eastcoastsurf, Author at East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame

2024 Olympic Gold

2024 Olympic Gold

Caroline Marks Wins Gold

East Coasters Celebrate the Floridian’s Victory at Teahupo’o

Surfers on the East Coast were jubiliant when Floridian Caroline Marks won the Gold Medal on Monday, August 5 in the Paris 2024 Olympic Surfing at Teahupo’o, Tahiti. “Dreams come true,” remarked the Gold Medalist shortly after her victory over Brazilian Tatiana Weston-Webb in a tight final that came down to the Brazilian’s last wave and a score that was posted after the clock had run out on the Final.

It has been an amazing year for the Floridian surfer, who spends much of her time in San Clemente, California these days, where she surfs regularly at Lower Trestles and is near her primary sponsor, ROXY. After taking a year off from competitive surfing following the completion of the 2022 WSL World Championship Tour in order to travel, film and focus on enjoying free surfing, Marks roared back on tour winning the 2023 WSL Finals at Lowers. As the reigning World Pro Champion, she earned a spot onto the USA Surf Team for Paris 2024, where her performance throughout the event was golden.

Photos, clockwise, top left: ISA / Beatriz Ryder, ISA / Pablo Jimenez, @usasurfing, @Caroline_markss.

eastcoastsurf2024-11-26T17:51:02+00:00

1974 East Coast Championship

1974 East Coast Championship

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1974 East Coast Championship

Cape Hatteras, North Carolina

With Mike May

At this year’s “Scibal/Mesanko Sessions,” an annual get together in Cabo of folks who volunteer their time to support the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame, there were legendary East Coast surfers, a former IPS World Champion, a good mix of industry and publishing legends and a whole bunch of Hall of Famers. Topics of discussion ran the gamut and, as you would expect, the verbal abuse that is the norm when a large group of men, who you might suggest have not fully matured, get together was on full display. Since many of these gents were a part of the halcyon days of the burgeoning East Coast competitive scene, the stories carried a bit more weight than the usual surfer word salad.

As a few of us sat around the pool, it was noted that it was the 50th anniversary of what many believe were the best back-to-back contests of the era when the East Coast and U.S. Championships were held over consecutive weeks at the Lighthouse Jetty in Buxton, North Carolina. Two weeks of solid surf provided by two different hurricanes made sure that the surfing levels would be at their highest. The U.S. Championship received most of the attention with a large contingent of Californians making the trek back East. Luminaries including Skip Frye, Tony Staples and the red hot Mark Levy from the South Bay were stunned to see the quality of waves produced on the Outer Banks. The lefts off the Lighthouse groin were hollow and fast and the level of surfing from both West and East Coasters was all-time! As most of us know, New York’s Rick Rasmussen won the Men’s Championship over Florida’s Jim Cartland. Goofy foots reigned supreme in the powerful lefts and Rasmussen’s win catapulted him into the international surf media spotlight.

Talking recently with California’s legendary surfer Tony Staples about coming to Hatteras for the U.S. Championship, he compared the lefts at the groin to Blacks in San Diego. He, along with Skip Frye, made the trip cross country stopping in every surf shop that carried Gordon & Smith Surfboards, their equipment sponsor, and camped at the Lighthouse Campgrounds during the entire contest. Staples made it to the semi-finals, one of the four goofy foots whose skills in left hand barrels were a clear advantage. He spoke fondly of meeting East Coast surfers joking that they were much friendlier than his California counterparts.

The discussion soon turned to the East Coast Championship, which had concluded just a few days before an onslaught of competitors showed up for the national titles comp. As one of the guys pointed out, the Eastern’s did not get nearly the amount of coverage it deserved with one national surf magazine barely giving it a paragraph of acknowledgement. The waves pumped for most of the event and the final was between two of the top competitors from the East Coast. Looking at the crew sitting around the pool it was quickly pointed out that the two finalists from that day, Greg Loehr and Jim Cartland, were active participants in the jocular back and forth that was playing out amongst our group.

