BLOG #200: Local Influences
Wednesday, September 6th
A Blog A Day 2017: Blog #6
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| March 1997. Somewhere in Ocean County, New Jersey. Me and Larry McGinn paddling out to an empty line-up to score a cold, windy Noreaster swell. Photo by Ben Kenney. |
As much inspiration as I drew from the professional bodyboarders I read about in magazines or watched on video, when I was a grom, it was always the local guys that pushed me out in the water. Watching the local bodyboarders, and riding with them, helped me to learn new maneuvers and helped my progression every step of the way. Coming from a small coastal community dominated by surfing, there was definitely the occasional run in with heavy locals. Still, whether it was one of the local surfers hassling me or one of the locals encouraging me I learned an extremely valuable lesson from my local surfing community. IF YOU WANT RESPECT, YOU NEED TO EARN IT. All of the remaining wave riding etiquette followed from there.
When I first started bodyboarding in 1988, I would ride with anyone willing to go to the beach with me. My neighbor, Ryan, was the one who introduced me to Bodyboarding Magazine. His parents had bought him a brand new Eliminater bodyboard. It had a lime green deck, electric blue logo, and a black bottom. I thought that board looked so cool. I tried it out a couple of times but, honestly, preferred my Mach 7-7. I liked bodyboarding with Ryan but, since he was more focused on baseball and basketball, he was more likely to head to the batting cages or go shoot hoops rather than hit up a bodyboarding session. After a couple of years, he seemed to focus more of his time on basketball but he sold his wetsuit to me before burying his board and swim fins in the back of his parent's shed. My first fullsuit! It was a yellow/ royal blue/ black Wavelength 3/2mm. I was a little bummed that Ryan would rather go to basketball camp than the beach, but I was stoked that I was learning new moves and extending the amount of time I could spend chasing waves.
As I gained more experience, there were a lot of guys that had a huge influence on me. Some of them I knew from out in the water. Some became good friends that I rode with on a regular basis. Others are guys I competed against. Still, in one form or another, they all played a part in my development.
BOB KENNEDY: Back in the late 80's/ early 90's, Bob Kennedy was the "local pro" before that term ever came into existence. He was like our local Mike Stewart. He had an incredibly smooth style, could pull all the maneuvers, and made it look easy. I used to sit on the beach and watch him rip up the line-up. Once, I saw him paddle out with a "borrowed" McDonald's lunch tray, and use it to pull three el rollos on one wave! "No way!!! Did you see that?!?"I was in awe of the guy, so much so that the first time he ever said, "Hey, Steve!" on the beach I thought to myself, "Holy shit! Bob Kennedy just spoke to me! How does he know my name?!?" I was totally a star struck little grom at that moment.
ADAM PHARO: Adam was a couple years older than I was, and a more experienced bodyboarder. We, occasionally, rode together during free surf sessions in Manasquan. He taught me how to do a proper roll...my rolls were more like "floppos" up until that point. He took me to my first ESA contest, a fridgid Saturday morning in March 1990 down at Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, NJ. I even competed against him a few times. He came out ahead every time.
BEN KENNEY & TODD STAVAC: Ben and Todd were both a couple of years younger than me. Somehow, we came together and, following the example of the Kauai Classic Bodyboard Team, formed our own bodyboard team. We trained together out in the water, running simulated heats during our bodyboarding sessions. On flat days, we would watch bodyboard videos. Some summer days, we'd go on a "surf shop tour" riding our bikes to two or three (sometimes four) local surf shops, during the course of a single day, to check out the bodyboards and swim fins. We would hang out at Ben's house and have "Bodyboard Workshops" in which we'd do all kinds of crazy things like ironing the rails of our boards with wax paper and a hot iron, or cutting up an old wetsuit and sewing the pieces onto our fins as ankle pads. Every August, the town of Manasquan holds its annual Big Sea Day surfing contest. We set a goal to win that contest in 1991. We trained all summer. We pushed each other, in and out of the water. We couldn't wait to compete in that contest! The training paid off. I advanced through the field of competitors in the 16 & Older division, winning my semifinal heat on the way to a 5th place* finish in my first ever final. Ben and Todd swept the top two spots in the 15 & Under final, with Ben taking the win and Todd claiming 2nd place. All three of us were so stoked to go home with trophies! Of all the guys from my home area that have influenced me as a bodyboarder, I owe these guys the most gratitude. They really challenged me to focus and push myself. Ben and Todd are the guys who really helped me to get to the point where I could win amateur competitions.
