corner,” she said. “He’s a really good guy. He knows the spot really well, too. He’s been to El Salvador a bunch, so he helps us out a bunch with boards and everything.
“I feel like he’s helped me the most with equipment and getting my boards dialed specifically for the spots. A couple weeks ago, I called him to figure out what kind of boards I’d need for this specific spot, because he knows it. He’s really helpful with that.”
Libby echoed Duprat’s praise for Simmons’ ability to help during competitions, saying the coach has helped “me understand how the judges score – how to get higher scores.”
Stanton called Simmons a “good coach” who runs competitive heat practices to fine-tune their approach to scoring.
Libby said representing his country “means a lot” and was “pretty awesome.”
Southern California is well represented on the junior team beyond the Encinitas surfers. The traveling team also includes Bryce Seshun of Carlsbad, Lola Fleming of San Clemente, Wyatt Yount of Huntington Beach, Zoe Panettiere of San Diego and Olivia Storrer of Huntington Beach.
