The Turner family is considered surfing royalty in Huntington Beach.
Ryan Turner and his younger brother Timmy are both members of the Surfers’ Hall of Fame and Surfing Walk of Fame, with Ryan being inducted into the latter club this year. Their mom, Michele, operates the popular Sugar Shack Café family business on Main Street, and she also became a member of the Surfers’ Hall of Fame in 2022.
Where does that leave Ryan’s 16-year-old daughter, Bailey?
“She’s like the princess of H.B.,” fellow Surf City junior surfer Makai Castle said with a laugh. “The Turners are legendary, so it’s cool to see Bailey carrying that torch with a world title.”
The princess can indeed sit on her throne after the ISA World Junior Surfing Championships, which wrapped up Sunday in Punta Rocas, Peru.
Bailey Turner was the girls’ Under-16 Division gold medal winner, helping the USA Surfing junior team earn a strong silver medal finish overall behind Australia.
Huntington Beach surfer Bailey Turner won the girls’ Under-16 division at the ISA World Junior Surf Championships in Peru.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
“It was amazing for the last week, having the team contest and cheering everybody on,” Turner said Tuesday afternoon, back home on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier. “It was unlike any other contest, to be there and support. It’s not all about you, it’s about your team, being there for them … Just being supportive of your country and making so many new friends, it was really amazing.”
Turner earned a dramatic victory in the U16 final heat, with one last 6.3 ride proving to be enough to leapfrog Catalina Zariquiey of Peru for the gold medal. Turner finished with a two-wave score of 13.07, followed by Zariquiey (12.87), Lucy Darragh of Australia (12.66) and Zoey Kaina of Hawaii (12.26).
Team USA coach Ryan Simmons said that Turner had one big turn on the final ride.
“The final ended, and it took them a while,” Simmons said. “They did some replays, to look at all of the scores and compare. When they dropped the score, 6.3, we just exploded. It was a pretty incredible moment.”
Simmons said other American surfers who have won the girls’ U16 ISA title in recent years include standouts like Caitlin Simmers, Caroline Marks and Alyssa Spencer. Simmers was the 2024 World Surf League women’s champion, while Marks was the 2023 champion and also the 2024 Paris Olympics gold medal winner.
Huntington Beach surfer Bailey Turner bites her gold medal from the ISA World Junior Surf Championships.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
“It’s pretty hallowed ground,” said Simmons, adding that Turner’s ability to stay calm under pressure sets her apart.
“She’s really nonchalant, and just sort of surfs without worry,” he said. “I was a professional surfer and two-time U.S. champ myself, so I know. You put a jersey on, and sometimes the mind can change, but what sets her apart is that carefree attitude that allows her to surf her best in the jersey. That’s what we all want as competitive surfers.”
Turner, who is home-schooled, is taking it one contest at a time.
“I try to still just have fun in surfing, but it’s cool to see people that have won and where they’re at now,” she said. “If I keep on working hard and believing in myself, I can potentially get there.”
Castle finished tied for seventh in the boys’ Under-16 competition. The other Huntington Beach local who competed for Team USA was Olivia Storrer, who tied for 37th in the girls’ Under-16 division.
“It was just an amazing experience, to be able to represent your country,” Storrer said. “With all of the great teammates and great coaches, it was just so fun.”
Junior Team USA surfers, from left, Makai Castle, Dane Libby, Laird Lavik, coach Ryan Simmons, Olivia Storrer, gold medalist Bailey Turner and Avery McDonald just returned from the ISA World Junior Surf Championships in Peru.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
Lanea Mons of Florida tied for fifth in the girls’ Under-18 category, where Avery McDonald of San Clemente finished tied for 10th.
Dane Libby of Encinitas (tied for seventh) and Laird Lavik of San Clemente (tied for 10th) highlighted Team USA competitors in the boys’ Under-18 field.
Turner was honored at Tuesday night’s Huntington Beach City Council meeting. She reluctantly said some words there after some good-natured prodding from Mayor Casey McKeon, giving thanks to her supporters and the Huntington Beach Boardriders Club before she and her family took a picture with the council members.
