Guinness Book: Inspired 9-year-old New Jersey boy surfs 150 days in a row. Only 14,492 days to go before shattering record!

Iron Man Jr.

As you know that a mark of our current surf dystopia, maybe even the mark, is more and more and more people in the water, socially distancing from the dreaded Coronavirus while keeping “in-shape.” This is, generally, a downer except this is BeachGrit where silver linings abound but to see this one, clearly, we must head to New Jersey where Bruce Springsteen tunes waft and pork rolls fill bellies.

For in New Jersey, we find 9-year-old Carter Doorley who, when the pandemic first reached U.S. shores in March, decided to surf 100 days in a row before school started.

With schools shuttered he has blown past his own goal and is currently sitting on 150 days and counting.

“Since quarantine, I really had nothing to do,” Carter told NJ News.com. “So I started surfing because it was a thing I loved to do.”

His mother laughed off the idea at first, as the boy enjoys a case of ADHD and she did not think he would stick with it “But this has really stuck with him,” she said. “Before we knew it, it was like day 50 and I’m like ‘he may actually do this’ and then he just hasn’t given up. Even on rainy days he’s like ‘let’s go, I’m ready to go.’”

Carter surfs rain or shine, good waves or bad, and his inspired the community including Ben Gravy, who lives nearby. “It’s just amazing how many people are now invested in what Carter’s doing — a 9-year-old,” his mom said. “They’ve been super amazing, like these tough surfer guys, pushing Carter. It’s just been awesome.”

The next goal is 400 consecutive days but, if I could push Carter to dream even bigger, I’d suggest he go for 14,642 and shatter the Guinness Book of World Record holder Dale Webster. Carter would be pushing 50 years of age and what better way to spend a life, I ask?

Very inspiring.