Teacher wins without support of board
John Shearer makes the most of a wave at the World Bodysurfing Championships. The 55-year-old Hermosa Beach school teacher won his fourth Grand Championship. Photo by Roger Salter Watching dolphins frolic, their bodies glistening while showing humans how to catch a wave, is a favorite memory from Jim Shearer’s childhood. Growing up in Manhattan Beach in the 1960’s was a special time for Shearer while he took full advantage of having the beach as a playground and the ocean his pool. “My parents began taking me to the beach when I was probably a year old,” the 55-year-old Shearer said. “In 1962, my parents bought a house on The Strand in Manhattan Beach. I had a bedroom on the third floor where I could look down on The Strand. It was the Garden of Eden.” The high school English teacher has proven the lessons taught by watching the dolphins were well learned. In August, Shearer earned the title of Men’s Grand Champion at the 34th Annual World Bodysurfing Championships held in Oceanside. “We’ll never be able to swim as well as the dolphins, but we can certainly pick up techniques by watching them,” said Shearer, now a Hermosa Beach resident. This year’s event marked the 31st…
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