Wonder Brothers.
Written by Cally Taylor
The radical waveski adventure story of the brothers – Kai and Trent Williams – began one hot summer’s day, as they paddled down the river, towards the mouth and the open ocean.
They then decided to take the canoes into the swell, riding waves, while their father Kevin, looked on in disbelief. His two boys, aged twelve and fourteen, were challenging the ocean swell in river canoes!
On Christmas morning, underneath the family tree, two Viking waveskis waited for Kai and Trent, marking the start of an epic journey.
Shortly after the start of 2020, the COVID – 19 Pandemic arrived in a flash and became a blessing in disguise for the two youngsters as they acquainted themselves with their new gear, utilising all the spare time they had on the water, with their new waveskis
A Champion mindset is only achieved through hard work and dedication. After many hours on the water; fine tuning all of their maneuver’s and entering all their choice competitions, they whipped their way to the top. At the South Africa Waveski Surfing Championships 2022, held at Kelly’s Beach in Port Alfred, the duo put on an outstanding performance.
A few days prior to this event, a storm had swirled along the Sunshine Coast, resulting in unexpected conditions. Monstrous waves roared along the beach, and sent shivers down all the competitor’s spines.
Both Kai and Trent had entered in two age categories. Their first event, one of the first heats on the opening day, was the Open Novice Division. Any fear that Kai and Trent may have had dissolved as soon as they hit the rough sea and they blew their competition out of the water! Kai attacked every wave he could get, placing first in the final with a whopping 13.93 score. Trent, runner up to his big brother, came in hot with a 7.73.
Despite the complete drop in swell, their Cadet (10 – 16 years) Division took a similar turn. On the flattening waves, Kai attained a total heat score of 12.04 in the Semi Final. Trent found himself in third place after the Semi Final on a score of 3.2, but fought his way back up to second place in the Final against his brother, where Kai secured first place by a three point lead.
This magnificent performance by the young talents from Hillcrest, Durban, fixed their positions on the South African Waveski team, and soon they would journey to Ventura, California to take part in the Waveski Surfing World Championships.
Kai and Trent’s training hours increased and their determination to come out on top was stronger than ever before. The pressure and the clock was ticking. Depending on the conditions, the family of four missioned to the beach 4 – 5 days a week. Kai focused on at least one move per session, honing in on his precision and accuracy. Trent did the same and worked on his speed and agility, by racing his older brother out to the back line.
Before their departure, the Williams family spent a week in East London, receiving extra coaching and training from local SA Champ, Bruce Viaene. Placing first in his Senior division, Viaene was also participating in the World Champs and was itching for the Ventura venture.
After a lengthy flight, hours of anticipation and with nerves bubbling in their bellies, the Williams brothers arrived in Ventura, with their biggest supporters, Mom and Dad, never more than a few steps behind them. Kai and Trent stood on the beach and watched their idols rip on the small swell that Ventura beach had to offer. The two brothers watched Pablo Airways take flight on a small section, as he whipped his body around in a full 360 degrees and gracefully made his landing. Kai and Trent were stoked to be in an overseas contest environment.
Competition day arrived, and Kai and Trent charged into the water ready to take on whatever the ocean threw their way.
Although the waves weren’t completely on their side, and both Kai and Trent had never surfed the new Priority system before, they stayed cool as cucumbers, exhibiting their hours of dedication and commitment with each smooth bottom turn and sharp cutback they pulled off.
After a tight Cadet Division final between Kai, Trent and an athlete from Puerto Rico, the brothers left the crowds wonderstruck with Kai taking the Gold and Trent following him onto the podium with the Silver.
Shortly after the heated final, Kevin was approached by Waveski Adventurers, a team of waveski surfers with a goal to spread the love of Waveski surfing and help the rising stars achieve their sporting Goals. Knowing pure talent when they saw it, they became one of the pair’s part sponsors, ecstatic to have such honourable young men on their team.
At the awards ceremony, they were presented with the Future World Champions Award which recognised the level of Sportsmanship each of the Williams boys possessed – in the water and on the beach – receiving a Rees Duncan Waveski, RD Fins, Solamanzi accessories, and Ao Paddle and a Gath helmet as their prize.
The family arrived back in Durban, still reeling from their adventures in Ventura, when Kai and Trent were presented by the South African Waveski Association with Awards of Excellence for their exemplary performance and for upholding the values of true sportsmen.
Kai and Trent have more recently been awarded with their full SA Protea colours, doing themselves, their parents and their country proud.
The Wonder Brothers…We can’t wait to see what they’ll do next!