RUMSON – Emily Grossarth, a founding member of the Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School Surf Team, has been chosen as a 2018 East Coast “All Star” surfer by the Eastern Surfing Association (ESA). Sixteen-year-old Emily, a native of Rumson and a sophomore at RFH, took part in an East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame 2018 Induction Ceremony held by the ESA in Florida on Jan. 26. 
As an ESA East Coast All Star, Emily joins a selective group of surfers from across the country. Just 12 surfers were chosen for the ESA East Coast All Stars group, which counts Kelly Slater as a distinguished alum. Emily applied for the honor and was approved based on her skill, scores, and recommendation letters.
Emily started surfing in 2006 when she was four years old, and began surfing competitively in 2015 when she was 13. Since then, she has won over 40 contests and claimed four National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) Northeast titles. She has been runner-up for the past two seasons in the women’s NSSA northeast regional finals – winning her first-round heat, the quarterfinals, and the semifinals two years in a row.
Emily’s passion for surfing led to the introduction of a club team for the sport at RFH. In the summer of 2015, when she was in eighth grade, Emily and her father worked diligently along with RFH Vice Principal of Athletics and Student Activities, Chris Lanzalotto, to gain approval for the first RFH surf team. Their hard work paid off. Coached by Kevin Pfister, the RFH surf team was introduced in the fall of 2016 and competes against schools from New Jersey to Hawaii who are part of the northeast division of the NSSA. RFH is the first high school team to have a spring season of practices and competitions in addition to the traditional fall season.
The team currently consists of 25 members who practice four to five days per week in the spring and fall in northern Monmouth County between Sandy Hook and Loch Arbour.
“Emily Grossarth exemplifies what it means to be a student-athlete at RFH,” said Pfister. “She is an honors student who prides herself on independently balancing her academics, surfing, and community service. In addition to placing second overall in the women’s division at the NSSA High School Championships for the second straight year this past fall, Emily also contributed 23 points to the RFH Surf Team’s 72 points in the northeast championships. She also earned the RFH Surf Team’s Most Valuable Player Award for the second straight season.”
Emily resides in Rumson with her parents Kate O’Neill Grossarth and John Grossarth.
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