Riding High on the Waves

‘Fearless’ might be the best word to describe local surfing sensation Chantal Miller. Whether she’s hanging 10 at Topanga or tube riding at Point Dume, the 11-year-old Palisadian surfs every swell like it’s the last one she’ll see. Miller is currently ranked fourth in the United States in the girls’ 13-and-under division and, despite being only 4-11 and 75 pounds and two to three years younger than most of the surfers in her age group, she has a poise and confidence well beyond her years. Last summer, Miller took first place in the short board division at the Western Surfing Association’s Huntington Beach competition, where she faced the sport’s best on the California coast. By virtue of that performance, she was invited to the USA championships in July at the north jetty in Oceanside. Braving 10-to 12-foot waves, Miller advanced through two qualification rounds and was one of six finalists and is the first Palisades resident to earn a spot on Alan Sarlo’s Zuma J surf team. Zuma J consists of pros and amateurs. Chantal’s father, Mike, was on its first team back in 1977 when he was 13. Following in his footsteps, Chantal now has a sponsorship and she has the Zuma J logo on her high performance board. Miller first started surfing with her father when she was 4. Two years later she had mastered the whitewater at Santa Monica and a few years after that she started shortboarding. A sixth-grader at Paul Revere Middle School, Miller also plays JV volleyball and she practices her balance by skateboarding. She even enrolled in Will Rogers’ Junior Lifeguards program last summer to strengthen her paddling and water skills At a WSA competition at C Street in Ventura in December, Miller came in fourth place while competing against 12- and 13-year-olds. While Topanga is her favorite break, she also surfs Point Dume, where she has earned the respect of the locals’not an easy thing to do. Chantal’s older sister, Chelsea, is a junior on Palisades High’s surf team. Surf competitions are grueling affairs. Heats usually consist of four to five riders, who earn points based on the size of the wave, the length of the ride and the maneuvers they perform. Each surfer has only 20 minutes to score as many points as possible. Always in tune with the tides, Miller surfs before and after school every day she can. Hours and hours of practice have paid off. She surfed the north and south shores of Oahu in May and her next test will come at South Carlsbad in San Diego on February 4, followed by a contest at Topanga February 17-18.