In the best article written about the contest by New Jersey’s Bob Lacovara for Surfing Magazine, his opening paragraph really summed up the feel of the event and times. “Let’s take the best of the East Coast hotties, (it was the 70s after all) deposit them on an island, not any desert island mind you, just one of limited habitation and reasonable facilities, then provide decent waves and activate a well-oiled contest machine.” The ESA Eastern’s had truly become a showcase event that had provided a landscape that transcended the old North vs South bluster into a competition that saw finalists from up and down the East Coast. Florida had dominated the championship for many years, but it soon became obvious that surfing talent was everywhere, and the hotly contested Junior Men’s Final was won by Robert Hurt from South Carolina with not one Floridian making the podium. Florida’s Cartland and Loehr were the last two left standing in the Men’s Division after the man-on-man competition saw standouts like Jeff Arensman from New Jersey along with New Yorker’s Rick Rasmussen and Ed Fawess in the mix till the end along with Floridian Jeff Clark.

The two finalists, Cartland and Loehr, went on to successful careers, one as an innovator and mad scientist, creating groundbreaking epoxy resin products that challenged the norms of surfboard manufacturing while still setting a standard as a top competitive surfer, earning respect in the heavy waves on Oah’u. Greg Loehr’s company, “Resin Research,” supplies manufacturers all over the world. The genius, Jim Cartland, earned his degree in Florida that year and then went to Hawai’i where he made a name for himself on the North Shore, especially at Pipeline, while pursuing a Master’s Degree in Theoretical Math (what is that?), eventually earning his Medical Degree in Radiology while still surfing whenever his studies allowed.

The ‘74 Easterns started with a bang that September with overhead surf at the Lighthouse groins allowing the contest organizers to run the massive numbers of heats from the Boy’s Division up to Senior Men’s. The premier Men’s Division had a huge number of competitors with 12-4A surfers seeded directly into the semifinals while the rest of the 36 qualifiers battled it out for the final six spots. The preliminaries were single elimination; if you lost, you packed up your car and headed home. The surf for the Men’s early heats was a solid 4-to-6 feet with some 8-foot sets, the left off the groin giving multiple opportunities for barrel riding with Rick Rasmussen showing the style and gumption that won him the U.S. title the following week. However, from early on, Cartland and Loehr looked to be leading the pack.

The fact that the two close friends from Cocoa Beach might be heading to the final was not a surprise. Cartland first surfed the Outer Banks in the 60s and had many trips under his belt, posting up at the Lighthouse campgrounds as was the right of passage during the 70s. Throughout the contest Cartland said he really didn’t have any support crew on the beach and didn’t even have water during the days he was surfing multiple heats. As a doctor these days, Cartland remembers that he might have been dehydrated during much of the day, but the waves were so good he was focused on surfing well and getting through his heats. Loehr was very familiar with the Lighthouse lefts as he spent months at a time living in Cape Hatteras shaping surfboards for Natural Art and working as a trash collector. The two goofy foots were the perfect competitors to meet in the final on the powerful lefts.

As the waves under the watchful eye of the Hatteras Lighthouse got somewhat out of control a decision was made to move the contest to the Southside of the Island, specifically to the grinding sandbars just over the dunes from Billy Mitchell Airport. The surf was difficult to ride but the contest organizers powered through and multiple finals were completed, however the Junior’s and Men’s semis were put on hold. Luckily the Lighthouse turned on again and the contest caravan headed back to Buxton just in time to see perfect 4-to-6 foot barreling rights and lefts with pristine conditions. Loehr battled it out against New Jersey’s Jeff Arensman, defeating him on his last two waves to make it into the final, while Cartland went into the final undefeated, forcing Loehr to have to beat him twice.

In the first heat, Loehr finished on top as Cartland was admittedly tired from surfing four heats during the day with little sustenance. The final heat was a showcase for some of the best surfing of the contest with Loehr going top-to-bottom with multiple verticals hits on the steep Buxton lefts while Cartland continued to pull into seemingly unmakeable barrels only to come flying out of the tube to the surprise of the spectators on the beach. The Surfing Magazine article described the performances as “superb.” In the end, the tally of the scores was extremely close and, finally, after finishing second so many times, Greg Loehr won his first East Coast Surfing title.

The following week in the U.S. Championship both Loehr and Cartland continued to raise the standards of East Coast Surfing as did the Lighthouse waves, much to the surprise of the visiting West Coast stars. Loehr earned a semi-final finish while Cartland came in second in a close final to Rick Rasmussen for the first U.S. Men’s title won by an East Coast surfer.

