Tuesday the Newport-Mesa trio gathered for what could be a memorable photo. They are the future.
Wilson and Gilchrist just might be the difference-makers when they compete in the International Surfing Assn. World Junior Championships in Salinas, Ecuador Saturday through April 5.
The U.S. junior national traveling surf team, which includes Conlogue, Wilson, Gilchrist and Moran, an alternate, has the stuff to finish in the top three, win a medal, possibly gold, said Buran, a Costa Mesa resident.
One thing’s for sure, the team is well-represented by Newport Harbor High and the Newport-Mesa area. Buran said no other high school other than Harbor has two starters on the junior travel team, plus Victor Done, another from the Sailors, is on the U.S. junior team that does not travel to compete internationally.
Newport Harbor received fame in recent years from an MTV show and Olympic gold medalists Misty May-Treanor (beach volleyball) and Aaron Peirsol (swimming). But the school with the anchor outside its gymnasium might also become known for its surfers.
Gilchrist seems to be on the path to making that happen. She’s already made a name for herself in water polo. She scored 97 goals to lead Newport Harbor, which won the Sunset League and reached the semifinals of CIF Southern Section Division I. She was a first-team, All-Sunset League selection and also a second-teamer for All-CIF Division I.
But the season is over and now she’s only thinking about the waves. Last year, much like Moran this year, Gilchrist went with the surf team as an alternate for the World Junior Championships in France, where the Americans finished fourth.
