Competitive sports for the 2020 Wahine Classic include shortboard, longboard, standup paddleboard, and soft top. Divisions include guppies, girls, junior women, women, professionals, and the ever-popular teenie-wahine. Check the Wahine Classic website for a breakout of the competitive sports by division.
Division winners will receive prizes contributed by local, national, and international businesses. A cash prize is provided in the Pro Divisions. Several lucky recipients will win a surf trip to Costa Rica, courtesy of Jo Pickett, the event’s organizer, and Crystal South Surf Community.
Over twenty-five sponsors make the Wahine Classic possible, including Marine Warehouse Center, Blockade Runner Beach Resort, Oceanic Restaurant, and the Crystal South Surf Community.
Co-directors of the Wahine Classic are Amy Rose, Mid-Atlantic regional director of the Eastern Surfing Association, and Mary Ann Mangiacapre, former competition director of the Eastern Surfing Association. Other members of the team (not all-inclusive) include Will McEachern, event announcer; Craig Newkirk, EMT, beach marshal, and set up; Gina Gray, tabulator; Johnny Langone, scaffolding; and, Ed Potter, event photographer. Event judges are Jesse Heter, Trevor Francis, Alexander Harris, Ken Roberts, and Bradley Rose. 2020 Ambassadors include Roxy Chaney, Callie Summerlin, Delilah Hutchins, Samantha Newkirk, Leah Thompson, and Callie Hertz.
“We’re very proud of all the girls participating each year in the Wahine Classic,” said Pickett. “As the young girls become teenagers and move into their 20s, their accomplishments are impressive. Many will keep the ocean an important part of their lives.”
“At 16, I am figuring out my long-term goals,” said Hertz. “Whatever I do, I hope that surfing will be a big part of it.”