Back to the conversation in the pool, I posed a question to Cartland at the end of our conversation but did not expect his reply. “Hey Doc, you finished with a second place at both the Eastern and U.S. Championships in 1974, when did you stop competing,” I asked. Cartland, with his typical dry humor, said, “In 1974.” To all of us talkin’ story, that seemed like the best time to head off to get a beer as nobody could top that.

Photos by: Eric Olsen

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eastcoastsurf2024-11-27T01:00:44+00:00

Class of 2024 Induction Ceremony

Class of 2024 Induction Ceremony

East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame Inducts Class of 2024

Ten Category Inductees and the Cecil Lear President’s Award Recipient Celebrated

The Class of 2024. Back row, l-r: David Speir, Kem McNair, Darrell Jones, Roy Turner, ECSHOF President Gary Germain, Ricky Carroll, Tom Warnke, MC Hunter Joslin. Front row, l-r: Falina Spires, Bill “Holmesy” Holmes, Noah Snyder, Mark Neustadter and Baron Knowlton.
Duke replica board shaped by craftsman Bill Simon, donated to the ECSHOF by Mike Miggs.

SURF EXPO, Orlando, Florida, Thursday, January 11, 2024 – The East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame is proud to announce the Class of 2024 has been inducted during a gala ceremony held Wednesday evening, January 10, 2024, in front of a full house at the Orange County Convention Center following a day of business at the Surf Expo Trade Show held in the same location.

The Class of 2024 were inducted in five categories through a rigorous four-step process, which began on December 1, 2022 with public application submissions, and includes:

Culture—-Tom Warnke, Florida

Industry—Mark Neustadter, New Jersey

Media –– Darrell Jones, Florida

Legends—Ricky Carroll, Florida; Bill “Holmesy” Holmes, Florida; Kem McNair, Florida

Surfers—–Falina Spires, Florida; Baron Knowlton, Florida; Noah Snyder, North Carolina; David Speir, Florida

Also Inducted in the biennial ceremony was Roy Turner, who was selected by the Board of Directors to receive the prestigious Cecil Lear President’s Award, named to honor the Hall of Fame’s co-founder and 20-year President (1996-2016).

The CLPA is awarded to an individual who made a lasting contribution to East Coast Surfing in leadership or mentoring. Turner, Sr. Vice President and Show Director of Surf Expo, has been a supporter of the development and growth of East Coast Surfing – the sport and business – throughout his career, previously as a specialty surf retailer, professional surfing contest producer and president of the retailers’ trade association, and currently as surf industry trade show executive.

“It is an honor to be recognized by your peers with induction into the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame,” commented ECSHOF President Gary Germain during the event after party. “These 11 inductees in the Class of 2024 will always be remembered for their contributions to the sport on the Right Coast. They join 177 Hall of Famers who have been inducted since 1996.”

Photos by: Michael Baytoff/Mike Vuocolo

eastcoastsurf2024-08-29T18:10:28+00:00

ESA Honors Co-Founder Cecil Lear

ESA Honors Co-Founder Cecil Lear

ESA Honors Co-Founder Cecil Lear at the Eastern Surfing Championships

Words by Kathy Phillips, former ESA Executive Director

All photos Mez / ESM / @mezapixels unless noted

Mary Lou Lear pondering a wonderful and long life with her husband. Photo: Michael Weiss, Cecil and Mary Lou’s great-grandson.

The many dried and browning leis draped across Mary Lou Lear’s dresser mirror attest to the incredible outpouring of East Coast love and respect given to her husband, Cecil Lear, co-founder of the ESA and ECSHOF, who recently passed away at a fulfilling age of 91 years.

The Eastern Surfing Association paid its respects to Cecil on September 19th during the 2022 EASTERNS held at Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head NC, hosting a beautiful sunset paddle out ceremony and a celebration of his incredibly fulfilling life.

Site of the 2022 Easterns and the paddle out honoring ESA co-founder, Cecil Lear.

Gary Germain and South Jersey’s Joe Grottola led the paddle out ceremony as over 60 paddlers formed a circle just outside the lineup and said farewell in traditional Hawaiian style while four generations of the Lear family (bedecked in authentic orchid leis direct from Hawaii) and hundreds more watched emotionally from the beach and the pier.

Family and friends In a traditional Hawai’ian circle for a dear friend who has passed.

Mary Lou Lear surrounded by her daughters and family members at the post paddle-out celebration.

