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Itʻs Aloha Friday at Kewalo Basin and Iʻm being interviewed about Ezekiel Lau. The 17-year-old is on the Native Hawaian News show, Ahai Olelo Ka Ola’s list of kanaka maoli to watch in 2011. We are at “Zekeʻs” homebreak– the wave that shaped Lauʻs surfing. Itʻs a reefbreak with a rippable left that corners into the jetty and a racy-right hander over shallow coral heads. The right is Zekeʻs launch pad where he dialed his aerial attack. This wave is the training grounds for the current crop of surfing talent from Hawai‘i. Surfers like Carissa Moore, Nelson Ahina, Keanu Asing and the Moniz kids grew up shredding here with Lau.

“Ezekiel Lau is like the Hawaiian Jordy Smith,” I tell the cute, Hawaiian reporter. Smith– a World Tour surfer from South Africa– posses a technical-repertoire of airs (ie. Superman and Rodeo Flip) with powerful-tail-blowing turns. Lau– an amateur surfer from Honolulu– possess a growing-repertoire of airs (ie. Superman and still working on the Rodeo Flip) with tail-blowing turns that are accentuated with classic, Hawaiian power.

Yes, I’m very bias, which is the reason I was asked to talk about Zeke. I am a surf team coach for Kamehameha Schools, and Lau, who is a junior, is our star-surfer-athlete. In some respects, Lau is to the Kamehameha surf team what Tim Tebow was to Florida Gator football. Sans Tebow’s missionary family and creepy anti-abortion commercial.

The shcool administration, and TV show interiviewning me, are well aware of Lau’s talent and value. But, Zeke’s budding surf career and school policy don’t always mesh well.

During the Vans presents the HIC Pro at Sunset Beach last November, there was a miscommunication with Lau and Kamehameha. Zeke competeed in the 4-Star Association of Surfing Professionals Qualifying Series event, but failed to alert the KS administration early enough.

“Pretty much had a little controversy with school– missing school,” said Zeke to me at the Volcom Pipe Pro last month. “I didn’t let (the administration) know that I was missing school in time so I had some trouble from that.”

As a result of the Sunset comp, the administration dropped Zeke two-letter grades in all of his classes. Kamehameha policy dictates that a student recieves one-letter grade drop for every day cut. Although this infuriated me– as a surf coach, Kamehameha alum, journalist and surfer– I didn’t realize that something positive would come from this.

“We talked to the principal and they worked with us more and we need to just let them know earlier that I’m going to be in the event,” said Zeke. “We had it covered for the (Volcom Pipe Pro) so they let me go. It made me more on top of my school work. If anything it kept me more focused on what I have to do.”

I was baffled that a teenager was able to see the light at the end of the tunnel while I was still punching the walls in the darkness. Zeke’s maturity and outlook on the future is what impresses me more than his mind-blowing-modern approach to waves. Surfing and school seldom see eye-to-eye, which is why so many parents are putting their super groms into home school. They want to avoid the hassels and limitations of traditional school to allow their kids to elevate their wave riding and pro career opportuinities.

“It’s kind of hard to keep my focus on the contest and school, but if I keep my focus in school it will help me keep my concentration on what I need to do for the contest,” said Lau.

While attending Kamehameha School will always be a privelage, more often than not it’s a sacrifice for Zeke and his fledgeling career.

“I can’t travel that much because of school so to have an event like this to get my name out is great,” said Lau of the Volcom Pipe Pro.

Zeke is no stranger to sacrifice. He wakes up before sunrise three times a week to run, swim and train before school with Kimo Middlesworth, Kekoa Cazimero, Nick Mita, Sean Moody, Joel Centeio and Ryan Kelly. Then Zeke goes to school. There’s no other kids his age around the surf world putting in that much work.

So when the pretty, reporter asks me, “Does Ezekiel Lau have what it takes to be a world champion of surfing?” I emphatically reply, “Most definitely! Zeke posses the pyhsical attributes of a world champ, but more importantly, has the willingness to sacrifice and the mental fortitude to be a world champion.”

FITTED Hawaii released their limited edition “Surf Pack” recently. The “Surf Pack” consists of 3 hats designed by FITTED riders: Keanu Asing, Nelson Ahina, and Ezekiel Lau. These hats are super limited, only 30 hats of each design were made. I went to FITTED with Zeke on the release day to find 30+ people waiting outside before the store was open. The “Surf Pack” were sold out in little over 30 minutes!

Ezekiel Lau’s custom Kamehameha

Ezekiel Lau bleeds blue and silver. The Kamehameha Schoolʻs colors runs through the 16-year-oldʻs veins. Lau recently returned from Southern California where he represented for his school and ‘āina. Lau led the Kamehameha Surf Team at the National Scholastic of Surfing Association Nationals Championships at Huntington Beach, winning the High School Varsity Mens title and helping the team to a 7th place overall finish. Individually, he also won the NSSA Explorer Mens championship. This was the first year that Kamehameha Surf Team competed at NSSA Nationals and they were the only school from Hawai‘i competing this year. Lau also placed third in the 18-and under division at the Surfing National Championships held at Lower Trestles in San Clemente. He followed up those Californian results with a Rip Curl Grom Search 16-and under victory, qualifying the 6-foot, Native Hawaiian for the Rip Curl National Championships. Lauʻs signature, limited-edition Kamehameha New Era reflects the pride he has for Kamehameha and being a Native Hawaiian with its royal blue and silver color way.

