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Published on 07/27/1998 All articles from this issue

Sehorn making waves as amateur surfer

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By Vincent Tsai

Town Crier Editorial Intern

Growing up in Los Altos, A.J. Sehorn wasn't exactly within walking distance of the ocean. But by age 10, he had spent enough time at the beach to know he wanted to try surfing.

So Sehorn set out to experience the waves at Santa Cruz, considered one of the best surfing spots in Northern California.

Sehorn quickly got hooked on the sport and his family bought a condo in Santa Cruz so he could be close to his heart's desire.

"I really wish that San Francisco had waves that I could surf on," said Sehorn, who will enter eighth grade this fall. "At first, I thought that traveling to Santa Cruz was inconvenient, but the ocean is clearly worth it."

For a guy who's only been surfing for three years, Sehorn's goals are lofty ones. He aspires to be a pro surfer and to qualify for the 2000 Olympics.

"I'm stoked about the Olympics," Sehorn said. "Sydney (Australia) is the first Olympics that will showcase surfing and I hope to be in it."

And he just might. Sehorn, 13, has made quite a splash in the amateur surfing circuit.

He has already climbed close to the top of the amateur tour, finishing 1997 ranked No. 3 in the longboard division and No. 2 in the shortboard division.

"I compete in the United States Surfing Federation, which is by far the most competitive surfing organization in the country," Sehorn said. "The USSF is able to take their top surfers to the Olympics."

Sehorn's notable performances include winning the Ironman Award at the U.S. Amateur Surfing Championships last month. The award is given to the highest-scoring competitor in two or more events. He also took fourth in the USSF West Coast Championships in June.

Sehorn is in Southern California this week competing in the Malibu Boardriders Contest, which features surfers from Japan, Australia and Hawaii.

"Malibu will be cool because it's nice to see where I stand against international surfers," Sehorn said. "Some of the participating surfers are already pro-level and I'd be thrilled to go against them."

For the most part, Sehorn competes in two events; the shortboard and the longboard. The longboard stretches 9 feet and the shortboard is around 6 feet long. But to the surfer, the two boards are worlds apart.

"You can pick up a lot of speed with the longboard, whereas for the shortboard, it's a lot easier to do crafty tricks and perform specific skills," Sehorn said. "Personally, I prefer the shortboard because it is so much more versatile."

Sehorn travels to more than 30 contests a year and has caught the eye of several agents and sponsors. He is currently sponsored by three companies.

"Sponsors are just something else to shoot for," he said. "They give you awesome exposure to surfing agents and they make the whole experience a lot easier."

Even with a slew of sponsors and the Olympics on his mind, Sehorn never seems to forget what drew him to the sport in the first place: a love for the ocean and a desire to compete.

"If there were no awards, no sponsors, I'd still be surfing," Sehorn said. "The adrenaline factor is much too great to let go. I thirst for the competition and I'm ready for any challenge."