T&C Grom Contest Returns to Queens

Mark your calendar for June 1st and 2nd because the 26th annual T&C Surf Grom Contest presented by Duke’s Waikiki is about to go down! The two-day event will take place from 8 am - 4:30 pm, and you couldn’t pick a more idyllic place to have a keiki event than Queens at Kuhio Beach. The iconic wave is considered by many to be one of the best in the world, and the roots of modern surfing can be traced back to this very spot, giving rise to surfers like famed Olympian Duke Kahanamoku and George Freeth all the way to surfers of today like Zeke Lau and Carissa Moore.

On Saturday, June 1st, we’re clearing the lineup for boys and girls, ages three to twelve, who will compete in shortboard, longboard, and bodyboard divisions for trophies, goodie bags, and bragging rights. There is also our beloved Kokua division taking place at Baby Queens, with surfers three to eight years old who may need a little push into the wave. Sunday, June 2nd, is finals day. We’ll wrap up all age divisions as well as prize-giving for all competitors, and the family favorite “The Freesurf Magazine Expression Session” will take place with two heats featuring kids riding in tandem with a parent, auntie, or uncle. It’s not just fun and games in the water. On land, we’ll have games for the kids, and we’re giving away a ton of prizes.

The T&C Grom Contest is unique from other grom events because it is limited to contestants who have not entered ranked competitive surf organizations such as NSSA or HSA, and in turn, creates a more relaxed environment for those new to surf competition. And for many years, the Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii’s partnership with T&C Surf has always been aligned with T&C Surf’s mission – to create greater futures for our youth. President & CEO of Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii Paddy Kauhane emphatically states, "Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii is honored to be the non-profit sponsor of T&C’s 2024 Surf Grom Contest.  This wonderful amateur surf event includes youth of all ages and abilities; it fosters healthy living and inspires our families to enjoy the natural beauty the ocean has to offer.  We are proud to be a long-standing partner!" 

T&C President, Ryan Sugihara sums up what keeps us going all these years by saying, “Every year that our team puts on the T&C Surf Grom Contest, I know we are helping to spread the stoke that every surfer feels.  I see it in the kids’ and families eyes, and that keeps driving us to put on such a wonderful event." 

A special mahalo to our event sponsors: The Boy’s & Girls Club of Hawaii, FreeSurf Magazine, Dakine, Futures Fins, GoPro, RVCA, and Vans.

Registration is available online at events.tcsurf.com and divisions do fill up rather quickly. Competitors must be a Hawaii resident. Outer island keiki welcome! Help support the T&C Surf Grom contest an pre-order your grom tee here for non-participants. A portion of the proceeds benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii.