AUDREY DENOS

BY JAKE HOWARD, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

We absolutely love it when someone in our amazing surf community writes in to nominate a Grom of the Week, and this week it’s San Clemente’s Audrey Denos earning top honors.

Audrey’s surfing was brought to our atten-

Marks put in a commanding performance, competing on her backhand that has historically seen few goofy-footed surfers claw their way to the podium.

“It’s been such a fun week,” said a smiling 21-year-old Marks. “I’ve had such an amazing support crew and want to thank everyone. My best friend came and surprised me, my brother’s here, my other friends are here, and it’s just been so fun.”

Up next, the Championship Tour will head east to Europe for the MEO Portugal Pro presented by Rip Curl. In April, the tour will head Down Under for the historic Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, the oldest, longest-running professional surf contest, and the Margaret River Pro in Western Australia.

This year, a mid-season cutoff has been implemented, and once the events in Australia wrap up, the field will be cut down from 36 men to 18, and 24 women

Surf Forecast

Water Temperature: 55-57 Degrees F

Water Visibility and Conditions: 8-10’ to 12.

Thursday: Modest NW swell mix and minimal S swell provides small surf in the knee-waist high range, (2-3’), for many spots, while best breaks hit chest high at times, (4’). Light/ variable to light onshore westerly wind in the morning that persists into the afternoon, creating textured to bumpy surface conditions all day.

Outlook: Strong southerly wind and windswell builds for Friday as a new storm impacts Southern California making for messy surf in the waist-to-shoulder high range (3-4’+). Size eases Saturday as better spots drop into the knee-waist high range (2-3’) with cleaner morning conditions expected. Sunday remains on the smaller side with minor NW swell mix providing kneewaist high surf for the best breaks (2-3’) with mostly clean conditions from light wind in the morning, getting bumpy in the afternoon as onshore W/WSW wind picks up.

San Clemente’s Kolohe Andino currently finds himself ranked 24th in the world, below the cutline. There’s a lot of surfing left before the controversial mid-season cut happens, and Andino has plenty of time to get himself back in the mix.

All three of the upcoming locations suit Andino’s style well, and with his buddy, Colapinto, currently rolling, he could find some added motivation and momentum. SC tion last week by one of the best surf moms on the beach, and we’re so stoked to be able to shine some light on this incredible young athlete.

Jake Howard is a local surfer and freelance writer who lives in San Clemente. A former editor at Surfer Magazine, The Surfer’s Journal and ESPN, today he writes for a number of publications, including Picket Fence Media, Surfline and the World Surf League. He also works with philanthropic organizations such as the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center and the Positive Vibe Warriors Foundation.

A hard-charging regular-footer who surfs for San Clemente High, Denos helped lead the Tritons to a California state title last year. A distinguished member of the Class of 2024, she hopes to keep the winning ways going.

Last November, Denos joined a cadre of local girls up in Santa Cruz, where she competed in the O’Neill Cold Water Classic.

She gained invaluable experience competing against some of North America’s top talent on the WSL’s Qualifying Series, and we can’t wait to see her step up her game more in the future.

Most recently, Denos caught fire last weekend at the WSA competition in Huntington Beach, ripping her way to a second-place finish in her division. Earning a number of podium finishes this season, she is currently ranked second in the WSA’s Girls Under 18 division. SC