The siblings have been invited to travel to Australia this summer as part of a 24-member Eastern Surfing Association All-Star team. Hunter, 16, and his sister Keenan, 12, will leave the United States July 3 for two weeks of training and touring in Australia as ambassadors of the Eastern Surfing Association. The Linebacks, the lone South Carolinians selected, were chosen based on their performances at the East Coast Championships in Cape Hatteras, N.C., this past September. Hunter won first place in the Junior Men’s Division, while Keenan earned fourth place in a 12-and-under division that featured both boys and girls.

The children of Dr. and Mrs. Brad (Christy) Lineback received invitations for their surfing prowess as well as their academic standing and character. Both are students at Conway Christian School.

“It’s an opportunity of a lifetime,” Mrs. Lineback said.

Hunter and Keenan are regular winners in Northern South Carolina District competitions that feature surfers from the Grand Strand area. They also fared well in a Mid-Atlantic Region competition two weeks ago in Ocean City, Md., where Keenan won first place in the 14-and-under girls category and Hunter took third among the Junior Men. The Mid-Atlantic Region includes North and South Carolina as well as Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and parts of Georgia.

The Linebacks have sponsors who provide company clothing and equipment for them to use in competitions. Both have been competitive swimmers for years.

“They’ve been swimming a long time,” Mrs. Lineback said. “They’ve always been in the water and that may be why they’re such good surfers.”

Hunter joined the Myrtle Beach Swim Team when he was 6-years-old. His goal is to earn a scholarship to the University of Hawaii and swim for the Rainbow Warriors. He wants to major in accounting, business or marketing. Hunter loves swimming, but surfing, a sport he got involved in about four years ago, is his favorite.

“Swimming may be the way I get to college, but surfing is my favorite,” he said. “I enjoy the thrill that comes with riding waves. It makes you feel good when you know how to catch a wave and ride it. It makes you feel like you’ve accomplished something. I enjoy swimming, but I haven’t had as big a win in swimming as I have surfing. I guess they’re even right now.”

Hunter would love to be a professional surfer and hopes to be on the pro tour or working his way up the World Qualifying Series in 10 years. Most of the world’s top surfers are 18-33, he said, and the very best can make a good living at it. The teen can also envision working as an accountant for a surfing company.

Hunter describes himself as spiritual, honest and trustworthy as well as dedicated and hard working. He gets up at 4:20 a.m. two days a week in order to be at the Pepper Geddings Recreation Center in Myrtle Beach for 5 a.m. practices before he reports to Conway Christian School where he is a straight ‘A’ student.

Winning the East Coast Championship was Hunter’s biggest athletic accomplishment and somewhat of a surprise.

“My first heat I barely got third,” he said. “I almost didn’t make it out of the first heat. I didn’t go into the contest thinking I could win, but halfway through I realized I could. I wasn’t as excited as most people would be. I was proud of myself, but I didn’t show it.”

Hunter is a self-taught surfer and his best move is a front side fins free snap. The success he enjoyed this past year helped him realize he might have a chance to go places.

“Consistency is the key to success,” he said. “Once you learn to land all your moves and how to stay focused in your head, you do pretty good. It takes a ton of work and I definitely need a lot more experience.”

Hunter surfs every day in the summer, weather permitting, but may go as long as a month without surfing in the winter.

“We get better waves here in the summer,” he said. “I like surfing when we have the waves.”

Hunter has traveled as far as Costa Rico, Puerto Rico, California and Maryland, in search of the perfect wave. He will have to wear a wetsuit in Australia because it is winter there.

The best is yet to come for Keenan who has come a long way in a relatively short period of time. In addition to her excellent showings in Cape Hatteras and Ocean City, Keenan won sixth place in her age group this past year at the nationals in Huntington Beach, Calif. She hopes to do even better in this year’s nationals, also in Huntington Beach, a week before the Australian trip.

“It isn’t as easy as it looks,” she said. “I complained a lot at first, but I’ve definitely gotten better. I like the water because I swim all the time. I like competition and being challenged to do the best I can. I’m going to try to swim in college and maybe become a professional surfer, but I’ll wait and see.”

Keenan won the very first surfing competition she entered despite the fact she was the only female participating in a Northern South Carolina District event for beginners in Surfside.

One of Keenan’s biggest assets is she’s equally comfortable in both the large and smaller waves.

“Surfing is very relaxing,” she said. “You don’t have to think about anything except catching waves.”

Keenan has been swimming competitively since she was 4 and considers it her best sport.

“Surfing is more fun, but I’m definitely better at swimming.”

She recently won the 2004-2005 state championship in the 1,650-yard freestyle (66 laps) event, the longest distance event in a swimming competition.

“I plan to keep doing both,” she said. “I want to get bigger and better waves and train with better surfers.”

Keenan is a rising seventh grader and is a member of the A-B Honor Roll at CCS. Her hobbies include watching movies and eating.