Kids take center stage at Pacifica's ‘Grom Fest’ surf contest

For those not into surf lingo, a “grom” is short for “grommet,” a term used to described a young a surfer and the Grom Fest caters to surf youth, ages 10 to 18.

“It’s exciting,” said Stefan Mayo, contest organizer and member of the Pedro Point Surf Club, which hosts the event. “We’ll have about 70 kids competing. Kids from Pacifica, Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz, San Francisco and Marin. We’re getting people from all over.”

The contest will be held at Linda Mar Beach — AKA Pacifica State Beach, AKA the Taco Bell beach — and begins at 7:30 a.m. It is expected to wrap up around 4 p.m.

Mayo said the idea for the Grom Fest came out of the fact that more and more families were coming out for the Big Chill Out. As a way to keep the kids occupied as parents surfed, Mayo said he would round up a bunch of the youngsters, team them up with coaches from local surf camps, give them quick instructions and then let them “compete” in their own event.

Mayo said that started about six years ago and as interest in youth surfing grew, so did the need to host a youth-only event.

“After about two years, we quickly realized we needed to break off and do something for the kids,” said Mayo, a lifelong Pacifica resident.

He said the reception to last year’s inaugural event gave the surf club all the feedback it needed about the plausibility of hosting the event yearly. Mayo said he was not aware of many surf events that cater to youth surfers, other than high school clubs and high school leagues.

With the Grom Fest Vol. No. 2, the San Pedro Surf Club seems to have tapped into an under-represented demographic.

“The word has spread,” Mayo said. “Last year, it was Pacifica and Half Moon Bay kids. Last night, I got 10 kids signed up from Santa Cruz. Bunch of kids from San Rafael. Word is getting around.”

The Grom Fest is split into both boys’ and girls’ divisions, with Mayo saying the split was almost dead even.

“Which is really cool,” Mayo said.

There will be two disciplines contested, both short and long board divisions.

The Grom Fest Vol. No. 1 was held last year and was well received, considering it was one of the first community events allowed as everyone started emerging from the COVID lockdown.

“We were the first organization that the city gave a permit to do anything,” Mayo said.

While there is a competitive angle to the contest, really it is about getting the Pacifica community to come out and support the kids. But it is also an opportunity to build community.

Roy Earnest is a longtime member of the Pedro Point Surf Club and organizer of the Kahuna Kapuna event July 23 at Linda Mar. He said any of the surf events this summer are a simple way to get outside, enjoy nature and decompress from the stresses of everyday life.

“For a lot of surfers, we all live busy lives, sometimes you get there, surf, get out of your wetsuit and drive off,” Earnest said. “(These events allow you to) go hang out at the beach. … In this busy world, [an all-day surf event] forces you to slow down and plant yourself on the beach.”

For the Pacifica surf community, events like the Grom Fest, the Kahuna Kapuna and the Big Chill Out act as a reunion of sorts. Both Mayo and Earnest said that surfing in Pacifica has grown exponentially over the last decade and in the last two years, it seems everyone has picked up golf clubs or a surf board. With all the new people in the water, it can sometimes be hard to hold onto those connections built while sharing the waves over the years.

The Grom Fest will be the first opportunity of the summer for the local surf community to reconnect. Earnest said the noticed the buzz during the 2021 Kahuna Kapuna and it should be similar to Saturday’s event.

“People were happy it was back (in 2021). It just kind of serves as kind of a reunion for people who haven’t seen each other. Last year it was really palpable. People really enjoying seeing each other again.”

While summertime does not usually produce huge surf on the California coast, Earnest expects conditions Saturday to be just fine for holding a contest.

“[Linda Mar] is probably one of the main surf spots in the Bay Area. It’s the most durable spot in the Bay Area. Usually, there is always something to ride,” Earnest said. “As long as a wave is breaking, we’ll hold the contest.

“Sometimes we get lucky and the conditions come together and it’s great.”