IT WASN’T MY FAULT

By Corky Carroll

 

I used to have a pal who could make up the lamest excuses for not going surfing that you can imagine.  The late great Mike Schlarzky.  This dude was amazing.  The tide was too high or too low, the wind was wrong, the water was too warm or cold, too many or not enough people out, he forgot his wax or his rash guard.  On and on and on.  My favorite was when he actually told me one morning that the surf was too good.  I had to call him out on that one.  His claim was that it was too big and perfect and he was a longboarder and it was unmakeable on a longboard.  I had to drag him into the water by his hair that day.  I loved that guy. 

 

This morning I had a flashback to all those excuses.  Except this time it was me doing my best to come up with some feeble excuse for making a mistake and eating it like a rat.  It was right in front of a couple of my pals and was very embarrassing. 

 

What actually happened was I was a little too late on the take off and gravity, and that means my fat gut, and my old dude back took over when it should have been skill and agility.  I went straight down the face struggling to get to my feet, which almost happened by the way, and did a glorious and spectacular face plant at the bottom.  It was a perfect six-foot wave.  When I came up my buddies were happily rolling off of their boards in laughter and unbridled merriment. 

 

All I could think of was, “Oh man, did you see my leash tangled around my leg?  What a bummer.”  It had a shot and it was the best I had at that moment.  But nooooooooo.

They didn’t buy it at all.

 

“Yeah right Chubs.” 

 

Ahhhhh.  Getting old sucks.  But what can I say; it’s all part of the ride.  They were still chuckling and grinning “that grin” when we all got back outside and in the lineup. 

 

“O.K, O.K., I blew it.  Give me a break, I’m old and fat.” 

 

To that they started laughing hard again.  “Yeah, but it was a great try at talking your way out of it.”  “The old ‘it was the leash’ alibi.”   More laughing.

 

At that we got into a pretty funny discussion about all of the attempted excuses for blowing it.

The sun got in my eyes.  Water got in my eyes.  Did you see that dude right in my way, I had to eat it in order to miss him or I woulda killed the dude.  Ah man, I slipped.  I must not have waxed up very good.  I knew I should have used the Sex Wax, I hate this other crud.  Dam, did you check that babe in the micro-thong?  And of course the every popular leash problems.  It got tangled around my leg, foot or, and worst of all, in between my toes.  In fairness to that last one it is really a drag to get your surf leash stuck between your toes.  You know that if you eat it the thing can easily break a toe or two or rip the things off all together.  But in reality that is like the worst excuse to use for falling off because everybody knows that you do everything known to man or beast to NOT fall off in the sad event that your lease does happened to get between your toes.

 

Then you have the natural hazards.  Oh my God, I must have hit a hunk of kelp.  This is a great one considering the last kelp bed anywhere around here died off decades ago.  But there is the occasional piece of seaweed that can catch your fin, so its semi valid and in truth I use that one from time to time myself.  Then there is my all time favorite.  Wow, I looked down and saw this monster fish under me and it freaked me out.  Man I think it was a shark.  This one is really good because, in the unlikely event that it works, it not only gets you off the hook for some bonehead mistake like catching a rail on what was supposed to be a huge bottom turn, but it also tends to clear out the lineup.  Especially if you turn up the volume on the word SHARK.  Hey, these days ya never know.  Those dudes are hungry.

 

If you have any good ones that I might borrow send ‘em in.  I can use all the excuses, lame or otherwise, I can get.  

THE MATE

By Corky Carroll

 

In the winter and spring of 1970 I made my first trip to Australia.  The reason for the journey was to compete in the World Surfing Championships that were to be held that year at Bells Beach.  But, wanting to finally see the place as I had put off going down there, I went six months early.  The excuse was to “tune up.”  But in reality I just wanted to know what it was really like.  It’s impossible to really know a place when you go there for a week or two on vacation.  But six months can give you the feel pretty well.  

 

When I got there I spent my first two months staying on the “Gold Coast” in the state of Queensland.  The spot I surfed most was called Snapper Rocks.  It was rocky and if you lost your board it could very well snap it in two.  While I was there I got to know a young blonde kid who had a nice style and was obviously a hot up and comer down there.  His name was Peter Townend.  Unlike most of his “mates” Peter was fairly quiet and mellow.  Young Aussies were not known for that in those days.  Well, I guess young Californians weren’t either.  In any case this guy was cool and had potential to be a great surfer and I liked him. 

 

A couple of years later this kid showed up in California as a member of the Aussie team for the World Championships held in San Diego.  He finished in third place, the highest Aussie finish that year.  He was at the beginning of a long and extremely successful career as a professional surfer.  Like myself, he has made it his life. 

 

In 1976 they launched what is now the ASP World Championship tour.  Peter, by now known is the surfing world as simply “PT,” became the first ASP World Champion.  He had become one of the top surfers in the world in any conditions.  He surfed equally well in the giant surf at Wiamea Bay and Sunset Beach in Hawaii as he did in the fast hollow tubes at Kirra, he homebreak back in Queensland.  I have always had respect for guys who can ride anything, big or small, right or left.  PT had the whole package and had a good mind for the competition scene. 

 

By now PT had made the life choice to be a surfer.  Some people finish the competitive part of their surfing lives and become something else.  A few figure out how to be lifetime pro surfers.  This has been my project since I was a teenager.  It became Peter’s too.

