Youth surfers who might not normally win trophies will get a chance this weekend at the T&C Surf Grom Contest.

The two-day event will run tomorrow and Sunday at Kuhio Beach, Waikiki.

There will be divisions for shortboard surfing, longboard surfing and bodyboarding. There will also be three separate age divisions: 7-younger, 8 to 11, and 12 to 14.

Surfers ranked in the top 12 of the Hawai'i Amateur Surfing Association or the National Scholastic Surfing Association are not eligible.

One of the goals of the event is to give unranked and unsponsored surfers a chance to succeed.

Late entries will be accepted tomorrow morning if space is available in a division. Entry fee is $35.

In conjunction with the contest, the T&C/Surfer Magazine Hot 100 Air Invitational will be run tomorrow. It will feature some of the state's top professional surfers performing aerial surfing maneuvers.

PERKINS WINS IN JAPAN

Bonga Perkins of Hale'iwa won the Real B Voice Longboard Pro Taito contest this week at Taito, Chiba, Japan.

Perkins caught a high-scoring wave with less than two minutes remaining in the final to claim the victory.

Jackson Close of Australia was second, and Keegan Edwards of Honolulu was third.

BIG ISLAND PRO-AM SET

The Quiksilver/Kamaaina Nissan Big Island Pro-Am Surfing Trials will begin its holding period this weekend.

The two-day contest will run on a weekends when conditions are favorable between this weekend and Sept. 29.

There will be divisions for men's surfing, women's surfing, longboard surfing and bodyboarding.

The winners of each division will receive entry into a larger professional event. For example, the winner of the men's surfing division will receive a spot in a Triple Crown of Surfing contest.

For entry information call contest director Stan Lawrence at (808) 935-1533.

SUMMER PADDLEBOARDS

The 17th annual Quiksilver Summer Solstice Paddleboard Race is scheduled for June 23 on O'ahu's North Shore.

The 4-mile course will start off Kawela Bay and finish at Ehukai Beach. The race will start around 11 a.m.

Age brackets range from 19-younger to 60-older, and there will be divisions for stock paddleboards and unlimited boards.

Entry fee is $25. For information, call Dave Yester at 497-0798.