Riding a fantastic wave

The third annual Winter Classic, a two-day surf event held Jan. 20

and Jan. 21, raised about $1,400 for Newport Harbor High School’s surf

club. On Tuesday, Newport Harbor High Surf Coach Scott Morlan, who also

teaches math and AVID -- Advancement Via Individual Determination --

discussed the event and the club with Assistant City Editor James Meier

while Morlan’s students labored over their algebra final.

Q: Tell me about the name change made to the Winter Classic surf

contest.

A: There was a conflict with another contest. Somebody mentioned it

last year, but we didn’t worry much about it because we were a little

high school fund-raiser. But it appeared again, and apparently the

problem was there was a mix-up. People were calling him and saying, “Is

your contest now? What’s the deal?” So we’re now calling it the Newport

Classic. But probably, next year a sailing group will come to us and go

“You need to change it.” So, at this point, that’s what we’re calling it.

Q: How much did it raise this year?

A: After all expenses were in, we came up with about $1,400 clear for

the club. We had a lot of costs this year because this is the first year

we had really cool trophies. Every kid who placed got a trophy and were,

like, “Ah.” And it had first place in the various divisions printed on

it, so it cost a lot of money to that.

But the point is to get the kids clearly stoked. The first year we did

it, we heard a comment from one of the kids saying, “This is the best

contest I’ve ever been in. It was so much fun. I can’t wait till next

year.” That’s the kind of thing that you’re hoping for because this

really is geared toward the kids.

I’m really fortunate because I have Quiksilver, Surfside Sports and

Smith glasses that sponsor this, so they pull in some of their team

riders -- the pro guys -- and we have an expression session where we can

see who gets the biggest air and they put on a show. In the men’s open,

we have some pro guys. It’s just really neat for us, good for the kids

and good for the community.

I’m just really blessed with the people who are running my club with

me. The parents and the boosters are awesome, just amazing people.

Q: How did this year’s fund-raising number compare with those of last

year?

A: We’re slightly down from last year because we put the extra money

into trophies. We used to have kids running around selling calendars and

candy. Trying to get kids who surf to go out and sell candy bars and

calendars was a nightmare. They were, like, “Yeah right.” So I was

selling shirts around campus -- surf shirts, T-shirts and sweatshirts,

long-sleeve polo shirts. They were buying them all over campus. They were

going nuts, but there’s a fairly limited market for them.

So I raised funds that way, but generally the contest is real. The

kids want to do it as opposed to pounding the cement running around

saying, “Wanna buy a calendar?” They don’t want to do that.

Q: What are the funds used for?

A: I have to pay for insurance for the kids. We put money into the

contest. We put money into their league trophies. We put money into

banquets.

This year, we’re starting to do scholarships. So we’re going to

scholarship the kids who are scholars. I have a gal in class who has a

3.7 [grade-point average], and I asked her where she was applying to

college. She said, “I’ve applied for early admission, and I’ve already

gotten into University of San Diego.”

So this is the first year I’ve had kids with really neat attitudes

with really neat grades, too, so I’m trying to get the team to emulate

that.

When I got here, most of the surfers were the rowdy kids who didn’t

care for their grades. So, one of my goals has been: Grades are

important. Doing the right thing is important. Traditionally, surfers do

their own thing. When the siren of the sea calls -- it’s, like, “You know

what? I’ve got a Spanish exam to do, but it’s really good surfing.” I’ve

had some kids who are fantastic surfers but they can’t keep their grades

up, and I can’t keep them or let them on the team.

I had kids this year [whose grades were going under], and I stopped

it, put them in tutorial and their grades starting coming up. It was

really neat.

One of the teachers around here I invited to the banquet that we have,

and he stayed one night until 8:40 -- six hours after school -- working

with my surf team. It was so cool. It was really neat of him to do that.

And he made a big difference for those kids and has really brought them

along. He enjoys them because they’re funny, but they keep the lid on

when you ask them to. And he has made them a success. He has really taken

an interest. It’s really neat when the teachers go the extra mile for you

like that because it makes a big difference for them. It’s positive for

the kids.

