As the morning sun beat down over the white sand at White Plains Beach, Adam Borrello and his daughter Kirra stood under the shade of a palm tree, looking out at the small glassy waves. Standing barely 4 feet tall, Kirra looked eagerly at her father, begging to get into the water to practice for the upcoming T&C Grom Contest.

"I caught my very first wave with my dad when I was 9 months old. And then I caught my own wave when I was 4 years old," Kirra said, beaming with pride.

As one of the few contests that allows kids younger than 14 to enter, the T&C Grom Contest gives young surfers who are just getting started a chance to get their feet wet in a competitive event. It's not a high-pressure, big-money prize competition like other surf contests in Hawai'i, but some of the kids who enter the Grom Contest go on to that level of surfing.

Unlike most circuit contests in Hawai'i, this independently run contest gives kids who aren't necessarily on the pro track a chance to compete. And the prizes aren't bad: things like shorts, T-shirts, coupons for shave ice, and of course, surf wax.

"The grom contest was created 11 years ago to give nonrated young surfers an opportunity to test the waters of competitive surfing," said T&C Surf president and founder Craig Sugihara.

"We have kids who are 4 years old and are just learning to catch waves on their own. We also have kids who are in their early teens who are truly excelling in the sport. We want kids of every level to come out and surf their best and just have fun," Sugihara said.

In recent years, Queens Beach in Waikiki has been packed with kids, or "groms," for the contest.

"Entering a contest like the Hawaii Amateur Surfing Association's can be really intimidating for a kid who didn't necessarily grow up surfing, or who doesn't know the other kids in those contest. Most of those contests have kids who have been surfing together for years," said Borrello, one of the event organizers, on the beach with his daughter for the practice session.

"It's been a great opportunity for kids who aren't as active in the competitions. It's really a family and friend event," said Borrello, looking proudly at his daughter.

As surf shops and merchandise aimed at young surfers proliferate, the market has been expanding for young surfers who can represent the practice. Nurturing these professional surfers starts at an early age, and isn't an easy task.

"When you're training for a contest, there's a lot to do — jogging, keeping in shape and practicing surfing almost every day," said sponsored surfer Alessa Quizon, getting ready to surf at White Plains, her long brown hair bleached blonde by the sun. Alessa, a Wai'anae girl, said she grew up practicing on the waves at the site.

At 14, Alessa has already traveled to France, Portugal and Australia, and earned the National Scholastic Surfing Association Explorer Girls 2007 title. Sponsored by four different surf companies including Billabong, one of the world's biggest surf companies, she's been invited to the "Hot 100 Air Invitational" on Saturday, when top Hawai'i groms chosen by Surfer magazine will compete for a cash prize.

On Sunday, parents and groms surf in a "Board Stories Expression Session."

"I really wish more kids from my school would surf because I always have my birthday party here at this beach, and it's usually just me surfing. It would be fun if they would surf with me," said Kirra, who will be entering the third grade at Momilani Elementary School this fall.

This will be the second year that Kirra will enter this contest as an amateur, but already she has amassed some of the experience of a young professional.

"I'm always really nervous before a heat, but I've got my dad to help coach me. Once I get in the water, I'm really quiet because in my division, I don't know anyone. All my friends are in the upper divisions," she said.

Alessa also noted the pressure that can descend during a competition. "I get nervous too sometimes, but I try to not think about the heat," she said. "I just want to make it out."

The desire to advance and win can be overwhelming, trying the friendships of the young surfers. "No one's your friend until you get out of the water and the heat is done," Alessa said.

When the heat is done, however, it's as if nothing happened; the surfers go on playing, talking and hanging out together.

Once young surfers reach a sponsored level, the pressure isn't just performance in the water, but also performance in school.

"I'm kind of nervous about going into high school. Traveling can get stressful sometimes because I miss school, and so I have to make sure all my work is turned in," says Alessa, who enters Wai'anae High School as a freshman this year.

"Finishing school is the first objective. Education for her is important. If she gets good grades, she gets to surf," said Alessa's father, Scott Quizon.

"Nowadays, if you put your heart into it, you can make surfing into a job," Quizon said.

The glittering waves are practically empty, with three people sitting in the lineup. Both girls await the approval of their fathers to get into the water, as the two men talk about the challenges for girls in the surf industry.

Once they get the go-ahead, Alessa grabs her 5-foot-7 high-performance board and holds it under her arm, making it look easy.

Kirra struggles to hold her 5-foot-4 beginner's board, her arm not even reaching its rail. Smiling, she walks beside Alessa, hurrying to keep up.

They glide into the water, sliding onto their boards as if that is where they were meant to be — girls repping the future of surfing, side by side.