2012 Rock 2 Rock Paddleboard Race

Last Sunday on Fathers Day, paddlers from all around Southern California united on Catalina Island for the Rock 2 Rock Paddleboard Race. Starting at the Isthmus of Catalina at 6:30 am, 113 participants raced the 22.17 mile course to Cabrillo Beach. 

This race is unique because of the variety of divisions it offers, ranging from several different lengths of Stand Up Paddleboards and Prone Paddleboards. The Rock 2 Rock race is also special because it is one of the qualifiers for the Catalina Classic in late August. 

Below is a group of paddlers racing out of the Isthmus for the front spot going into the channel.

Body Glove would like to congratulate one of its own, Matt Walls for placing first in the Solo Unlimited Paddleboard division. 

We would also like to congratulate Body Glove family member Daley Meistrell for completing his first Catalina channel crossing. Below he is pictured with his family watching on  from the Disappearance. 

A special thank you to Bob Meistrell for supporting our sport! This years Catalina Classic will be Bob's 25th year as the lead boat.

BearBack Surf Contest 2012

The 5th Annual Bearback Surf contest took place last Saturday. I am not sure what was more unusual to see.. 30 guys surfing with no wetsuit or a handful of them either nude or in girls bikinis. The photos and poem below will tell it all!!

Getting ready to brave the cold water...

True Style points...

Jack Daley finishing his heat.

Scott and Jack Daley

From the beach...

Winner Greg Browning getting showered with Champagne.

Trophy in hand.

Ode to the Bearback 2012
(Fifth Annual)

The ocean kisses my toes.
My brain says, "NO!"
but my body goes.

I cringe, look around,
Too late to back out now.
What is wrong with me?
Can I fake an injury?

The ocean kisses my knees,
I start to chatter, I start to freeze.
Jimmy and Greg are staring me down,
Too late to back out now.

The ocean kisses my balls,
I see Chyo go over the falls,
I wonder aloud,
Is it too late to back out now?

These other guys can't be as cold
As my old bones,
I could be warm at home,
I howl, "IT'S TOO LATE TO BACK OUT NOW!"

Why, why do I do this?
The lips hit like cold, liquid bricks
I can't breathe, now up to my hips,
I should just dive and get it over with!

I duck dive.

And then it's me
And some friends,
Shivering in the medium tide,
Surfing bearback at the pier.
Northside.

57 degree water
51 degree air
Sunny

Founders & participants:
Jimmy Young
Greg Browning
Jeff Browning

Participants:
Matt Walls- Last year's champion
Kevin Cody
Matt Singley
Aaron Osten
Bill Sanders
Connor Beatty
Rob Kalafut
Elias Shepherd
Chyo Baldocchi- Past champion
Kieran Walls- Youngest competitor
Davey Latter
Conrad Scouton
Jani Lange
Sean Larned
Scott Daley

Jack Daley
Ron Roebuck
Tom Bowlby
JP
Frank Mazzotta
Scott Smith
Cheyne Magnusson
Garrett Quon
Steven Stanley Kiwi
Justin Quirk
Scott from Pitcherhouse
Adam Buckley
Jex McCartney
Satchel Roebuck- 10 years old

Jimmy surfed every heat!

Brad Thomas wins 2011 Catalina Classic

Another Catalina Classic Paddleboard Race has come and gone and the winner is Dr Brad Thomas of Redondo Beach, CA. 82 people showed up to paddle across the channel from the Isthmus, Catalina to the Manhattan Beach Pier. The strenuous 32 miles of open ocean race wasn't easy but Thomas managed it in 5 hours and 22 minutes.

Also paddling in the race, was a relay team of 12 people including 2 wounded Marines, who paddled to raise money for the Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation Wounded Warriors Ocean Therapy Program.

First Place Winner Brad Thomas

First and Second Place Winners

Tom Horton

Body Glove's own Matt Walls finished 11th

Matt Walls & Scott Rusher

Matt Singly

Kevin Cody

Hula Hula

George Loren

Catalina Classic Finishers

* Photos by Mike Balzer

Strong Rock2Rock finish for Body Glove / Jimmy Miller Foundation FAMILY

LA County Lifeguard & JMMF key man, Anthony Vela, led the unlimited class with a 3H 52M finish time. 3 minutes later, Race Organizer George Loren came ashore; followed 2 minutes later by Matt Walls.

Matt Walls is a long time Body Glove team member currently selling men's swim/apparel category. Scott Daley, Body Gloves marketing Veep, skippered Matt's escort boat with son Jack acting as 1st mate. Matt and his sons are an integral part of the Jimmy Miller Surf Fiesta and ongoing Ocean Therapy projects.

"The Rock2Rock is notorious for challenging conditions. Waking up to low winds and a swell pushing toward the finish line was a huge relief," declared Walls, "I spent a lot of time in George Loren's rear view mirrors and really wanted to catch him. The pace we set from the start was pretty insane."