The reception was held upstairs in the spacious second story Jennette’s Pier Oceanview Hall with panoramic windows where everyone was watching for traces of the anxiously awaited Hurricane Fiona swell.

The hall was crowded with members of the East Coast community from far and wide, young and old, famous, not famous, and even a few infamous, who came to pay their respects to Mary Lou and the family. Everyone sat in the darkened room to watch the short but significant video of Cecil’s life curated by Luda Ronky Captures letting out cheers, laughs, tears and hoots as appropriate.

Off on the side of the room stood an oversized brushed metal plaque complete with a classic surf photo of a young, handsome Cecil surrounded by a wide blank space, and a stack of Sharpies nearby.

Mary Lou Lear and family.

That so many signed it was not in itself remarkable, but rather the messages were less about acknowledging a Legend and instead simply referring to Cecil as a greatly missed friend.

Perhaps the most poignant moment of the evening was legendary surf photographer Dick Meseroll’s recorded tribute in the video that had the room cheering. He said “If you met Cecil Lear, you had a friend for life.”

Mary Lou Lear and daughters along with Ricky Carroll, a long-time friend, ESA competitor and surfboard shaper.

The beautiful North Carolina surf from Hurricane Fiona came just in time to honor the ESA co-founder.

ESA Executive Director Michelle Sommers, who organized the paddle out and the video of Cecil’s life, along with Mary Lou and East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame president Gary Germain.

eastcoastsurf2024-08-29T03:40:50+00:00

Cecil Lear Paddle Out

Cecil Lear Paddle Out

Saturday, May 21, 2022

Cecil’s Beach, Belmar NJ

“There will never be another Cecil”

5.21.2022 – Belmar, New Jersey…..a tight-knit, local seaside community, hardcore surf culture and history, extreme surf conditions, locals tight-lipped about the best breaks when its goin off, and home to some of the best pork roll, egg, and cheese sandwiches on earth.

As a thick early morning veil of fog is melted off by the scorching sun, pale tourists walk towards the beach to stake their space in the sand. Groups of surfers, locals, media, and out-of-towners gather near the 17th Street beach entrance. Traffic is becoming exhaustive and the town is filling up faster than the hot sun can make you squint. Yet through all this summer-like chaos, heat, confusion, fun and laughter, there’s this gate that has a sign on it, in capital letters…NOT LOCALS ONLY. A person’s face peers out with a broad, friendly smile…it’s Cecil, Cecil Lear, welcoming everyone in to his home town, his local turf, his beach, his home, his Rock…..as only Cecil would. Unbeknownst to many, other than Cecil’s wife Mary Lou Lear, almost to this day, 69 years ago, along this very boardwalk, in this same spot, Cecil met Mary Lou for the very first time. Now Mary Lou Lear, with her family, friends, and all near and dear to her and Cecil, come together to pay tribute to Cecil’s life and his contributions to the town of Belmar and to the entire surfing community.

Feeling emotional, with many words not needed, as his actions do speak for themselves, Don Tarrant stands quietly in front of his shop, surveying the local crowd as it grows, softly speaking to friends and taking it all in. Don, owner of Eastern Lines Surf Shop, is the coordinator of this event. Eastern Lines Surf Shop became Cecil’s local shop where he would hang out and talk surf stories; it’s where much of Cecil’s memorabilia currently hangs.

Then, without any hesitation, Don starts off heading to the beach, leading a flock of surfers – smiling young groms, ripped 20-30 yr olds, mid-aged males and females, and old bald headed surf gurus. It is Jersey hot, the ocean is Jersey cold….onto the boardwalk then the beach, but first to listen to words from wise men and women who knew and loved Cecil. Harry Harsin, Chief of Belmar Lifeguards, speaks of Cecil and his contribution to the patrol. Cecil was a Belmar lifeguard for over 20 years. Dr. Bill Rosenblatt, a near and dear friend to Cecil, speaks of all the lives that Cecil touched, and how it affected them. Frank Keuma, of Hawaii, stands tall in front of the crowd and tells stories of early days with Cecil, and how at a young age, being homeless, Cecil took him in after befriending him on the beach. He then offers a prayer for Cecil. Mary Lou Lear speaks with soft loving words in front of the crowd….. holding back tears, while expressing deep thanks to all.

