Cormac ‘Cove’ O’Brien gets a push from dad
by Mike Purpus Last month, Cormac Cove O’Brien won the Open Men’s Longboard division at the South Bay Boardriders Surf contest at Torrance Beach. What made the win notable is that O’Brien is a 5-foot-2, 95 pound Parras Middle School seventh grader. Following his men’s longboard victory, he won the groms (12 and under) shortboard competition. Cormac’s dad Shawn, the South Bay’s best ’60s style longboarder, started shoving Cormac into waves at Santa Barbara’s Rincon when he was 8 years old. “I was surfing inside with the rest of the groms. They call that spot The Cove. I was riding this crudely shaped 7-foot-6 board my dad made. He would shove me into these perfect rights. I am a goofy footer, (right foot forward), but learned how to switch stance in a hurry so I could face the wave. My dad made me take swim lessons when I was just six months old.” Cormac’s first surf contest was the Hermosa Beach Hotdogger. Will Allen and I won The Best Tandem ride,” he said. He was 9. The following year, he won the Hotdogger Super Dog Division and $500. His dad let him use the money to buy a new surfboard. Cormac and his dad are members of the Bay Cities Surf Club, which competes in Surf Club…
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