Vanina Walsh Stands Higher than Her Age and Build

Video of Vanina Walsh in Punta Sayulita, Mexico, where she performed incredibly well in multiple watersports disciplines.

WAIKIKI, Hawaii – Vanina Walsh, a stand up paddle board wunderkind from Oahu, Hawaii, has long been a force in the water world of young athletes. And during these past few weeks in Punta Sayulita, Mexico, she showed exactly why. She placed second in the stand up paddle (SUP) board surf division, right behind the world's #1 and all-star female paddleboarder, Candice Appleby. And that wasn't for a lack of competition. The women's field was stacked, with Hawaiian powerhouses Jen Lee and Talia Gangini on hand. The youngling further cemented her elite status among the world's top female athletes and started her year on a very high note.

Andre Niemeyer (left) jousting with Vanina Walsh (right) at the demo pool at the Surf Expo in 2012.

Supconnect's own, Andre Niemeyer, has had some experience with Walsh in a jousting ring. The two of them went head-to-head in a friendly paddle fight at the demo pool of the Surf Expo 2012. With many more years of experience and a much bigger build, one would think that the veteran ocean expert would have an easy time taking out the young Hawaiian. But that wasn't so. Niemeyer did prevail with a 3-1 scoreboard, but that wasn't without a difficult challenge. Walsh, despite of her young age and small size, displayed a phenomenal control over the board and was able to give Niemeyer a hard time, proving that this young athlete stands up much higher in stature than her age and size might suggest.