Noah Chapman ’27 and Kekoa Leon ’29 paddled out at Ala Moana Bowls on Saturday, April 18, and into a moment Hawaiʻi high school sports had never seen before.
The two Island Pacific Academy Navigators competed in the Boys Bodyboard division at the inaugural Interscholastic League of Honolulu Surfing Championship, the first official ILH surf contest since surfing joined the Hawaiʻi High School Athletic Association as a sanctioned state championship sport this spring. Among 12 riders representing schools across the league — Kamehameha, Iolani, Punahou, Hawaiʻi Baptist Academy, Mid-Pacific, Pacific Buddhist Academy, Saint Louis and Le Jardin Academy — Noah and Kekoa carried the colors of IPA into the water.
Both athletes grew up in the ocean. Kekoa was introduced to the water by his father before he could walk, raised in a family where the ocean was simply part of life. Noah has been riding waves for six or seven years, drawn to bodyboarding after watching professionals launch aerials off sections of the wave that surfers cannot reach. “Growing up I knew that all of this was part of the culture here and usually what Hawaiʻi was most known for,” he said. “I’m blessed to be a part of it.” Kekoa put it simply. “Surfing is almost mandatory especially in Hawaiʻi,” he said. “After a while it feels like a part of your daily life.” Noah signaled early that IPA was a program worth watching, placing second in the bodyboard category at his first meet of the season.
The season brought unexpected challenges. Waves ran small at nearly every contest, favoring lighter competitors. Noah, who typically surfs much larger surf, pushed through it. “Almost every single meet the waves were very small and the smaller people had the advantage,” he said. “I learned I can perform good on the small waves if I try hard enough.”
Head coach Paul Chapman, who guided the team alongside assistant coach Anthony Leon — Kekoa’s father — and five-time Bodyboarding World Champion Jeff Hubbard, saw the same challenge from the sideline and took note. That both athletes were coached in part by their own fathers added a personal dimension to a season that was already unlike any other. The team had practiced in ideal surf, which did not fully prepare them for actual competition conditions. Heading into the off-season, Paul plans to address that directly — incorporating what surfers call “grovel” sessions in smaller, more unpredictable breaks to sharpen the team for whatever the contest environment delivers. “His grit and determination were everything a coach and a dad could hope for,” he said of Noah’s response to those conditions.
Kekoa, who had never competed in a bodyboarding event before this season, entered three contests and made steady technical strides throughout. Paul watched him rise to the challenge as well. “I am very proud of his willingness to go for it,” he said.
The program exists because Noah and Kekoa wanted it to. Director of Athletics Ray Fujino credited Paul for turning that initiative into reality. “Coach Paul Chapman was instrumental to make that happen,” he said. “IPA itself has Navigators as their team name, which is in reference to the ocean. Having a team was important.”
For Paul, the season carried personal meaning as well. “It has been a great honor to field a team for this historic season,” he said. “I was filled with anticipation at the prospect of watching the students compete in a sport that has shaped generations in Hawaiʻi, including my own.” He sees the sport’s arrival on the HHSAA calendar as something meaningful for students across the state. “Surfing demands self-reliance, courage, and determination while fostering ingenuity and creativity. This formal recognition allows kids from diverse backgrounds to participate in a sanctioned, meaningful environment.”
He is equally clear about what the two athletes demonstrated simply by showing up and competing. “It takes immense guts to put yourself in a position to be judged by those with no personal investment in you,” he said. “Unlike sports with a clear scoreboard, surfing is subjective. What Kekoa and Noah achieved was commendable — they are the epitome of strength and courage.”
Paul hopes the program continues to grow, with more IPA students eventually competing in longboarding and shortboarding alongside bodyboarding. “Ultimately, sports are analogous to life,” he said. “They are about navigating risk and reward.”
The inaugural HHSAA Surfing State Championships took place May 1 and 2 at Hoʻokipa Beach Park on Maui. For Kekoa, the significance of where this season started and where it is headed is not lost. “It was cool to be a part of something that will be historic one day.”
Island Pacific Academy congratulates Noah and Kekoa on a landmark debut season.
