Getting hoisted above the sand as the junior men’s winner at the US Open of Surfing last month was the biggest moment yet in Kade Matson’s young surf career – but this week might just trump that victorious moment in Huntington Beach.
Matson, a 17-year-old surfer from San Clemente, landed a wildcard entry into the upcoming Freshwater Pro, a World Tour event in the center of California’s agricultural region that draws the world’s best surfers to compete in man-made waves.
“When I heard it, I was kind of tripping, I was really in disbelief,” Matson said of hearing he earned a spot into the event, which kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 19, in Lemoore, and runs through Saturday, Sept. 21.
Matson has had a breakout year, currently leading the rankings on the men’s junior North American tour over fellow San Clemente surfers Crosby Colapinto, in the second spot, and Jett Schilling, third in the rankings.
Matson started the year winning the Ron Jon Quiksilver Junior Pro in Florida, followed by the win at the US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach in August, the biggest win of his career to date, he said.
If he maintains the top spot in the regional junior tour rankings, he’ll have a chance to compete in the world junior championships in Taiwan later this year.
Matson said he thinks it was his junior tour rankings that put him on the wildcard list for the World Tour event against some of his idols, including fellow San Clemente surfers Kolohe Andino and Griffin Colapinto.
Matson has been traveling up to Lemoore, situated near Fresno, to practice on the man-made waves in preparation for the event. Colapinto joined on one of the trips, giving him pointers during his session.
“It took me a little bit to get used to, it was all freshwater,” Matson said. “The more I surfed it, the more I got used to it.”
Watching the waves come perfectly timed, instead of watching the horizon for bumps forming in the ocean, isn’t easy to get used to, he said.
“I was tripping, we’d be waiting for the wave to come, just looking at the machine and how it worked,” he said. “It was the most insane thing I’ve ever seen. It’s crazy how it is, because you can get repetitive, keep trying things because you know the wave will be the same. I think it makes it easier on us as surfers.”
The Surf Ranch debuted last year. It is a massive pool with stadium-style seating.
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Though Matson is going up against the world’s best competitors, performing on the big stage in front of thousands of people, he said he’s not nervous.
The teenager has one goal he hopes to accomplish while there.
“I want to get a heat against Kelly before he retires,” he said of 11-time world champion Kelly Slater. “I’d be psyched to do that.”
Matson isn’t the only Orange County surfer to cheer on during the Freshwater Pro. In addition to Andino and Colapinto, Huntington Beach’s Kanoa Igarashi will be competing. On the women’s side, Santa Ana’s Courtney Conlogue will compete, along with Florida native-turned San Clemente resident Caroline Marks.
Many of the surfers are coming to California from Japan, where the ISA World Surf Games, an Olympic qualifier event, brought out competitors from around the world who hope to earn a slot in surfing’s Olympic debut in 2020.
The World Surf Games, which wrapped up on Sunday, Sept. 15, was won by Brazil’s Italo Ferreira, whose country also took home the gold medal for the first time in 19 years. Fellow Brazilians Gabriel Medina took the bronze in the men’s division and Silvana Lima took silver in the women’s division.
Team USA earned a silver medal, with Andino earning a silver medal and a copper going to Carissa Moore, of Hawaii. Team Japan earned the bronze medal, with copper going to Team Peru.
The three-day Freshwater Pro kicks off with Round 1 on Thursday – Friday and Saturday open to the public. In addition to the surf competition, there’s a Grom Zone for kids and a concert by Raconteurs on Saturday, Sept. 21. Tickets for adults are $55 for a one-day general admission pass, with options for VIP packages for the event. Watch live online at: wslfreshwaterpro.com
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