How HSA Points Work: Ratings, Rankings and Making States
Every HSA season builds toward one contest: the State Championship at Ala Moana Bowls. You don't sign up for States the way you sign up for a regular event. You earn your spot through points and season ratings on your home island, and each chapter handles that a little differently. Leave a comment below if you have any better or updated Details
Here's what the chapters publish right now, island by island.
Membership comes first. HSA Maui puts it plainly: registered HSA members receive points and are rated for the season on their home island, and only HSA members are eligible to compete at States. HSA Big Island's sign-up page says the same: you need a membership to qualify.
Points come from your finishes. Each result in your division at a chapter contest adds to your season rating. The higher you finish, the more you earn.
The top of the ratings gets the invite. Near the end of the season, each chapter's top-rated surfers in each division move on to States.
Your age division is set by your age on January 1. Check which division you'll be rated in before the season starts.
None of the chapters posts a place-by-place points chart on its public pages. The easiest way to know where you stand is to check your chapter's ratings after each event.
Oʻahu
HSA Oʻahu lists three requirements to qualify for States. You need all three:
Surf at least five HSA Oʻahu events
Have a current HSA Oʻahu membership
Rank in the top five of your division
Oʻahu ratings are posted on the Event Ratings page of the HSA website. HSA notes that those totals can differ slightly from what you see on LiveHeats, because LiveHeats doesn't allow decimals. If two surfers have the same total, they're tied, whatever the rank number column says.
HIC PRIME events count double. At HIC PRIME contests, the youth shortboard divisions (boys and girls 11 & under, 12–13, 14–15 and 16–17) earn double the points of a regular Oʻahu contest. Those divisions are members only, and heats are seeded using each surfer's current HSA ranking.
Missing a contest works differently in each type of division. In regular divisions, a member who can't make it can get a refund or last-place standing points. HSA asks you to let them know as soon as possible. In HIC PRIME divisions, no-shows get no points: you have to touch the water to score. The only exceptions are emergencies, illness, injury or a death in the family, and HSA asks for proof.
Maui
HSA Maui counts your best results and drops your lowest two:
With five contests in a season, your best three results count
With six contests, your best four count
With fewer than five contests, only one result is dropped
That gives families some breathing room if you miss a contest for school, travel or an injury. The number of Maui surfers invited to States changes each year, but HSA Maui says it's typically five to seven per age division. Current ratings are on HSA Maui's LiveHeats page, and the chapter's ratings page explains the drop system. Membership is $100 for the season. Questions go to the contest hotline, John Willard, at (808) 385-2221 or John@hsamaui.org.
Hawaiʻi Island (Big Island)
HSA Big Island tells surfers to buy a membership for the season because it lowers entry costs and "you will need it to qualify for State Championships." Qualifying comes from your spot in the season standings for your division. In past seasons, local coverage has reported surfers securing a States berth by moving into the top three of their division's standings late in the season.
The chapter doesn't publish its points table or its exact cutoff on its public pages. Check your standings on the chapter's LiveHeats page and follow @hsabigisland for updates.
Kauaʻi
HSA Kauaʻi runs registration through LiveHeats. As of this writing, it doesn't post its ratings rules or States cutoff on a public page. Kauaʻi families should confirm how many events count and how many surfers per division are invited directly with the chapter through @hsakauai or HSA at info@hawaiisurfingassociation.org.
A few tips for the season
Buy your membership before your first contest. On Oʻahu, points and ratings only count for members.
Keep count of your events. Oʻahu surfers need at least five to qualify.
Check your chapter's ratings after each contest instead of trying to work out the points yourself.
If you have to miss a contest, tell the chapter early, especially on Oʻahu, where it can decide whether you get last-place points or nothing.
Rules can change from one season to the next. If you're close to a cutoff, confirm with your chapter before the final contest.
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