South Bay Boardriders Big Wave Challenge award night in Hermosa Beach

Matt Mohagen, winner of the inaugural 2011 South Bay Boardrider Big Wave Challenge, is in contention again this year with this wave photographed Jan. 9 at the Hammerland by Wright Adaza.

Matt Mohagen, winner of the inaugural 2011 South Bay Boardrider Big Wave Challenge, is in contention again this year with this wave photographed Jan. 9 at the Hammerland by Wright Adaza.

by Tom Horton, President, SB Boardriders Club

The 2019 Hermosa Beach Surfer Walk of Fame Weekend begins Friday evening, May 26,  with a reception for 2019 Walk of Fame inductees Pat Ryan, Liz Benavidez, Ronnie Garner and the Beach Boys.

The reception will be hosted by the Hermosa Beach Historical Society and the South Bay Boardriders Club, beginning at 5 p.m. in the Hermosa Beach Historical Museum.

Following the reception, at 7 p.m., guests will be ushered into the Community Center Auditorium, where the Walk of Fame Inductees will be formally introduced.

Then High School Surf League director Dickie O’Reilly, of Spyder Surfboards, will present the South Bay Scholastic Surfing Association awards. The league’s top high school teams will be recognized, as well as the league’s top individual surfers.

The South Bay Boardriders Club will then being their awards presentations, beginning with scholarship presentations to outstanding high school surfer/students.

The $1,000 B2 Insurance Howard Eddy Award is presented to an individual who unselfishly contributes to the surf community. Previous recipients have included SBBC founder Mike Balzer and surf photographer Steve Gaffney. The award is named after former Panasonic employee Howard Eddy who videotaped local surfers in the ‘80s and ‘90s when few surfers could afford video cameras.

The Grom Hardest Charger Award is awarded to the surfer, under 18 years old, who rides the biggest wave of the year that is captured on film. The winner receives a new surfboard, and Body Glove wetsuit, while the photographer receives a $250 check. Bg wave rider Bob Sievers of Manhattan Beach and Oceans Prone Paddle are the award sponsors.

Wipeout of the Year Award honors the most committed, yet unsuccessful attempt to surf a large winter wave.  The winner receives a new surfboard while the photographer receives a $250 check. Beach Cities Orthopedics is the award sponsor.

The Ride of the Year Award, sponsored by B2 Insurance,  will be presented to the surfer who displays extraordinary skill in big waves, as demonstrated through a photo or video. The surfer will receive $1,000 and the photographer $500.

The highlight of the evening is the presentation of the South Bay Boardriders Big Wave Award, sponsored by Waterman’s.

The Big Wave Challenge Award is awarded to the surfer who rides the South Bay’s biggest wave of the winter that is captured on film or video. The 2018-19 winter’s exceptionally large surf has resulted in a large and highly competitive number of entries. The winning surfer receives a $1,000 and the photographer or videographer a $500 check.

The awards evening will end with a screening of Brad Jacobson’s “Chasing Lions,” a film about the South Bay’s winter surf, featuring dozens of local surfers. (See related story elsewhere in this issue).

The Hermosa Beach Community Center and Historical Museum are located at 710 Pier Avenue, Hermosa Beach. Awards Night tickets are $10 and available at SouthBayBoardriders.com. SWOF

Getting it done

The Hermosa Beach Surfers Walk of Fame is funded entirely by donations from the surf community. This year’s Gold Sponsors are Nick Christenson, Jim Graham, and Monica Bumatay of Gyrotonic South Bay.

To contribute or for more information, visit HermosaBch.org. ER SWOF

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