STATE ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF HAWAI‘I STATE SURFING CHAMPIONSHIPS

News Release from Office of the Governor, September 22, 2025  

HONOLULU — Governor Josh Green today joined Representative Sean Quinlan, Olympic gold medalist Carissa Moore, Maui Interscholastic League (MIL) Surfing co-coordinator Kim Ball, student athletes and members of our surfing community to celebrate the announcement that surfing will become an official interscholastic state championship sport beginning in Spring 2026.

The landmark decision makes Hawai‘i the first state in the nation to recognize surfing — a sport deeply rooted in Native Hawaiian culture — as a state championship event. The inaugural championships will be May 1–2, 2026, at Hoʻokipa Beach Park on Maui, hosted by the MIL, which has sanctioned high school surfing since 2014.

This achievement was made possible through the enactment of Act 141, signed by Governor Green earlier this year, which appropriates funding to support the establishment of the state championship.

“Surfing is more than a sport in Hawai‘i, it is a way of life for our people,” said Governor Green. “This historic milestone celebrates our culture, creates new opportunities for our keiki and ensures that the next generation of surfers can compete on the same stage as other student athletes across the state. From the launch of girls flag football to this moment today, we are reimagining the future of athletics in Hawai‘i, and I look forward to cheering on our young surfers when they make history in May on Maui. Maybe one of them will go on to compete in the Olympics, just like Carissa.”

Joining Governor Green, Rep. Sean Quinlan, Carissa Moore and Kim Ball at today’s news conference was Kylie Sato, a senior on the Leilehua High School Girls Surf Team.

“I woke up this morning just feeling so sentimental and grateful that it’s finally happening,” Sato said. “For these past three years, since the first day of my freshman year, I’ve been advocating high school surfing and I’m so excited to see where this season goes. And I think there’s so many amazing and hard working people that put in so much work into this and it truly is so amazing that is finally happening. Mom, we did it.”

Moore, who brought two of her surfboards for display, emphasized the significance of this decision for both Hawai‘i’s youth and the global surfing community.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled that Hawaiʻi school systems are supporting surfing,” Moore said, wistful that surfing was not a high school sport when she was in school. “In a very fast-paced world, it will encourage the next generation to slow down and connect with something bigger than themselves. That, to me, is truly crucial to living a life of joy and purpose. It’s not about competing, it’s about growing, building confidence and strengthening our community. I can’t wait to see the first state champions in 2026 and the positive impact this will have across our islands.”

“Hawaiʻi, known as the birthplace of surfing, is the perfect location to establish surfing as an interscholastic sport and host a state championship event. This will help cultivate the next generation of champions and, most importantly, expand access for students who might not otherwise have the opportunity to participate in this sport,” said Representative Sean Quinlan, who introduced Act 141 in the 2025 Legislative Session.

“This bill obviously had a ton of public support for student athletes, from our coaches, from parents and administrators on Maui, but obviously across the state as well,” said Kim Ball, MIL surfing co-coordinator. “The Maui high schools have competed for 19 years as an unofficial club sport and then from 10 years ago, we’ve been competing as an official MIL sport. So you can imagine enthusiasm, excitement after 29 years that we’re finally going to have a state championship. The county of Maui and our MIL surf crew will do all we can to make it a memorable event.”

The addition of surfing as an interscholastic state championship sport reflects Hawai‘i’s ongoing commitment to supporting student athletes, celebrating cultural heritage and inspiring future generations to pursue excellence both in and out of the water.

Watch a replay of the news conference here.
Photos of today’s event, courtesy the Office of the Governor, will be uploaded here.

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