CHUCK GUARINO & LARRY MCGINN: When I started competing full-time as an amateur in Central New Jersey ESA (Eastern Surfing Association) contests, Chuck and Larry were the guys to beat. At first, I felt almost out of my league trying to keep up with these guys. Still, they inspired me to push myself harder and be more consistent. At the end of my first full ESA season (1996), I finished 5th in the Men's division, but I felt I had really improved my competitive skills and was really looking forward to taking a shot at these guys in the following season. That never happened. Instead, both Chuck and Larry became the first bodyboarders from New Jersey to "Go Pro." Despite feeling somewhat disappointed that the two of them had moved on, I was more inspired than anything else. It got me thinking, "If they can both graduate to the professional level, maybe it's not just some crazy dream for me to be able to work my way up to the pro ranks!" After a surf trip to Puerto Rico in March of 1997, and a few sessions out in the water with McGinn that served as extra motivation, I was hungry to compete in the new ESA season. I won the season opener in Loch Arbor, finaled in every event that season, and won the last event of the year at Seaside Pier to claim my first CNJ district championship.
JASON BITZER/ MATT MCKAY/ MIKE MURPHY: I had been bodyboarding with these three groms for a couple of years. They were like six years younger than me, but all three had skills. When they were old enough to compete in the Men's division, they gave me a run for my money. Murph was the most talented of the three, but really didn't like competing. Bitzer was really good, but was still developing. McKay seemed to be the most competitive, at that point in time. The two of us would battle back and forth in contests. At the end of the 1998 season, McKay edged me out for the district title. I was super-frustrated to come up just short in my title defense, finishing in 2nd place for the season. Rather than fixate on losing, I focused and trained harder. After another tight points battle in 1999, I edged out McKay win my second district championship. I hadn't been looking for revenge against Matt. I had found the vindication I had been seeking, proved that my first CNJ title wasn't just a fluke. To add to that, Bitzer, McKay, and Murph were always pushing me during free surfs. If I blew a move, they'd let me know about it. "Come on, Jackson! What the F$@% was that?" When Bitzer went on to compete on the GOB Super Tour in the early 2000's, and then went on to organize the Jenks Pro and USBA National Tour, he kept me involved in the sport at a point in time when I could have very easily walked away.
MATT EDELSON: I loved bodyboarding with Edelson. Hated competing against him, Edelson was a total badass. He'd kick your ass just for the hell of it, playing around, but he was the first guy to step up if watch your back. One of my best bodyboarding memories with Matt was a fun-sized day in Manasquan. We were pulled off "Eye Spy" barrels and a "Piggyback Roll" during our session. In that same session we had one wave that we both dropped in on. I came off the bottom and threw a forward spin to move around him. He came back around me and threw a reverse spin. I spun around him again. He finished off the wave with a roll. Together, we destroyed that wave and were laughing our asses off! Like I said, I loved bodyboarding with Edelson. I was bummed when he moved away.
There are a ton of other guys from New Jersey that, at one point or another, influenced me during my first decade as a bodyboarder. Guys like Keith Montecalvo, the Khunen brothers, Bruce Trowbridge, Seth Stafford, Ben Scola, Ed Meyer, JT Sroka, Tommy Pagano, Damon Woytek, Ryan Wade, Mike Magnabosco, Mark Giresi, Mike Oldman, Mike Fort, Chris Constantino, Rich Bean, Micah Sklut, Justin Curtis, Chris Schlegel. I could spend forever naming names from the late 80's and 90's.
The 2000's onward have been no different, but that's another blog for another day. Until then, let me ask you this question. What local guys inspired you when you were a grom?
