Surfing will be joining the likes of football, basketball, volleyball and swimming as a high school sport in the Aloha State, possibly as soon as spring 2013.

Hawaii is known for its world-class competitions and waves, and is home to many pro-surfers as well as recreational wave breakers. Carissa Moore, who at 18 is the youngest world champion, said the move to make the sport an after-school activity was  overdue.

“I went through high school without it being a part the sports curriculum,” she said. “It definitely was hard trying to find my own path and trying to convince my teachers that this is something that’s really important to me and trying to find time and all that.”

The state Department of Education is working with a newly appointed Board of Education to get the sport into the nation’s only statewide public school system. Judging will be similar to that of pro meets, and there will be  individual as well as team champions, according to board member Keith Amemiya.

Amemiya said that it may interest kids who don’t partake in any of the 19 other sports –such as football, baseball or soccer – that Hawaii’s public school system offers.

“In our view, the more students that engage in athletics and other afterschool activities, the higher our student achievement rates will become,” he said.

The announcment followed a news conference where Gov. Neil Abercrombie explained the link between riding the waves and the state’s culture.

“Hawaii is the birthplace of surfing,” Abercrombie said. “From Duke Kahanamoku to the thousands of residents and visitors who surf both recreationally and competitively, the sport is rooted in our culture and way of life.”

Moore said surfing had value, and that it taught her many life lessons growing up, such as the value of hard work, perseverance and time management, lessons that high school kids could benefit from learning.

“Surfing and riding a wave is so much like life. You fall down over and over again, but you keep picking yourself back up until you ride one all the way to the beach,” Moore said. “I know that’s kind of cheesy, but I think surfing is definitely a really good outlet for a lot of teens and young kids. It’s a way to channel a lot of energy into something positive. It’s just really awesome.”