by Tom Horton
President, SBBC
Since its founding 15 years ago, the South Bay Boardrider’s Club (SBBC) has expanded from a small club focused on surf contests to over 200 families participating in a wide range of ocean activities.
The highlight of this year’s efforts was the installation of the Catalina Classic Commemorative Statue at the Manhattan Beach Pier. The club raised over $400,000 for the statue, which it donated to the city. The statue’s three, live-size paddlers were sculpted by former Hermosa Beach pro surfer Chris Barela.
The club’s signature event remains its winter contest series. The seven monthly contests attract over 200 surfers, from groms, to professional level men and women, to 60-and-over legends.
The next SBBC contest will be the Watermans, on Sunday April 28, at the Hermosa Beach pier, the day following the Hermosa Beach Surfer Walk of Fame inductions. The final contest this season will be the Spyder Surf contest at the Manhattan Beach pier on May 11.
The SBBC winter season culminates in the Big Wave Challenge awards night, which recognizes surfers who rode the recent winter’s biggest waves. The awards night is held at the Hermosa Beach Community Center on the evening preceding Surfer Walk of Fame inductions.
This year, for the first time, the evening awardees will include winners of the inaugural SBBC Youth Film Festival, featuring five-minute films on action sports, music and art.
Throughout the summer, SBBC hosts paddleboard (primarily prone) races, ranging from the 22 mile Rock 2 Rock, from Catalina to San Pedro, to the two-mile Velzy/Stevens Paddlebard Race, from the Manhattan to Hermosa Beach pier.
A new SBBC event his year is the Queen of the South Bay, on June 1, at the 42nd Street lifeguard tower in Manhattan Beach. Queen of the South Bay is a women’s surf contest open to all ages, and abilities. Already over 100 women have signed up for the event.
Also, this summer for the first time, SBBC will partner with Defy Ventures on a surf day for men and women released from prison. The club also works with the the Jimmy Miller Foundation in offering ocean therapy to trauma victims.
Among the club’s most ambitious efforts is production of “Miracle Mile,” a docudrama about the South Bay’s impact on surf culture during the ‘50 and ‘60s Golden Era. The film’s team includes videographer and 2024 Surfer Walk of Fame inductee Greg Browning, veteran film producer Bud Tody, and Emmy-nominated director Peter Hamblin. Marcs Studio (“Life of Kai”) is to produce the film. SBBC is seeking tax deductible donations, with plans to begin production this summer.
For a preview of the “The Miracle Mile” visit TheLionEnt.com/miraclemile.
Follow SBBC on Instagram and Facebook to learn about the club’s programs, including introductions to scuba diving, outrigger canoe paddling, and deep sea fishing. SWOF
