Moran, 6 other locals on board

At the beach, most 13-year-olds get fired up finding a seashell.

Colin Moran does so by surfing against boys older than he is.

Competing against 16- and 17-year-olds has turned Moran into one of the country’s top surfers. Now, the Costa Mesa resident has reaped the benefits by being one of seven locals selected for the Surfing America USA Surf Team.

Moran, an incoming TeWinkle Intermediate eighth-grader, is in the under-14 age group.

Other locals on the team are Sage Hill School’s Courtney Conlogue in the under-18 division, Newport Beach’s Taylor Thorne in the under-16 division, and Newport Beach’s Kaleigh Gilchrist, Andrew Doheny, Victor Done and Chase Wilson in the under-18 division.

The locals will represent the country in international competition, something Conlogue is used to. And Moran is trying to soak up the experience.

“I made the U.S. team last year in the 12-and-under [group], but I didn’t get a chance to go compete at the [International Surfing Assn.] World Junior Championships [this past May],” said Moran of the event in which the Americans finished fourth. “My goal is to make it to the world championships next year in Ecuador.”

Out of the locals, Conlogue has the best shot. She won a bronze medal in the girls’ under-18 division. This is also her fifth time on Team USA.

The locals earned spots this past weekend at the Surf Industry Manufacturers Assn. Surfing America USA Championships in Huntington Beach.

Conlogue achieved the best finish out of the locals. She won the girls’ under-18 division with big bottom-to-top combos. Gilchrist finished fourth in the division.

Conlogue dethroned the 2007 champion in Sage Erickson, making it the second time in two months Conlogue has beaten Erickson.

The other time was en route to claiming the national open women’s title at the prestigious Governor’s Cup at the National Scholastic Surfing Assn. national championships at Lower Trestles near San Clemente.

In the boys’ under 16, Thorne recorded the local boys’ best result, second place, ahead of Doheny.

Wilson placed fourth in the boys’ under 18.

Moran advanced to the quarterfinals in the boys’ under 14. He didn’t place.

“I wanted to make the finals,” Moran said. “I’ll be ready the next time.”

DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at david.carrillo@latimes.com.