Cecil and Mary Lou’s three daughters, Nancy, Jeannie, and Sue, are in attendance. Mary Lou Lear, “This is all just so wonderful. Cecil is truly smiling down on us today.” To top all the speeches and as a surprise to all in attendance, the Mayor of Belmar, speaking of his personal relationship with Cecil, speaking of all of Cecil’s contributions to the Belmar community, and how without Cecil’s prodding, he may never have even become a Belmar resident, declared and proclaimed thru his office, that May 21st will forever be known as Cecil Lear Day in Belmar, New Jersey.

Speeches, tears, smiles and laughter all die down, but the sun gets hotter and hotter…..surfers pull on their baked rubber fullsuits in the midday sun, then scramble like ants to sugar as they jump on their boards into the chilled Jersey surf….paddling 100 yards into the Atlantic to pay final respects to an icon, an innovator, a historian, a friend, a father and a loving husband who was graciously shared by his wife to the entire surfing world.

As ESA South Jersey Director Lisa Roselli said, “Cecil’s family had to share him with all of us. That’s not easy. Loved the dude,….Cecil and Mary Lou. I couldn’t speak out there, I would have just cried.” Gary Germain, former competitive ESA surfer and current president of The East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame, “Cecil enabled surfing to be better in every way, shape and form, not only on the East Coast, but all over the world.” Brian Heritage, president of The New Jersey Surfing Hall of Fame, remarks on the words spoken during the paddleout, “Words were spoken of how Cecil was always giving and guiding to all of us, especially the younger up and coming crew. That Cecil so wanted to get rid of the stigma surrounding surfers and have them treated as world class athletes as they are.”

Speaking to many surfers in attendance, from Jersey and afar, the theme is the same, Cecil took the time and the effort to care, make them feel comfortable, to help them understand what being a surfer means, and how to respectfully represent, not just in the present, but more importantly for and in the future….in surfing and in life.

As Don Tarrant slowly walks back to his beachfront shop, his brow beading with sweat, he pauses and reflects on the day, sighs a bit of relief, and quietly yet emphatically says, “There will never be another Cecil.”

Words and photos by Michael Baytoff

eastcoastsurf2024-08-29T03:39:47+00:00

Cecil Lear, 1930-2022

Cecil Lear, 1930-2022

The East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame is saddened to announce the passing of Cecil Lear at 91 years of age. Cecil most recently participated in the Induction Ceremony for the Class of 2022 into the Hall of Fame at Surf Expo in Orlando, Florida on Wednesday, January 5, 2022.

Cecil was born in 1930 in Irvington, New Jersey and raised in Caldwell, NJ before moving to Belmar, NJ in 1946. In 1952 Cecil graduated from Drew University with a BA in Economics and worked mostly in advertising sales during his professional career, which included a stint working for Petersen’s Surfing magazine in the early 1960s. Several years after moving to Belmar, Cecil took up surfing and thereafter began his dedication to better surfing for East Coast surfers and beyond.

Cecil was co-founder of the Eastern Surfing Association (ESA) along with Rudy Huber and served as its Competition Director from 1967-70. From 1971 to 2017 he was the ESA’s Secretary and Historian, providing invaluable advice to the organization’s Board as it developed into the largest surfing competition organization in the world, where it developed many champions including 4x World Champion Lisa Andersen, 3x World Champion Frieda Zamba and who many consider the greatest surfer of all time, 11x World Champion Kelly Slater.

In 1996 he co-founded the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame along with Greg “Da Bull” Noll, and served as its president from then until 2017, when he stepped aside to become President Emeritus while still retaining a key position on the Board. He is also a member of the Hall of Fame’s initial Class of 1996 alongside many of the great pioneers of East Coast Surfing. Cecil is also a member of the New Jersey Surfing Hall of Fame Class of 2015. Long before his passing, both organizations launched the Cecil Lear President’s Award to honor individuals whose leadership and mentorship helped to advance New Jersey and East Coast Surfing.

In 1969 Cecil was given the Surfer magazine, Surfer’s Cup award. In 1974 he received the coveted Nancy Katin Recognition Award, and in 2015 Lear was presented the Surfing Heritage And Cultural Center (SHACC) prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award during a formal ceremony held at The Smithsonian in Washington D.C.

