By Jacob E. Osterhout

	Kendro won all three events in the NSAA Northeast Championships Photo courtesy of 7th St. Surf Shop

As a striker, Kendro was quick to the ball as well as a potent scorer. She led the Blue Hens in goals and notched a hat trick against nearby rival Temple during her junior year.

As her soccer career flourished, Kendro still managed to hit the waves during her summer breaks, but her ability to surf competitively was hampered by her seasonal schedule. "I wouldn't surf over the winter at all, so it was rough," she says. "A lot of the girls I do this against are full-time. They are home-schooled, they travel all over the world, and surfing is their main thing. I can compete with them, but they have the advantage."

As she approached the end of her final season of Delaware soccer, a season in which the team reached the semifinals of the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament, Kendro realized she had to make a decision: Was she was going to dedicate herself to surfing competitively or was her love of riding waves just a hobby?

Never one to shy away from a challenge, Kendro chose to give surfing a shot. She competed in half of the National Scholastic Surfing Association's (NSSA) events and won them all. "She was only able to surf in three of the six contests because of school commitments," says Joe Keenan, Director of the Northeast Conference of the NSSA. "She showed up three times and won every time. It was pretty amazing. She gets by on raw ability."

Encouraged by her performance during the surfing season, Kendro decided to test her skill against 500 other surfers in the NSSA East Coast Championships at Sebastian Inlet, Florida, in April. A win would qualify her for the NSSA National Championships and a chance to get a sponsor and go pro. A loss meant she'd have to rethink her post-college plans. "It was a little intimidating when I barely surf over the year and there are all these Florida girls who do this year round, but I was used to it by then," Kendro says.

Kendro traveled down to Florida with no coach, no parents and no expectations. "I was just trying to do my best and go for it," she says. "Everyone was like, 'How can you not surf for a few months and then come and surf and win?' I don't know any different. That's how I've always been."

Up against enormous odds and cut-throat competition that included members of the U.S. national team, Kendro made it to the final heat before her inexperience caught up with her. "Before my heat, all the waves were coming in on this one spot," she says, "and then the tide changed, but I didn't know how to adjust. So I went out to the original spot and no waves were coming in. I did awful."

As terrible as she surfed in the final heat, Kendro still finished in fifth place, good enough to earn her a trip to California to compete in the National Championships that take place during the next two weeks. The field will be tougher and the waves bigger, and Kendro is the first to admit that she's anxious. "There is a thirteen-year-old who beats all the guys my age," she says.

But her friend, professional surfer Luke Ditella, 24, believes that Kendro has a chance. "If she were to win it wouldn't surprise," he says. "As far as raw talent goes, she is on another level."

Top Photo Galleries Rafael Nadal Through Time Did You See That? 100 Memorable Olympic Moments The NHL's Great Game 7s Best Players Without An NBA Title

Most Popular Stories Orioles not getting bargain they hoped for with Jones deal Experience faces youth in Celtics-Sixers Game 7 Jessica Lucas; Jon Beason calls out Alex Smith for knocking Cam Newton: Hot Clicks Ex-Penn State president Spanier sues, eyes Sandusky emails Woodson signs new deal with Knicks