Mark Richard’s Winning Smirnoff Surfboard

Smirnoff Contest, Hawaii

1st Mark Richards (Winning Board ) Featured
2nd Ian Cairns
3rd Rabbit Batholomew
Other finalists  Reno Abellira (H), Jeff Hakman (H) and Shaun Tomson (SA)

To surfers born after 1980, Mark Richards is just the old guy whose record Kelly Slater broke. But not long ago, MR had another title, that of the greatest surfer of all time. So dominant was he, that no one regarded him with anything but awe, even as he paddled out in a silver wetsuit with a Superman logo on his board. It’s doubtful that even Kelly could pull that one off.

Richards was born in Newcastle, Australia, the only child of a car salesman. He was surfing by age six at Mereweather Beach, and his dad’s car dealership eventually transformed into a surf shop. His mom and dad surfed a bit … Read More »

Original Article by Jay DiMartino of World Champions of Surfing

Peter “PT” Townend had a professional surfing career before there was such a thing.  Before MR and Curren. Before Slater and Fanning, Peter Townend was the “best in the world.” Some argue that the inaugural tour was loosely planned and the competition was quite a bit less developed than today, but his title remains. Hailing from the talent rich soil of Coolangata, Australia; PT went on to transcend competitive surfing to become an ardent supporter and organizer of modern surfing in the United States. His resume exudes commitment to the sport and art of surfing as PT has been a competitor, movie stuntman, contest organizer, writer, publisher, marketer, and coach to future superstars; serving as an embodiment of the professional career surfer he hoped to create.

Peter Townend … Read More »