The Boy Who Could Fly: Kolohe Andino Just Can't Lose

It seems like San Clemente’s Kolohe Andino can do no wrong in the surf world these days. As the son of Dino Andino, a figurehead for the 1980s California contingency, 16-year-old Kolohe has been a blip on the surf world’s radar for quite some time. As the towheaded grom that gave John John a run for his money as far as visual stereotypes are concerned, Kolohe has morphed in front of our eyes from a prepubescent grom into a well-spoken and deathly competent athlete. Needless to say, that aforementioned blip on the radar just became a giant blob as Kolohe had the breakout summer that we were all just waiting to happen.

First up, Brother, as he’s been dubbed by his friends and family, found himself comfortably seated on the winner’s podium this summer at the NSSA Nationals, winning not one division but three, including the highly prestigious Open Men’s final. If that wasn’t enough of an official entrance onto the world stage, Kolohe backed up his wins at Nationals by taking home two titles (the Boys Under 18 and Under 16) this weekend at the U.S. Championships in Huntington. Currently, Kolohe Andino holds five—you read that right—collective American titles for 2009.

To be blunt, Kolohe Andino is the best under-16 surfer in the mainland United States. There, we said what everyone is thinking right now. Apparently, the media world isn’t the only ones that have noticed that Kolohe’s sprouted a pair of platinum wings. Currently, the industry scuttlebutt—take note, it is currently just that, a rumor—is that retail giant Target is looking to add Brother to their budding surf team. Target recently signed Hawaiian fem fatale, Carissa Moore, to their bull’s eye logo earlier this summer for an undisclosed fee. Will Kolohe be the next sprout to make the jump into the realm of big-time, non-surf endorsement and sponsorship deals? Way too soon to tell, but judging by his performance this summer and the ever-growing list of plaques, trophies and titles that bear his name, the Big Boys in retail would be crazy not to try and pick him up. Link...