Hillary Kane, Body Glove's Business Development Veep, proudly participated on the first ever JMMF/Wounded Warrior relay team. The JMMF raised funds and awareness for the Jimmy Miller Foundation's work with the USMC Wounded Warrior BN West. The 6-member relay team (including Carly Rogers, Gene Boyer, Krystal Flanigan, Ryan Artuso & Ryan Allen) took turns on the board and were escorted on the crossing by Scott Alexander.

There is an indescribable bond that develops between and among the paddlers and crews. Family and friends lined the historic San Pedro shoreline to welcome paddlers as they hit the beach. It was a Father's Day celebration to remember.

The 22.12 mile Rock2Rock course begins at the Catalina Isthmus Pier and finishes at the Cabrillo Beach Bathhouse. Joe Bark established this race in 1997. It has evolved to be a rite of passage for all paddlers and serves as a qualifier for the 32 mile Catalina Classic in August.

Wetsuits Surf Manager Matt Walls Spots Sea Turtles in Hermosa

I usually don’t send out recap emails from training paddles but today was a day I will never forget. With today being my last paddle before I take off for Molokai , I was asking myself, is this a good idea? In my mind I start thinking about all of the “what if’s”. What if I pull something in my shoulder? What if something bad happens and it ruins my trip? Is eight miles too far to go four days before a 32 mile race? Stupid thoughts like that filled my head as I walked my dog in the early morning darkness.

As Weems arrived in my back yard and we started talking the “what if” thoughts in my head subsided. We got ready and headed out to the beach like normal. At the beach we met up with the normal crew and headed out into the water and headed down to the break wall. We got to the break wall and headed out to the fourth pylon buoy where we all sat up and rested while we all regrouped.

About 1 minute into our paddle to the Manhattan Pier I hear Bill shout “that is the biggest jelly fish I have even seen’ then instantaneously Dan Flynn says “that is no jelly fish that is a SEA TURTLE”. As soon as I heard sea turtle I stopped in my tracks and flipped around and there it was. Right before all of our eyes, a living, breathing sea turtle in the waters off of Hermosa Beach . Its shell was about 2-3 feet long and about 1-1.5 feet wide and it had barnacles growing on it back. It just chilled near the surface and came up for a small breath of air every once in a while. Of course none of us had a camera to document our sighting but it was for sure something I will never forget. We all just stared at it in disbelief. I remember my grandfather telling me that there use to be sea turtles out here but I thought those days were long gone. I all the years I have been surfing, paddling, diving in the south bay I never thought I would see the day that I would see a sea turtle. That just made my year.

As we left the turtle to continue his slow voyage off to where ever he was going, we were escorted away by about 40 little common dolphins that were swimming along underneath us and then popping up just in front of our boards. They stayed with us for a long time.

Today was a true nature paddle, we even had some seals swim up and give us a look. I could not have asked for a better send off paddle than to be out doing what I love with all my friends and have this amazing run in with an animal that I had given up hope of ever seeing in the waters off of my home.

Cold Water East Coast Wetsuit Product Testing

A great story from Body Glove Wetsuits Surf Brand Manager and all around great guy- Matt Walls.

This morning the stars all aligned and the storm that just blanketed the east coast with snow moved out to sea in the Atlantic. As a going away present the storm sent some shoulder high super clean surf back our way. Just before dawn, my good friend Andrew Funk called to tell me that the surf looked fun and he had a board in his car for me. All the roads were covered by snow and the thermometer was showing 30 degrees. We drove to the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City New Jersey and parked.
Being from California and never having surfed in the snow before, I had so many questions for Andrew. “So Andrew, where the hell are we going to change into our suits? Andrew gave me this look of “you dumb ass”. Andrew quickly informed me that we were changing in the street with a towel just like you do everywhere else in the world. The trick was to stand on your shoes while you took your pants off and put your suit on. In this instance good balance is essential to avoid falling on your naked ass in the snow. Once suited up I realized that changing in the snow was not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. I soon realized the “not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be” was going to be the theme for the day. We grabbed our boards and headed for the beach. On this occasion walking to the surf closely resembled walking to the mountain to snowboard only with different equipment under my arm. The snow crunched the same under your feet; the ice was just as slippery with booties on as with snowboard boots, the cold air burned the same against the naked skin of your face.

As we walked over the little hill and across the boardwalk we saw this little machine of a left peeling off the south side of the Steel Pier. “Ok”, I thought to myself “it is on.” “We are doing this.” Seeing that little left was all that it took to eradicate any nervousness or doubt that I may have had about surfing in 38 degree water and 30 degree air. I could not wait to get out there.

This little left was so fun. It was just Andrew, myself, the snow and the chilly morning air. We surfed for about an hour and then I rushed off to the Action Expo surf trade show and Andrew rushed off to open up Surfers Supplies Surf Shop. As I recount the session in my head, I am amazed by the power of our own preconceived thought that are manufactured in our minds. Yesterday, I thought surfing in the snow was going to be one of the most painfully grueling things a person could submit themselves to and in reality; it was not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be.