The San Clemente Santa Claus.
The Lexus Trestles Pro is now officially in the bag with Erin Brooks claiming her third victory in a row, Miguel Pupo taking his second victory of the season and Filipe Toledo just barely staying above the cut line. Wins were not not reserved for the water only, however. The event heralded the removal of invasive ice plant from beach bluffs and also the gifting of almost brand-new surfboards to grommets, or groms, standing there on the cobbled stone.
But let us race to the very end of Ethan Ewing’s Round 3, Heat 4 battle against Kanoa Igarashi. The sturdy Australian got the first lick, a 5.50, and backed it up with a 6.50 though it was not enough to beat the man from Japan. Igarashi nabbed the biggest score on his third wave, a 6.67, chased it with a 6.00 and, thus, ended Ewing’s campaign.
After, with a look of dissatisfaction spread across his face, Ewing handed his DHD to a young boy wading in the water.
He then proceeded to strip off his singlet and sign some autographs. The young boy seems shocked and appears to ask Ewing if the board was really his. Ewing seems to confirm and what a treasure.
Professional surfers, of course, rarely give boards away as, in most cases, they do not outright own them. Shapers “give” them eight to ten at a time, the ones that aren’t “magic” given back in order to defray the high cost of materials. Surfboards are a razor thin margin business and every little bit helps.
But why, do you think, Ewing played cobbled stone Santa Claus? Pure generosity or frustration at the way that particular sled performed?
How did Darren Handley feel? Do you wonder if having the board given away is preferable to having the board punched by a miniature balled up fist?
Do you imagine the grom, or grommet, will use the board for its intended purpose or wall hang it?
What would you do?