Keeping Solomon’s name alive

RICK FIGNETTI

The Western Surfing Assn., formerly known as the United States

Surfing Federation Western Region, held its Donnie Solomon Pro Am

Memorial Surf Contest at C-Street in Ventura last weekend.

As part of a unified effort for all of the United States’ amateur

surfing organizations, it worked out best for the federation to go

back to its old name. Surfing America is the governing body that

oversees all the major amateur groups from Hawaii to the East Coast,

the Gulf Coast and now the entire West Coast. Now, rated surfers from

all the amateur groups can get invites to the United States

Championships.

This has already proved prosperous with the selection of the U.S.

team that went to Tahiti recently and placed second in the Worlds.

The Donnie Solomon event is hosted every year in Ventura by

Donnie’s dad Randy, a high spirited man, who loves seeing a lot of

Donnie’s friends come together for the surf. Pictures of Donnie were

on display, depicting some of his finer moments in life.

Donnie was part of the new generation of talent coming up on the

pro surf tour when tragedy struck at Waimea Bay in 1995. He was

catching the waves of his life, even sharing rides with six-time

world champ Kelly Slater and another friend on one nice set that

morning.

On the way back out, a forty-footer was looming on the horizon.

Donnie was trying to get outside, but by all accounts, the wave was

going to break on him. He tried to duck dive it three-quarters up the

face, and got pitched over the falls backward.

People on the beach and lining the cliff saw the heavy wipeout and

knew something serious was probably going to happen. By the time

rescuers got there, it was too late and surfing had lost another one

of its rising stars.

Donnie was a volunteer with the Red Cross, so in his memory, the

surf contest and the Red Cross do a giant fundraiser each year that

has generated thousands and thousands of dollars for the American Red

Cross over the years. A good cause!

In the big time pro-am final, it was Santa Barbara’s Bobby

Martinez, nailing a 360-air to clinch the victory. He goes down on

the list of winners, along with the other heavy hitters who’ve won

it, like World Championship Tour star Timmy Curran and three-time

world champ Tom Curren. Putting on quite a display of surfing too,

was Huntington’s Jeff Deffenbaugh, who placed second with an

assortment of lip slashes, tearing it up. And one of the nation’s

hottest prospects right now, Ventura’s Dane Reynolds, was boosting

some huge airs -- kinda landing them, but unable to ride them out as

he finished third in a world class final.

Other notables: Tom Curren, did I hear he scored a perfect 10 in

one heat?; the Malloy brothers, who were gouging it; and Seal Beach’s

former U.S. champ Ryan Simmons, going off too. Stay tuned for the

amateur results soon.

One of Surf City’s rippers, Mike Hoisington, just signed up with

Rip Curl on a two-year sweet deal. “Hoiso” plans on doing the World

Qualifying Series tour again. He’s had some top-100 seasons on the

circuit and has been a stand out for the O.C. team locally.

Former Huntington resident Brad “Gerr” Gerlach invented “The

Game.” That’s a team surfing format that’s quite unique, with San

Diego, Orange County, Ventura, Santa Cruz and the newly added L.A.

teams surfing against each other. The new season should be starting

up soon.

H.B. Wahine Surf Shop on Main Street will have a fundraiser Friday

for the Life Rolls On Foundation. Jessie Billauer, who started the

foundation, was paralyzed in a 1996 surfing accident, but still gets

out surfing with the help of his friends and has a story to tell.

That’s it for now, see ya.

* RICK FIGNETTI is an nine-time West Coast champion, has

announced the U.S. Open of Surfing the last 11 years and has been the

KROQ-FM surfologist for the last 18 years, doing morning surf

reports. He owns a surf shop on Main Street. You can reach him at

(714) 536-1058.