Keanu Asing’s custom Kamehameha

There is a competitive fire smoldering inside Keanu Asing. The burning desire to win motivated the ‘Ewa Beach local to move to California. This proved fruitful for the 16-year-old, regular foot since he won the Arnette Junior Pro at Newport Beach in June. Currently, Asing is ranked first in the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) North America Pro Junior standings. With an International Surfing Association (ISA) 16-and under world championship under his belt, Asing is gunning for another big win – the ASP World Junior championship in Narrabean, Australia. Heʻs already qualified to compete in this event and will head to Oz late this year. Past ASP World Junior champs like Kekoa Bacalso and Andy Irons have gone on to successful pro surfing careers on the World Tour. Asing knows this and fuels his competitive fire with it. Set on an all-black New Era, the Kamehameha logo of Asingʻs signature, limited-edition hat is red to represent the burning desire to win.

Nelson Ahina III’s custom Kamehameha

Nelson Ahina has soul. You can see it in the 17-year-oldʻs approach to surfing. Ahina can rip on a shortboard, but longboarding is where his style is truly showcased. The lanky, Native Hawaiian is a prolific noserider and watching him weightlessly hang ten is a brilliant display of traditional longboarding. But, his loose surfing off the tail of his T&C 9ʻ0” is a nod to modern Hawaiian longobarding. Ahinaʻs roundhouse is a high speed, power maneuver that very few of his waveriding peers can mimic. In fact, Ahina is by far the best longboarder in his generation, and is actully one of the only young , Hawaiian surfers with the ability to compete on an international level. Ahinaʻs coming out in the longboarding is similar to professional waterman Duane DeSoto. They both came on the scene younger then the current crop of longboarders and with the skill to punt airs with a big board. Progressive soul is arguably the best way to describe Ahinaʻs surfing, and he incorporated this into his signature, limited-edition New Era Kamehameha. The camouflage background is a testament to the Hawaiian soul and the yellow bill is flashy like Ahinaʻs roundhouse.

Here’s a short clip we put together covering the day the boys were at the office designing the three custom Kamehamehas you see above.

There will also be a contest held for the three custom Kamehamehas. Whoever’s hats sell out the quickest will win a custom created matching t-shirt. Vote & purchase your favorite!

When you look at the results of the Red Bull Rivals voting and the Fitted surf team riders, you can almost hear Jay-Z’s latest single, “Run This Town,” in the background.

“Feel it comin’ in the air
And the screams from everywhere
I’m addicted to the care
It’s a dangerous love affair
Can’t be scared when it goes down
Got a problem, tell me now
Only thing that’s on my mind
Is who’s gonna run this town tonight…
Is who’s gonna run this town tonight…
We gonna run this town”

That’s because the popularity of the Fitted ‘Ohana – Keanu Asing, Kekoa Cazimero and Ezekiel Lau – was demonstrated with the peer poll results. Keanu Asing was the only surfer to be voted onto both teams, but is choosing to surf for the South Shore with Cazimero and Lau.

In addition, Kekoa Cazimero was the overall top-vote-getter of the poll and Town Team with 185 nods from his peers and the fans. Koa Boi is a heavily favored contender in this event because Sandy Beach is homebreak.

Red Bull Rivals is a one-day surf event pitting Oahu’s legendary shores (North Shore and South Shore) against each other. Top Surfers from each shore will battle it out in a head-to-head surf competition for ultimate island bragging rights. Besides bragging rights, teams will compete for a territory advantage in next year’s competition and the losing team has to give the winning team their surfboards (similar to “racing for pink slips”).

After weeks of voting, the Red Bull Rivals teams are set and preparing for the showdown between the North Shore and South Shore on Sept. 5 at Sandy Beach. The following rosters were derived from the Red Bull Rivals voting results:

We gonna run this Town tonight!
Watssup!

The Country (North Shore)
Jamie O’Brien
Kalani Robb
Pancho Sullivan
Kala Alexander
Liam McNamara
Rico Jimenez
Flynn Novak or Mason Ho (tied for votes)
John John Florence
Landon McNamara
Megan Abubo (although Coco Ho garnered the most votes she is unable to compete at Red Bull Rivals because it’s a non-sanctioned ASP event)

Town (South Shore)
Kekoa Cazimero
Jason Shibata
Joel Centeio
Jun Jo
Dustin Cuizon
Nick Mita
Sunny Garcia
Ezekiel Lau
Keanu Asing
Carissa Moore

The Red Bull Rivals one day surf event goes down Saturday, Sept. 5th at Sandys and will pit the North Shore vs the South Shore, bringing some of the greatest local rivalries from all across the island into one focal point. Contestants will be competing for each others surfboards (sort of like racing for pink slips) as well as territory advantage for the following year’s competition. For further information and rules / regulations, please visit this link and while you’re there, please vote for our team riders: Keanu Asing, Ezekiel Lau, Nelson Ahina and Kekoa Cazimero. Mahalo for your support!