Mike Sciacca Jacquelyn Wallace was kicking back...
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Mike Sciacca
Jacquelyn Wallace was kicking back on the sand with a couple of
her girlfriends on a sunny Friday morning, enjoying a brief respite
from the competition at the Vans Serena Brooke Day at 9th Street.
Wallace seemed to be taking in everything that went on around her,
as several hundred young girls were either taking part in the
competition, surf lessons or beach games.
It was a scene that was completely new to Wallace, yet one she
truly seemed to enjoy.
“I have never been part of anything like this,” said the
14-year-old, who on this day had entered her first surfing
competition. “I wasn’t nervous. It was more like complete excitement
for me. This scene is so different from home, and I love it.”
Home for Wallace -- or “Jax,” as she is called by family and
friends, is Yucaipa, more than an hour’s drive from Huntington Beach.
But she has made the trip to Surf City every week since the start of
summer, when she signed up for formal training classes at the HB
Wahine Surf School.
Under the direction of coach Mark Ortiz, who owns and operates the
HB Wahine Surf School, Wallace soon was becoming comfortable with the
sport.
“She really didn’t have any experience when she came to our camp
but boy, from the get-go, I could see talent in her,” said Ortiz, a
Huntington Beach native. “She took in everything she was taught. She
is very natural; has a good, clean style; and possesses raw talent.
If she sticks with it, I think she can go places in surfing.”
Wallace said she first was introduced to surfing by a friend but
really got into the sport in December when she got her first
surfboard as a Christmas gift.
“I really wanted one and was thrilled to get such a great gift,”
she said. “I knew I was going to use it quite often, and I try to get
down to Huntington Beach whenever I can. I like surfing here and in
Bolsa Chica, which is my favorite spot.”
Recognizing her talents and desire, Ortiz tapped Wallace to be the
representative from the HB Wahine Surf School at the Vans Serena
Brooke Day surf competition last week.
“She did a really great job,” said Ortiz who, when he found out
she placed second in her heat, ran up to Wallace and gave her a big
hug.
“Like I said, she’s got raw talent,” he said. “In class, she went
from riding whitewash to open faces in a week and a half. That’s
amazing.”
Due to a tropical storm that had brought big swells to Huntington
Beach on Friday, Wallace opted to surf the whitewash.
“I usually take open-faced waves that are 5 feet, or head high,
but the surf was too big for me out there today,” she said. “I was
surprised that I finished second because I felt I didn’t do that
well.”
In addition to being cheered on by her friends, Kim and Danielle,
Wallace also had the support of her family, including her parents,
Jack and Josefina, and her aunt, Lisa Gutierrez, who lives in
Huntington Beach and houses Wallace when she’s in town.
Josefina Wallace was at the shoreline, clicking away with her
camera, as her daughter performed in the surf.
“It makes me nervous when she goes very far in the water, but she
seems to know what she’s doing,” she said. “If she wants to continue
with this, we will be very supportive of her. I was proud of how well
she did today.”
Jack and Josefina Wallace act as chauffeurs for Jacquelyn on their
at least once-a-week commute from their home in Yucaipa to Huntington
Beach.
“She has already planted the bug about moving the family to
Huntington Beach,” said an amused Jack Wallace. “We enjoy watching
her perform here. I have been to the beach more this year than I have
in the last 15 years combined.”
Jacquelyn is enjoying surfing so much that she said she would want
to teach young girls how to surf when she gets older.
“I want to motivate more girls to get out there and give it a
try,” she said. “I’m teaching Kim and Danielle how to surf. It’s a
great sport that isn’t just for the guys.”
With that, she was off to interview with Surfing Girl magazine,
who also recognized a new, fresh talent.
* MIKE SCIACCA covers sports and features. He can be reached at
(714) 965-7171 or by e-mail at [email protected].
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