Q: Why hold a contest like this in January?

A: We hold it toward the end of our season because it’s a semester

class. It’s just something we look forward to. It’s really hard to reel

the kids in and have a feeling of team after it’s disbanded because I’ll

start a new class next week. So, for the second semester, they’ll take

other classes. There are some taking [physical education] who say, “I

will not put on gym shoes and run around the track.”

So we do it now because there’s not a lot of competition. It’s

something that, for three years running, knock on wood, we’ve had great

weather and great waves. In the summer, it’s much more crowded, so it’s a

good time to do it. There’s parking at 56th Street. It’s fun.

Q: Do many of the amateur surfers you have strike you as future

professionals?

A: There’s a lot of potential for several students every year. I

always tell them to keep their day job because it’s really hard for Kelly

Slater; there’s only one of him and everyone else also wants to be him.

It’s a rare kid who’s going to get to that level. For some, that’s what

they want to do. They want to be a surf star.

But most of them, especially now, have really level heads on their

shoulders. It’s really neat to watch them talk about the colleges they’re

going to go to. It’s a better discussion than “I’m going to go pro”

because their chance of going pro is pretty slim. They need to get their

education. Then, if you want to be a surf star, fine, but get your

education first.

One of my kids is courting UC Santa Barbara. He’s really good and

wants to be on the UCSB Surf Team. And he’ll make it. All he has to do is

good in school. He’s got a 3.6 GPA, so he should be able to get in.

Some of my kids went off to be surf stars, and we’ve never heard about

them again. The ones who have been successful -- I had a gal for a short

time, Veronica Kay. She must have been in her sophomore year. She went

off to New York to be model and a surf star. And that’s what she does.

She’s getting to be a major name. She’s a Roxy girl.

I have another gal now who’s a freshman and has the potential. She

never loses. She’s awesome.

I have a longboarder who’s getting to be in movies and traveling all

over the place. And it’s really hard to anchor him here at school. “You

go, but you take care of business here.” And he just wants to go. His

parents and I have him anchored to school at this point. He’s got one

more year, and I think he’s going to make it all the way through. He’s

handling it well. He’s in all the magazines. He’s well-known. Great to

watch in the water.

Q: What sparked the creation of the contest?

A: One of the dads and I were sitting and talking about the kids

selling calendars to make some money. He says, “Why don’t we have a

contest?” I said, “Well, I tried that but couldn’t get anybody to sponsor

me.” He had a few ins, made one call to the right person. He knew who to

call. And it was produced. He got it done.

The parent group I have makes it fun. They’re such a neat bunch.

Q: What else does the surf club and team do here other than the

contest?

A: One of the kids started a club called the Earth Resource

Foundation. He’s doing environmental stuff. He’s a mover and a shaker. He

wants to be president one day and he’s running for ASB [Associated

Student Body] president next year. He’s a neat kid. A real busy lad. He’s

gotten a lot of the other kids involved in that club. So they’re gaining

a little environmental consciousness.

Q: Any final thoughts?

A: Just that I’m real fortunate with the job I have. What could be

better? I’ve got algebra, teach my AVID kids, which is motivational. I

get to be on my soapbox. Then I get to go on the beach, watch some

beautiful sunrises down there. Hit the water. It’s just a neat way to

start the day, and it’s an experience I always wanted. To live and work

in the community -- it’s a big joke with a my wife because everywhere we

go, I know somebody. She shakes her head. It’s fun, and I didn’t have

that experience in the first 20-some years I taught. I clearly enjoy what

I do here and feel really blessed.

BIO

Name: Scott Morlan

Age: 53

Residence: Costa Mesa for 31 years

Occupation: Newport Harbor High School teacher of math and AVID

(Advancement Via Individual Determination) classes, also surf coach, also

teaches surfing for city of Newport Beach during the summer

Education: Bachelor’s degree in political science from UC Irvine,

where he minored in math and art; and performed teaching credential work

at UC Santa Barbara

Family: Wife of 15 years Lisa; and children Lindsey, Ashley and Ryan

Hobbies: Surfing and collecting and trading lead toy soldiers made

between 1893 and 1966