Mike Sciacca Jacquelyn Wallace was kicking back...

Mike Sciacca

Jacquelyn Wallace was kicking back on the sand with a couple of

her girlfriends on a sunny Friday morning, enjoying a brief respite

from the competition at the Vans Serena Brooke Day at 9th Street.

Wallace seemed to be taking in everything that went on around her,

as several hundred young girls were either taking part in the

competition, surf lessons or beach games.

It was a scene that was completely new to Wallace, yet one she

truly seemed to enjoy.

“I have never been part of anything like this,” said the

14-year-old, who on this day had entered her first surfing

competition. “I wasn’t nervous. It was more like complete excitement

for me. This scene is so different from home, and I love it.”

Home for Wallace -- or “Jax,” as she is called by family and

friends, is Yucaipa, more than an hour’s drive from Huntington Beach.

But she has made the trip to Surf City every week since the start of

summer, when she signed up for formal training classes at the HB

Wahine Surf School.

Under the direction of coach Mark Ortiz, who owns and operates the

HB Wahine Surf School, Wallace soon was becoming comfortable with the

sport.

“She really didn’t have any experience when she came to our camp

but boy, from the get-go, I could see talent in her,” said Ortiz, a

Huntington Beach native. “She took in everything she was taught. She

is very natural; has a good, clean style; and possesses raw talent.

If she sticks with it, I think she can go places in surfing.”

Wallace said she first was introduced to surfing by a friend but

really got into the sport in December when she got her first

surfboard as a Christmas gift.

“I really wanted one and was thrilled to get such a great gift,”

she said. “I knew I was going to use it quite often, and I try to get

down to Huntington Beach whenever I can. I like surfing here and in

Bolsa Chica, which is my favorite spot.”

Recognizing her talents and desire, Ortiz tapped Wallace to be the

representative from the HB Wahine Surf School at the Vans Serena

Brooke Day surf competition last week.

“She did a really great job,” said Ortiz who, when he found out

she placed second in her heat, ran up to Wallace and gave her a big

hug.

“Like I said, she’s got raw talent,” he said. “In class, she went

from riding whitewash to open faces in a week and a half. That’s

amazing.”

Due to a tropical storm that had brought big swells to Huntington

Beach on Friday, Wallace opted to surf the whitewash.

“I usually take open-faced waves that are 5 feet, or head high,

but the surf was too big for me out there today,” she said. “I was

surprised that I finished second because I felt I didn’t do that

well.”

In addition to being cheered on by her friends, Kim and Danielle,

Wallace also had the support of her family, including her parents,

Jack and Josefina, and her aunt, Lisa Gutierrez, who lives in

Huntington Beach and houses Wallace when she’s in town.

Josefina Wallace was at the shoreline, clicking away with her

camera, as her daughter performed in the surf.

“It makes me nervous when she goes very far in the water, but she

seems to know what she’s doing,” she said. “If she wants to continue

with this, we will be very supportive of her. I was proud of how well

she did today.”

Jack and Josefina Wallace act as chauffeurs for Jacquelyn on their

at least once-a-week commute from their home in Yucaipa to Huntington

Beach.

“She has already planted the bug about moving the family to

Huntington Beach,” said an amused Jack Wallace. “We enjoy watching

her perform here. I have been to the beach more this year than I have

in the last 15 years combined.”

Jacquelyn is enjoying surfing so much that she said she would want

to teach young girls how to surf when she gets older.

“I want to motivate more girls to get out there and give it a

try,” she said. “I’m teaching Kim and Danielle how to surf. It’s a

great sport that isn’t just for the guys.”

With that, she was off to interview with Surfing Girl magazine,

who also recognized a new, fresh talent.

* MIKE SCIACCA covers sports and features. He can be reached at

(714) 965-7171 or by e-mail at michael.sciacca@latimes.com.