Even in October, it seems like the sun has a vendetta for the Coachella Valley. There’s little reprieve, except in a pool. And if that pool happens to have overhead waves, all the better. With temps reaching up to 110 F in the desert last weekend, a select field of young surfers from California, Florida and Hawaii eagerly flocked to the Palm Springs Surf Club for the 2024 Rip Curl GromSearch National Final.
The winners represent some of the best young talent in America. The top groms were Lucas Cassity (Boys Under 16), Eden Walla (Girls Under 16), Merrik Mochkatel (Boys Under 14), and Zoey Kaina (Girls Under 14). There were 15 surfers in the U16 divisions and 14 in the U14 divisions.
Cassity demonstrated his seniority with smooth rail surfing throughout the event. The tall regularfoot, who was born in Baja, Mexico, had a stellar competitive season in 2024. In the spring, he won the first-ever boys division (dubbed the Bottle Rockets) at Stab High Japan. But in Palm Springs he stayed grounded with turns and tail slides. His 8.5 tube-to-turn combo was the highest-scoring wave of the final, where he finished with 16.2 points.
Walla, who won the GromSearch comp at Huntington Beach in June, proved lethal in the pool. On her first right in the final, the San Clemente girl nailed the highest wave of the event, a 9.6, for a technical slab tube to grab-rail cutty. The booth went wild. Beckham McCart landed the Banzai Bowls Best Air for a quick fins-free nosepick while Brodi Buck had the most fun in the Soft Tech Surfboards Expression Session.
But this isn’t the end of the wave for everyone. By winning the U16 divisions, Walla and Cassity will compete in Bali next month in the Rip Curl GromSearch International Final. They’ll face regional champs from Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, France, Spain, Indonesia, and more. That’ll go down at Lakey Peak from November 10-16.
For groms who didn’t qualify for the international final but are frothing to get to Indo, fret not. Rip Curl is sending two wildcards to compete in the event. To enter groms from anywhere in the world can upload their clips to TikTok using the hashtag #GromSearchOnline from now until October 15. It’s gotta be your best stuff though, because the top two clips will be judged by Stephie Gilmore,  Gabriel Medina and Mason Ho. For more info, click here.
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