The Oceanside Longboarding Surfing Club is holding it’s 25th Annual Surf Contest & End of Summer Beach Festival this weekend at the Oceanside Pier. The event also highlighted the 9th Annual Guy Takayama Pro Noseriding Event. The festival has great surfing, vendor booths, bandshell entertainment, beer garden, and a Saturday Luau.
Guy Takayama has been surfing over 35 years, and originally comes from Hawaii. He is a professional surfer, surfboard designer, manufacturer of clothing lines, and involved with sports rehabilitation medicine. He was the International Surfing Champion at the Japan Longboard Championships 1989, placed #2 in the U.S. Championships 1995, and the Tandem Champion in 2003. Today he is among the world’s best paddle boarders. Guy shared a story about 1979 when he was the first surfer to put 3 fins on a longboard to surf. He said, “The guys out on the break kinda looked at me weird at first. Then they saw me shredding it up, and soon I started seeing longboards line up for the waves.”
This years OLSC Honoree is Donald Takayama. He is a pioneer in the surfing world, and a 5 time U.S. Surfing Champion. His son Guy, and granddaughter Mikaela are here to represent three generations of surfing legends. Donald has shaped and designed many early surfboards, and his styling is still being used in today’s production techniques.
The family surfing event was attended by surfing legends. Dick Dale- “The last of the guitar legends,” his music was used in Pulp Fiction, he taught Jimi Hendrix how to play guitar left handed, and is a world-class surfer. LJ Richards a member of the OLSC and a U.S. Surfing Champion. Among other celebrity’s to attend; Junior Seau was seen watching the longboarders rip it up Saturday morning.
Some of the younger shredders included Billy Harris- 2nd in the WSA Men’s Open, and David Arganda- the WSA 18 and under State Champion, and ISF Champion.
Each year the OLSC presents the Annual Leroy Grannis Waterman’s Award to be given in sportsmanship in the true spirit of surfing. This years nominees are: Tom Dietenbeck, ‘Kahuna’ Bob Edwards, John Moore, and Dick Dale. Congratulations to all of the nominees, and thank you for your years of dedication to the sport and the ocean.
Sunday’s event will have the tandem surfing competition, the Menehune Girls, Supergirl Junior Pro Final, Paddle Race, finals, and awards. Come join the festival tomorrow to see two people riding one surfboard. The lighter person’s weight must be no more than 50% of the other surfer, and they catch waves together while doing tricks on the wave.
For more information, or volunteer opportunities, with OLSC please check the website at: www.oceansidelongboardsurfingclub.com
