Joey Putnall, a 9-year-old who has been making a big splash for his surfing abilities, recently won an award for riding the biggest wave at a contest in New Smyrna Beach.
The Jackson Elementary School fourth-grader won the prize for riding the biggest wave in the contest, part of the Gnarly Charlie Surf Series.
"He was competing against kids all the way up to 15," his grandfather Bob Clark said.
A little over a year ago, Joey was honored by the city commission for his "natural coordination, an undaunted attitude" as a surfer.
Joey, nicknamed "The Ripper" by a California surfboard manufacturer, enjoys the waves in the Sebastian Inlet and Pinellas County's Sunset Beach, although he's mastered waves 8 to 10 feet high in California and Hawaii.
He keeps in practice in landlocked Plant City by practicing on his skateboard and balancing on his surfboard in his grandparents' pool.
Clark, Joey's mentor, started Joey on a boogie board when he was a toddler.
Clark said he used to jump into a pool with 15-month-old Joey in his arms to overcome any fear of the water.
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