Hobgood, Hurley, Harrison, Cabell, Turner, Drummy and WISA to be honored at 23rd anniversary ceremony in Huntington Beach
Huntington Beach, CA – June 23, 2016 – The votes have been tallied and fresh crop of legendary wave riders will once again be forever enshrined in surfing’s history books on July 28, 2016. Through a selection ballot, a host of respected surf industry veterans, former professionals, current inductees and surf journalists narrowed down a field of hundreds of candidates to name the 2016 Surfing Walk of Fame’s honorees in their respective categories – C.J. Hobgood (Surf Champion), Lorrin “Whitey” Harrison and Joey Cabell (Surf Pioneer), Bob Hurley (Surf Culture), Timmy Turner (Local Hero), Mary Lou McGinnis Drummy (Woman of the Year) and the Founders/Board of Directors of WISA (Women’s International Surfing Association) (Honor Roll).
The Surfing Walk of Fame is the only tribunal in surfing to award specific categories as well as require a 10-year margin since the commemorating achievement. This year’s recipients will be cemented alongside past inductees, earning their immortal place in the pavement on the corner of PCH and Main Street, directly across from the famous pier in Surf City USA — Huntington Beach, California.
“We are celebrating our 23rd year of honoring surf legends by placing stones in the sidewalk of Huntington Beach, Surf City USA,” said Don MacAllister, SWoF Chairman of the Board. “And this year’s class is truly one of the best ever.”
2001 World Champion C.J. Hobgood headlines the group following his recent retirement from full-time competition. The 1999 ASP Rookie of the Year amassed four Championship Tour wins during his 17-years on the circuit, including a memorable victory at the 2004 Billabong Pro Tahiti held at the notorious Teahupoo and the 2007 U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach.
Both Joey Cabell and the late Whitey Harrison will be commemorated in the Surf Pioneers category. Harrison is most remembered as one of Southern California’s earliest surfers and board builders, while Cabell is known for being the hot, young Hawaiian competitor of the ‘60s, winning both the Makaha International and Duke Kahanamoku Championships and went on to found the Chart House restaurant chain.
The always-colorful Surf Culture plaque goes to surf industry mogul Bob Hurley. After establishing himself as a reputable shaper, Hurley brought the Australia-based Billabong brand to the USA. He then spun the surf industry around by starting his own name-sake label and building it into one of the most successful surf and lifestyle brands on the market.
Huntington Beach local ripper, esteemed filmmaker, Sugar Shack server and staph-infection survivor Timmy Turner will be awarded the well-deserved Local Hero achievement. And also in this year’s ceremony, competitive women’s surfing advocate Mary Lou McGinnis Drummy earns Woman of the Year. The Honor Roll spot goes to the Women’s International Surfing Association (WISA) Founders and Board of Directors: Mary Setterholm, Jericho Poppler, Mary Lou McGinnis Drummy, Terry Eselun, Shannon Aikman, Karen Mackay, Duline MaGaugh, Pam Maher, Jan Gaffney, Linda Westfall, Catherine Rosset and Liz Irwin.
Here are the voting criterions used to decide each division:
SURF CHAMPION – Nominees must have held a world championship and/or world-class event titles specific to Huntington Beach.
SURF PIONEER – Nominees achieved surfing fame as a respected surfer or pioneer in the time before major championship; candidates must either be at least 50 years old or deceased.
SURF CULTURE – Inductees are nominated from the arts and/or industry, and must have helped create and define surfing culture.
WOMAN OF THE YEAR – Any female who meets the qualification in any of the four categories: surf champion, surfing culture, local hero, or surfing pioneer.
LOCAL HERO – Nominees must have resided in Huntington Beach for at least 10 years, graduated from Huntington Union School District, been a finalist in the surf champion category, contributed to Huntington surfing culture, been a surfing pioneer in the city or a past champion at the annual Huntington Beach City Championships.
HONOR ROLL – Recipients of the honor roll award deserve recognition du to their important contributions to the sport of surfing and its culture, but hey do not qualify under the specific guidelines of the other five walk of fame categories. The honor roll is the only category chose by the Walk of Fame Board of Directors.
This year’s honorary induction ceremony will take place during the U.S. Open of Surfing outside of Jack’s Surfboards in Huntington Beach at 10:00am on Thursday, July 28th.
Past recipients of the Surfing Walk of Fame honors include Duke Kahanamoku, Kelly Slater, Lisa Anderson, Tom Curren, Bruce Brown, Eddie Aikau, Shaun Tomson, Mark Richards, Gerry Lopez, Layne Beachley and more. For additional information go to www.surfingwalkoffame.com.