 

He was part of the infamous “Bronzed Aussies” along with his “mates” Ian Cairnes and Mark Warren.  Although the did look extremely entertaining in their matching jumpsuits, and they did very well competitively, their mission of changing the image of surfing into that of a sport like golf or tennis failed gloriously.  Thank goodness.  

 

PT went on the work on the movie “Big Wednesday” as the surfing double for the Jack Barlow character in the film.  This guy was based on the Malibu legend Kemp Aaberg.  Many consider Peters surfing on a longboard amazing for that time period.  He was a shortboarder and it was at a time when nobody was riding a longboard.  This further showed the versatile skills of the legend in the making.

 

In the late 1970’s PT moved to Huntington Beach, California.  Along with Ian Cairns he opened a company called Sports and Media Services.  Through that he became hands on involved with the NSSA (National Scholastic Surfing Assoc.) and helped promote and develop pro contests here in California.  He would coach the United States surfing team and would lead them back to world prominence.  The most obvious success would be that of a young Tom Curren who went on to become World Champion many times and one of the all time greats.

 

Peter would go on to work at Surfing Magazine as Advertising Director.  I was Ad Director at Surfer Magazine at that time and we had a couple of years of friendly competition over ad sales.  PT stayed with it and became and Associate Publisher for Western Empire Publications. 

 

He also was a main commentator for the Bud Surfing Tour events on Prime Network and ESPN.  He was the “voice” of U.S. Pro Surfing.

 

All of his life has been dedicated to surfing in one way or another.  He is inducted into the Surfers Hall of Fame as well as the International Surfing Walk of Fame.  He has been an advisory to the ASP as well as Surfrider Foundation.  He is a true surfer, a legend in the sport and a dam great guy. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BATTLE OF THE PADDLE II (This time it’s personal)

By Corky Carroll

 

O.K. folks, time to wake up and gulp down that morning coffee.  Maybe some toast and eggs.  Bacon is good, yummmm.  Orange Juice?  Anyway, eat up, jump in the family mobile and head on down to Doheny State Park in Dana Point.  Today is the beginning of the Rainbow Sandals’ Gerry Lopez Battle of the Paddle, Year 2. 

 

For those of you who don’t know, stand up paddleboarding (SUP) is the fastest growing sport in the world.  It’s one of the only “growing” parts of the vast surfing industry at this time.  Last years Battle of the Paddle was a one-day event that drew a surprising 330 competitors.  It was a huge success.  This year the battle has been expanded to two days, today and tomorrow, and will host over 1000 bright eyed and bushy tailed competitors.  How’s that for a growth-spurt? 

 

This year’s event will feature a variety of SUP races.  There will be a distance race and 4 man relays open to all levels of paddlers.  There is a newly designed “Elite” Race which features two sport where competitors can catch waves.  Plus the big Open Age Group paddle race for competitors of all ages and skill levels.  This event is expected to be huge this year with 400 to 600 competitors alone.  There are cash prizes open to all levels of SUP. 

 

Also during the weekend long event there will be free demos by board and paddle vendors open to the public.  There is a site devoted to children’s activities, including face painting, ocean education and more.  Hawaiian surfing legend Tom “Pohaku” Stone will be shaping two Koa wood surfboards from tress that he cut down himself on the island of Kauai and has had shipped over. Na Kama Kai, a non-profit organization from Hawaii, will be teaching unprivileged inner city kids how to enjoy and live in the ocean.

 

A real highlight of the weekend will be the performance live by Titus Kinimaka and Ekolu Kalama at the Luau

Concert Saturday night at the event site.  You will NOT wanna miss these guys.  A real treat for us mainlanders who do not get the chance to hear these great Hawaiian Island musicians very often, unless we happen to be on Kauai and stumble on the exact right banyan tree on the right beach at the right time.  

 

The Battle of the Paddle is the love baby of Rainbow Sandals owner Sparky Longley and named for legendary surfer Gerry “Mr. Pipeline” Lopez.  Gerry is one of the leading movers and shakers in the growing SUP movement.  From having surfed with him recently I can attest that this dude can shred on one of those puppies.  Gerry, just in from the marathon Molokai Channel SUP race, will be on hand to sign his latest book. 

 

There will be a total $25,000 cash purse for this year’s event.  It took surfing many years to come up with an event with that kind of prize money.  The first purse was only $500 total (The Tom Morey Noseriding Invitational in 1965).  To see this kind of money on the line in such a short period of time testifies to the enormous growth of this new sport. 

 

My own experience with SUP is pretty limited and not so impressive.  My pal Ron “you’ll never go back” Chrislip, of San Clemente fame and fortune, showed up with a small one and talked into trying it.  More like forced it down my throat.  I had seen Gerry ride one amazingly well, yet my hard-core surfer mindset was telling me “don’t do it.”  I spent about 30 minutes a day for three days wobbling around and face planting before I was able to stay up longer than a minute or two at a time.  What I came away with was a feeling that I had really had a workout and a desire to get one of my own, but a bigger one that was not so hard for an old fat dude.  So far I haven’t got one but am working on it. 

 

The Rainbow Sandals’ Gerry Lopez Battle of the Paddle is the perfect event to check out this new craze.  If it can lure me, a devout hard-core board surfer, it can lure anybody.  It’s a great new addition to the wonderful world of surfing. For more information go to www.rainbowsandals.com/battleofthepaddle