Newport youngster shredding

Chris Yemma

They call them groms. Little surfer dudes.

They’re all over the place, with a heavy influence in Southern

California.

But one in particular, this certain 12-year-old from Newport

Beach, could just very well be the California king of the groms.

And with a last name of Doheny, why is it no surprise?

Andrew Doheny comes from a family of surfers. One older brother

was a member of the Newport Harbor High surf team before recently

graduating, while the other brother is still a member. His father has

ridden waves recreationally for 40 years.

But it’s the little Doheny who is the biggest shredder.

“He was just a natural,” his father Mike said. “He has always

lived at the beach, been standing on a boogie board since 3.”

Doheny will be compeing in the Surfing America USA championships,

today through Thursday near the Huntington Beach Pier.

The event brings the top amateur surfers from the National

Scholastic Surfing Association together with competitors from four

other regional member organizations spanning from the East Coast to

Hawaii.

Doheny will be among 360 competitors scheduled to paddle out.

The youngster has staked out his niche in California. He has won

six titles at the NSSA Western championships, in four different

divisions.

A prestigious amateur event, the NSSA Western championships

consist of the top West Coast surfers competing over four days.This

week’s event, however, consists of the top amateur surfers from the

NSSA, Eastern Surfing Association, Hawaii Amateur Surfing

Association, Texas Gulf Surfing Association and Western Surfing

Association.

Other locals scheduled to compete are Newport Beach’s Sheila Huber

(women’s open division), Newport Beach’s Ford Archbold (boys 14s), as

well as Costa Mesa’s Allan Kincade (boys 18s).

A competitive surfer since age 6, Doheny, who will be a seventh

grader at Ensign Middle School in the fall, has spanned the globe

surfing in tournaments.

His travels have taken him to Mexico, El Salvador, Costa Rica,

Fiji, Australia, Oahu and Kauai.

All that at the expense of his main sponsor -- Volcom, a clothing

company geared toward surfers, skateboarders and snowboarders.

Doheny is also sponsored companies that manufacture and market

shoes, clothing, sunglasses, surfboards, watches, skateboards and

surfing accessories.

“He loves to surf; he surfs like eight hours a day,” his father

said. “He has probably missed two days in the last two years. He will

find some way to get in the water everyday, whether that’s before

school or after school.”

And although he’s only 12, Andrew has already made money doing

what he loves most -- about $6,000 in contest winnings, his father

said.

“When I was in my prime, if you could earn $25 a year [surfing]

you were doing well,” Mike Doheny said.

But this little grom doesn’t want to get too far ahead of himself.

And his family agrees.

“It’s hard to start making predictions now,” his father said.

“Nowadays, surfing is like a lot of mainstream sports. The top 20%

make 80% of the money. But there’s a good, solid living to made [in

surfing].”