In October 2021, Lear was inducted into the Huntington Beach Surfers Walk of Fame under the Surf Culture category along with his mentor, Lewis Earl “Hoppy” Swarts, who founded the United States Surfing Association, USSA, in the early 1960s, and who advised Cecil on launching the ESA.

Lear will always be remembered for his lifetime of dedication to better the sport of surfing for East Coast surfers and surfers everywhere. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Mary Lou, and two daughters, Nancy Lear, who resides in Dallas, Texas, and Jeanne Peck, who lives in Michigan.

The East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame Board of Directors sends its deepest sympathies to the Lear Family.

Aloha and much respect, Cecil.

Photo Credits: Tom Dugan / ESM , Bruce Chisner, Mike Vuocolo, Dick Graham, Joe McGovern, Laurin Walker, Mez / ESM, Roger Scruggs, Courtesy Lear Family

eastcoastsurf2024-08-29T03:38:43+00:00

Hall of Famers Honored

Hall of Famers Honored

ECSHOF Hall of Famers Inducted into the Huntington Beach Surfing Walk of Fame

Each inductee receives a beautiful engraved 18″ square granite stone cemented onto the sidewalk or wall outside Jack’s Surfboards across from the Huntington Pier

It is no mystery why Huntington Beach, California trademarked the moniker “Surf City USA.” Its world-famous Pier was the site of one of the world’s first open surfing championships, the West Coast Surfing Championship in 1959. Since then countless surfing competitions have been held on both the south and north side sandbars, including the Katin Pro-Am, Op Pro and since 1994 the U.S. Open of Surfing.

Directly across Pacific Coast Highway from the mouth of the Pier, surf shops have lined both PCH and Main Street since the 60s. Many of the early local surf stars opened shops selling surfboards under their own name: Chuck Dent, Bob “The Greek” Bolen, Gordie Duane, Robert August, Wayne Brown, Randy Lewis and others.

On the south corner of PCH and Main sits Huntington Surf & Sport, a retail juggernaut, and directly across the street, Jack’s Surfboards, an institution in HB since the 1960s. On any given day, hundreds, if not a thousand, people shop in Jack’s. Back in 1995, Jack’s began inducting famous surfers – local and international – into the newly created Huntington Beach Surfing Walk of Fame. Each inductee has a gorgeous stone surfer with their name and category placed permanently on the sidewalk bordering Jack’s. The list of past Inductees reads as a “who’s who” in surfing, luminaries from Duke Kahanamoku to 11x World Champ Kelly Slater.

2020 was the Walk of Fame’s 25^th year, and every year the event is held during the U.S Open of Surfing waiting period. This year hundreds of spectators and the inductees’ friends and families took a break from watching the pros compete to celebrate the nine new inductees on Thursday Oct. 7^th. This year two of the East Coast’s all-time surfing greats, Cecil Lear and Mike Tabeling, were inducted.

Cecil Lear signing the official event poster

Cecil shared his induction in the Surfing Culture category with long time mentor and friend Lewis “Hoppy” Swarts. Accepting for Hoppy, who passed away in 1988, was his son, Buzz. Hoppy is long considered the “father of organized competitive surfing,” having created a judging and scoring system in 1961 when he founded the United States Surfing Association that is still the basis for what is in use today. In his acceptance speech, Buzz noted the strong ties between his father, Hoppy, and Cecil , who is credited with co-founding the Eastern Surfing Association (ESA) after following Hoppy’s advice and learning his system.

Accepting for East Coast super-star Mike Tabeling, who passed away in 2014, was his son, Travis, and wife, Nancy. Tabeling, considered one of the greatest East Coast surfers ever, competed in the ISF (now ISA) World Championships in 1966, 1968, and 1970, and was invited to the 1970 and 1971 Expression Session events on the North Shore of O’ahu. Tabeling was featured in John Severson’s seminal 1970 movie, “Pacific Vibrations,” and was also the first East Coaster to make the cover of Severson’s Surfer magazine in 1971.

For a time Tabeling was considered one of the world’s best surfers. While Travis acknowledged his dad’s competitive spirit, it was his dad’s “shared stoke of surfing with all he met, which stood out the most to so many.” Tabeling shared that stoke with Nancy, right up to his passing in ways only he could, with his wife right by his side. Tabeling is the first East Coast surfer to be inducted into the Surfing Pioneer category of the Huntington Beach Surfing Walk of Fame. He was also in the first Class of 1996 inducted into the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame. Before that, 4X World Champion Frieda Zamba, from New Smyrna Beach, Florida, was the first East Coaster to be inducted in the Woman of the Year category, and Kelly Slater as the first men’s east coaster to be inducted in 2002 in the Surf Champion category.

