Simpson-Kane siblings look to make history at MIL surfing championships
The Simpson-Kane siblings, Ty and Chrislyn, could be the first brother-sister duo to win individual titles when the top Maui Interscholastic League surfers hit the water Saturday at Hookipa Beach Park.
Each school can enter up to four surfers in boys and girls in the individual championship meet. In the three contests that determined the MIL team champions, schools were able to enter six in six different, tiered divisions. At Hookipa, there will be only one division each for boys and girls.
Ty, a Kamehameha Schools Maui senior, won two of the three team events at boys No. 1. He notched a win in chest-high surf at D.T. Fleming, was third in overhead surf at Koki Beach and came from behind to grab a win in sizable surf at Lahaina Harbor.
Chrislyn, a freshman Hawaii Academy home-schooler who is competing for King Kekaulike, captured wins at D.T. Fleming and Koki, and was second at Lahaina Harbor.
Ty Simpson-Kane gained notoriety as a 15-year-old as a wild-card replacement in the 2019 cbdMD Jaws Big Wave Championship. He also received an invitation to this year’s Quiksilver Jaws Big Wave Challenge which never ran because surf wasn’t sizable enough during the winter holding period.
Despite his big-wave prowess, he showed he could perform in small surf, too, during the MIL season.
“The swell looks a little on the smaller size right now (for Saturday),” Simpson-Kane said. “Personally, I’m not too worried about the smaller waves, I think it will be fun regardless.”
“I feel really good going into Hookipa,” he added. “I think I’ve got a lot better surfing small waves, just go out there and perform my best. I’m going to have to put my head down and scramble really hard.”
Last Friday, Simpson-Kane received the Duke Award in Honolulu, a $15,000 scholarship which recognizes the outstanding Hawaii high school senior who exemplifies the character and personality traits of legendary waterman Duke Kahanamoku.
“That was just really exciting for me,” Simpson-Kane said. “It was a real honor to be a finalist for the Duke Award. When Makua (Rothman) announced my name, it was like all my worries and stress kind of left and it really hit me hard, knowing all my hard work and everything I put into my schoolwork, my athletics, all came to fruition.”
Simpson-Kane will attend the California Maritime Academy and plans to enroll in the marine transportation program.
“I’m really proud of him for all that he’s accomplished,” said Kekaula Campbell, Kamehameha’s head coach since 2015. “A little bummed out that we didn’t get to surf all the COVID years with him.”
Campbell, the school’s eighth grade Dean of Students, added, “We’re trying to get him an individual title, so that’s kind of been at the forefront of all of our work. He’s just come a long way. Physically he has all the tools. A lot of our focus has been creating a good head space and trying to be positive and create opportunities for him to show what he can do.”
“Academically he’s solid, he’s reliable, he’s dependable. Those are some qualities that a lot of kids don’t have right now. I feel like after COVID, it’s got a little more flakey. I can count on him. He’s the total package.”
His sister may be a younger total package.
Chrislyn Simpson-Kane is already a contest veteran. She placed third in the U14 division at the National Scholastic Surfing Association Championship in Huntington Beach, Calif., last summer. Two weeks ago, she was second in the U16 division at the Hawaii Surfing Association State Championship at Ala Moana on Oahu.
“I am actually super excited (for Hookipa),” Simpson-Kane said. “I found MIL to be a lot of fun. It’s still a contest but it’s like a release and less stressful than an actual (HSA) contest.
“It’s my first year in MIL and Ty’s last year. Usually, we try to stay away from each other in an actual (HSA) contest. It’s nice because in the MIL, we actually support each other more and cheer each other on from the beach. It’s a different side of my brother and I love it.
“I’m super proud of my brother and all that he’s accomplished in school and surfing. To be able to surf with him for one last time, it’ll be fun. It would be amazing for both of us to win. I think it would be something that me and my brother could cherish before he goes off to college.”
Simpson-Kane’s top challengers will be Maui High’s Tamryn Taoka, who won at Lahaina Harbor, Haleakala Waldorf’s Lou Bouvet and Na Alii teammate Ellie Brown.
The boys field is loaded, starting with a trio of surfers from Hana: Kanoa Kaiwi, who defeated Ty Simpson-Kane at Koki; Taj Newton, who claimed the No. 2 division at Lahaina Harbor; and Barron Hanes, who has three wins at No. 3. Two King Kekaulike surfers will also be in contention — Roran Mullen and Cassius Berzolla, who has two wins at No. 2.
The first heats at Hookipa will start at 7 a.m., with a coaches meeting at 6:45 a.m.