BeckerSurf

Yes, the waves will come, usually up to six feet, but good luck trying to get the staple surf gear in Cuba.

Imagine if things we take for granted such as surf wax, new boards or simple online surf reports were hard to come by. Add Cuban policies, combined with the American blockade, plus a lack of transportation, and this is surfing in Cuba – indeed, a complicated endeavor.

But, as we know, once the surfing bug has got ya, nothing’s going to stop your love of the waves. So, the sport persists in Cuba through the determination of native surfers and homegrown organizations like Royal 70, a nonprofit surf collective founded by Cuban native and surfer Eduardo Valdes and Blair Cording, an Australian surfer. To date, there have been two national surf contests in Havana, one attracting the sponsorship of Red Bull. Another national contest is scheduled for later this month.

Read the insightful article about it recently written up in The New York Times here: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/12/sports/cuban-surfers-face-hurdles-before-catching-waves.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&

An interesting quote by a surfer quoted in the story: “My mom would punish me for going to the beach. I had to sneak out of my house or skip school classes if I wanted to try to surf for the first five years. I even hid my board at a friend’s house.”

Wow! Can you imagine? Continue reading →

The world’s best surfers congregated last weekt at the QT Hotel in Surfers Paradise (Queensland/Australia) to celebrate the 2013 ASP World Surfing Awards, officially crowning last year’s ASP World Champions and welcoming in the new surf year.

Joel Parkinson (AUS), 31, was awarded his maiden crown last night, bringing the capacity crowd down with a heartfelt and emotional speech. “It’s beautiful to have everyone here tonight,” he said. “We all come together and really celebrate last season amongst our friends and family. The new year, for me, begins tomorrow. Tonight, I just feel so fortunate to be up here and to be supported by my beautiful family. I love them and am only here because of them.”

Most of us know that Parko and Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 25, won their respective 2012 World Titles, but here’s the lowdown on who scored the rest of the awards:

2012 ASP World Champion: Joel Parkinson (AUS)
2012 ASP World Runner-Up: Kelly Slater (USA)
2012 ASP Rookie of the Year: John John Florence (HAW)

2012 ASP Women’s World Champion: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)
2012 ASP Women’s World Runner-up: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS)
2012 ASP Women’s Rookie of the Year: Malia Manuel (HAW)

2012 ASP Breakthrough Performer: Sebastian Zietz (HAW)
2012 ASP Women’s Breakthrough Performer: Lakey Peterson (USA)

2012 ASP World Longboard Champion: Taylor Jensen (USA)
2012 ASP Women’s World Longboard Champion: Kelia Moniz (HAW)

2012 ASP World Junior Champion: Jack Freestone (AUS)
2012 ASP Women’s World Junior Champion: Nikki Van Dijk (AUS)

ASP Life Member/Chairman Emeritus: Richard Grellman
ASP Service to the Sport: Randy Rarick
Peter Whittaker Award: Adrian Buchan

2012 ASP Men’s Heat of the Year (Fan Vote): Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Kelly Slater (USA) – Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach
2012 ASP Women’s Heat of the Year (Fan Vote): Laura Enever (AUS) vs. Tyler Wright (AUS) – Roxy Pro Gold Coast
2012 ASP Maneuver of the Year (Peer Vote): Kelly Slater (USA) and Carissa Moore (HAW)
2012 ASP Wave of the Year (Peer Vote): Gabriel Medina (BRA) and Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)
2012 ASP Surfers’ Surfers (Peer Vote): Sage Erickson (USA) and Taylor Knox (USA)

Congrats to all the winners and here’s to a brand new year! Continue reading →