by Shaun Robbins
Strange things are said to happen on Friday the 13th, and this past one was true to form. St. Augustine Beach pier was invaded by the “Rip My Shred Stick” event, sponsored by Hurley, in which kids 16 and under can surf on some of the top professional surfers’ actual surfboards while out in the water with the pros themselves. This event was truly something special, and words on a page could never do it justice, but I will surely try to give you a feel of what went on.
With my brother and cousin in tow, we headed down to the St. Augustine Beach pier promptly at 9 am, expecting to find a flat ocean, discouraged kids and professional surfers with nothing to do, but boy was I wrong. As we walked up to the beach, we saw a steady, small wave consistently rolling in, a mass of kids and their parents filled with excitement and a group of pros excited to get the kids out in the water and surfing.
On my way to the sign-in tent, I passed Asher Nolan heading out to the water, along with a plethora of sponsor-clad boards just waiting to be ridden. A few minutes later, the unmistakable trademark fro of Rob Machado could be seen making its way down the boardwalk to the tent. Upon arriving, Rob was met with a mob of happy fans eager to get an autograph or picture. Rob obliged his fans and signed and smiled for everyone before heading down to the water to help some of the younger kids catch some waves.
Making my way down to the water, I watched as energized kids carried and dragged the pros’ surfboards to the water. As the kids ventured away from the shore, they were met by smiling pros who seemed excited to help them catch some waves. Asher Nolan was in chest-deep water most of the time I saw him, pushing kid after kid into waves, making sure everyone was catching waves. Timmy Curren could be seen running through the water giving high fives to a kid he had just helped catch a wave.
It was nothing less than amazing to see all of this taking place. I am truly glad that I had the opportunity to experience this first hand, and I’m also glad that Hurley is giving back to the community by putting on an event like this. Surely, a great number of kids will be touched by this generosity; I know my brother and cousin were. Hell, I was moved by it and I didn’t even get to surf! If the First Coast is fortunate enough to have “Rip My Shred Stick” come back next year, then make sure you make some time to check it out. Better yet, bring a kid, because this event is truly an amazing and humbling thing to be a part of and experience.
Last weekend brought a surprise swell that gave some fun surf to the area. This weekend looks like it might have some small ridable surf, but nothing significant. I don’t foresee the week being any better than the weekend, so keep that longboard out and enjoy the summer surf in Florida. The tropics are still showing no sign of eruption as was predicted, giving us a very quiet hurricane season so far. Hopefully, we’ll get a little bit of something to develop that will just run up the coast and peter out in the North Atlantic without making landfall, but I wouldn’t count on it. Don’t take my weekly word for it, call or log onto your local report daily to find out what the present conditions are for your favorite break.
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EU Critic’s Choice Awards