Also inducted this year were Olympic Gold Medalist and 4X WSL Champion Carissa Moore (Woman of the Year), ASP World Champion Damien Hardman (Surf Champion), Mike Downey (Local Hero), Dr. Tim Brown (Honor Roll) and Ron Abdelfattah, co-owner of Jack’s Surf Shop (Honor Roll).

ECSHOF President Gary Germain came all the way from Puerto Rico to honor his friend and former Hall of Fame president, Cecil Lear

While Cecil may not boast an impressive competition win list, he is renowned for his efforts to better surfing for all surfers worldwide, not just the East Coast. Cecil’s list of accomplishments in many ways is far more impressive than any string of contest wins. He is the co-founder of the New Jersey Surfing Association as well as its President from 1963–1967. He is co-founder of the Eastern Surfing Association (ESA), and served as its Competition Director from 1967–1970. From 1971 to 2017, he was the ESA’s Secretary and Historian. In 1996, he co-founded, with Greg “Da Bull” Noll, the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame and served as its President from 1996 to 2017, now serving as President Emeritus.

Lear is also a member of the ECSHOF Class of 1996 and the New Jersey Surfing Hall of Fame Class of 2015. Cecil has two namesake awards, one in each the New Jersey Surfing Hall of Fame and the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame. In 1969 he was given the Surfer magazine, Surfers Cup Award; in 1974, the Nancy Katin Special Recognition Award; and in 2015 he was presented the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center (SHACC) Lifetime Achievement Award at a formal ceremony held at The Smithsonian in Washington D.C. during the 50^th Anniversary of “The Endless Summer” celebration.

Also in attendance were Cecil’s wife of 65+ years, Mary Lou, daughter Nancy, and more than a dozen East Coast surfing luminaries including ECSHOF Board members Gary Germain and Bob Mignogna (Class of 2008), Jim Cartland (Class of 2008), artist Phil Roberts (Class of 2016), Tyler Callaway (Class of 2018), long-time friend, Malibu’s Henry Ford, SHACC’s former Executive Director Glenn Brumage and surfing’s first World Champ, PT Townend as Master of Ceremonies, and others proudly sitting front and center to witness two East Coast surfing icons induction into the prestigious Huntington Beach Surfing Walk of Fame.

Clockwise from top: Cecil, Phil Roberts, Henry Ford, Nancy Lear, Mary Lou Lear, Bill Rosenblatt, Glenn Brumage, PT Townend, Jim Cartland, Bob Mignogna. Missing Pam Cartland, Gary Germain

Left, Walk of Fame Chairman John Etheridge, (Mrs.) Nancy Tabeling, Travis Tabeling, MC PT Townend

eastcoastsurf2024-08-29T03:37:20+00:00

Surfing’s Debut in the Tokyo Olympics

Surfing’s Debut in the Tokyo Olympics

Hawaii’s Carissa Moore (USA) and Italo Ferreira (Brazil) win Surfing’s inaugural Gold Medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Team USA included 4x WSL World Champion, Hawaii’s Carissa Moore, who took the Gold Medal in the first ever Olympic Surfing event; WSL World Champion, Hawaii’s John John Florence; Florida’s Caroline Marks, who lost in the Bronze Medal match; California’s Kolohe Andino, who lost in the Quarter-Finals to JJF. It was a tremendous showing by the USA Team and a proud moment for East Coasters to watch Marks in the first Olympic Surfing event.

To learn more, visit iasurf.org

eastcoastsurf2024-08-29T03:36:41+00:00

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Caroline Marks Wins Gold

1974 East Coast Championship

East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame Inducts Class of 2024

ESA Honors Co-Founder Cecil Lear at the Eastern Surfing Championships

Saturday, May 21, 2022

Cecil’s Beach, Belmar NJ

“There will never be another Cecil”

ECSHOF Hall of Famers Inducted into the Huntington Beach Surfing Walk of Fame

Hawaii’s Carissa Moore (USA) and Italo Ferreira (Brazil) win Surfing’s inaugural Gold Medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.