surfing into the hall

Mike Sciacca

Peter Townend has surfed through five decades, won the inaugural

world championship and continues to lend his expertise to local surf

programs.

On Friday, Townend will join Jack Haley, Jericho Poppler, Mark

Occhilupo and Gerry White as the 2004 inductees into the 2004

Surfers’ Hall of Fame.

“What an insane group to be inducted with,” Townend said. “I’ve

known Gerry and Jericho since the ’72 [International Surfing Assn.]

World Championships, Occhy I’ve known since he was a little grom in

Cronulla, Australia, and of course, Jack Haley was a legend around

here and the first champion at the pier.”

Townend, 51 a father of three and Huntington Beach resident, began

surfing at the age of 15. The first big victory for the native

Australian came in 1971, when he won the North Shore Open at

Alexandria Headlands, Queensland.

He won his first world title at the inaugural world championship

in 1976, which was based on 12 event performances worldwide, at 23.

Today, Townend owns his own consulting business, The ActivEmpire,

specializing in action sports, specifically surfing and

skateboarding. One of his largest clients is the Action Sports Group,

a division of PRIMEDIA, which is the publisher of Surfer, Surfing,

SG, Skateboarder and Snowboarder magazines.

He’s also the president of Surfing America, which is the umbrella

organization for competitive surfing in mainland USA.

Townend is one four coaches for the Dwyer Middle School surf tem,

which in June won the National Scholastic Surfing Assn.

Interscholastic national championship.

He also lends his coaching expertise to Andy Verdone’s surf

program at Huntington Beach High School, when called upon.

“To be acknowledged as a great surfer of your time is a great

honor ... and for me, in Huntington Beach where I have spent over

half my surfing life it’s even more special, as all my kids have

grown up in this town,” he said “I still love [surfing] as much as I

ever did. I might be moving a bit slower, but I’m still out there on

my short board, trying to ride better than I did the day before.”

“We just have so much respect for these inductees, each of whom

has done so much to ensure the quality of the sport and its growth,”

said Aaron Pai, owner of Huntington Surf and Sport. “The

contributions of these five will forever be remembered in the

Surfers’ Hall of Fame.”

Jack Haley

Haley became a hometown hero when he helped build the local surf

community where he lived.

He won the first surfing title in 1959 at the Huntington Beach

Pier, then went on to become a pioneer in the surfing community and a

successful business entrepreneur, as well.

He opened Jack Haley Surfboards in his hometown of Seal Beach,

launched the popular seafood and steak restaurant, Captain Jack’s, in

Sunset Beach in 1965 and in the 1970s, began selling real estate.

Haley’s legacy in the ocean included his becoming a lifeguard and

instrumental force in helping rebuild the Seal Beach lifeguard

station.

He also created an “image” endearing to surf buffs: Hawaiian

shirt, sandals and casual pants or shorts.

Haley, who died in March of 2000, has been inducted into the Seal

Beach Hall of Fame, the Surfing Walk of Fame and the first Surfers’

Hall of Fame, which was located inside Huntington Surf Sport.

With the reconstruction of the newly dedicated home of the

Surfers’ Hall of Fame, Haley will be inducted Friday with his

original imprints.

Jericho Poppler

Ten years after riding her first wave, Jericho Poppler won the

1970 Unites States Championships in Huntington Beach.

The Long Beach native, who today lives on Naples Island, dominated

the women’s surfing scene with a decade of championship titles she

earned all over the globe.

She even got her own “Jericho Poppler” model surfboard created by

world-famous surfboard shaper, Robert August.

An active environmentalist, wife and mother, she remains active in

the surf community, spending time managing surf events and

environmental causes.

Poppler, who still surfs or paddles on a regular basis, is

co-founder of the Women’s International Surfing Assn., co-directed

the first Women’s International Professional Surfing Championships

and developed the Women’s Professional Surfing Coalition.

She’s also a founding member of the Surfrider Foundation, and had

an active role in protecting the ocean through a string of programs

still in effect today.

Poppler still calls Huntington Beach her “surfing hometown,” and

gets to Surf City on a weekly basis.

She still surfs worldwide with friends she’s made through her

surfing career.

“I think this honor solidifies a lifetime commitment to the sport

of surfing, giving to something I love to do,” Poppler said. “I don’t

take this lightly. It’s such a compliment to what I’ve devoted my

life to, not only as an athlete, but my lifestyle. This is my life

and it’s been cemented in love and joy. This is a gracious honor to

be recognized by my peers and people in this sport.”

Mark Occhilupo

At 17, Mark Occhilupo tore up the World Championship Tour with a

power never seen before.

The Australian, also known as, “Occy,” was known for keeping his

composure during heated competitions.

He first rode into a top 16 spot on the international circuit in

1983. At the Op Pro, North America’s prime World Championship Tour

event, he went up against American Tom Curren and gained recognition

in intense heat competition.In 1987, he played a role in the hit

surfing movie, “North Shore.”

But the popular surfer lost his desire and focus and became burnt

out after years on the tour. He faded from the surfing competition

scene during the 1980s.

After time away from competition, Occhilupo staged an incredible

comeback.

In 1995, he re-entered the surfing scene and proved that he was

still a force in the sport, getting some major wins under his belt.

But in 1999, at the age of 33, “Occy” stunned the surfing world by

winning a world title.

Gerry Lopez

Surfing legend and pipe master Gerry Lopez, considered one of the

greatest surfers of all-time, was not your typical circuit surfer.

The Hawaiian-born Lopez surfed most of his life and followed

legends like Paul Strauch and Dick Brewer, and spent most of his time

mastering Pipeline and shaping surfboards to support his lifestyle.

He won the Pipe Masters contest twice and created Lightning Bolt

Surfboards, the standard in Hawaiian surfing.

His surfing adventures and explorations enabled him to discover

world-renowned Indonesian surf spots, Uluwatu and Grajagan (G-land).

Lopez also has celebrity status in Hollywood, having starred in

surf films, “Big Wednesday” and “North Shore,” as well as in major

action films as “Conan the Barbarian,” playing the sidekick to Arnold

Schwarzenegger, and in the 1990 film, “Return of the King.”

Lopez now resides with his family in Bend, Ore., where he shapes

surfboards for his own brand, Gerry Lopez Surfboards.