Local surfer on U.S. team

They may not be old enough to drive or even attend driver’s education classes, but this group of kids sure can ride a wave.

At a July 27 fundraiser hosted by Surfing America, the 2006 PacSun USA Surf Team was announced, and there were a number of new faces to get excited about.

One of those new faces is Huntington Beach resident Sara Taylor. For the 16-year-old Huntington Beach High School junior, just being chosen for the team has become quite an experience.

“Being on the national team is definitely a huge honor, and it’s probably my biggest accomplishment,” she said. “I have been working hard for this.”

The team has a fresh feel and a California appeal, with 10 of the 16 players hailing from the Golden state. The rest of the team comes from Florida and Virginia. Somewhat surprising, the state of Hawaii will go unrepresented next year.

Sara and her 15 teammates will be leaving in May to compete in the world contest in Portugal, the tiny strip country sitting to the west of Spain.

Of the 16 names on the roster, eight are new to the team.

“We’re in what I would call a maturing stage for the team,” said coach and Surf City local Peter “PT” Townend.

After two years of not placing, Townend felt it was time to freshen up the team’s roster.

“I think we have become a little complacent,” Townend said. “In Brazil, we scored a big fat zero.”

“Our goal is to get back to the medals.”

For the girls team, that meant three old faces and two new. But with only four positions available to start, Sara might be competing within her team for that fourth position before she can worry about competing against the world.

Her competition, Kaleigh Gilchrist of Newport Beach, has been working hard in the water.

The 14-year-old has already begun practicing with another set of future teammates on the Newport Harbor High School surf team. Add in practice for water polo, and she keeps herself pretty busy in the water.

“I am excited,” Kaleigh said. To train, “I [surf] in the morning, and if it is good, I go out at night.”

There is a lot at stake for Sara, yet she took comfort in knowing that she would be working with her old middle-school surf team coach, Townend, again.

Sara started her surfing career with Townend as a sixth-grader at Dwyer middle school.

“When she started ? at Dwyer she could barely surf,” Townend said.

It was not her time at Dwyer that influenced his decision but her performance in the last few competitions where she placed alongside her present teammates, veterans of the U.S. surf team.

Sara knew her old coach would be at the ISA SIMA Championships in Oceanside in July. That contest became an early tryout for the U.S. team. Although she lost in the under-18 heats, she still had a chance to improve in the under-16 division.

She eventually came in third against two of her current PacSun teammates, Courtney Conolgue and Amy Nicholl.

“I was really happy to make the final because everyone in that final, besides me at the time, was a current U.S.A. team member,” she said.

“I would have loved to win,” but losing to Amy and Courtney didn’t feel too bad, she said.

And Townend was there watching.

Townend attended most of the local competitions to check out the boys and girls before the PacSun tryouts came along.

“Most of the kids were in that contest,” Townend said, adding, “I think I watched 64 straight heats.”

“He has been at all the major events,” Sara said. “Fortunately, I did pretty decent in most of the big contests.”

The team of 11 boys and five girls were chosen by their performance in the major competitions this year and during a tryout camp held in Huntington Beach.

“Before we leave for Portugal in May we have a three- to four-day training camp in Huntington Beach,” Townend said.

The camp will continue when the team arrives for the competition.

For now, Sara has something to fight and train for: a starting position.

“I have a core group of girls in Courtney, Amy and Sage,” Townend said. “She really has to beat out Kaleigh. I try to be honest about this stuff.”

Before Portugal, the team has the ISA World Junior Championships in October to worry about. Held in Huntington Beach, the competition will give Townend an opportunity to see where the team needs improvement and where the strengths lie.

Even with all the hard work ahead of her, Sara is happy to just be catching the waves for her hometown.

“I am really excited about it,” Sara said. “I am really proud to be on the team and representing the United States.”