“It’s on, when it’s on…”: a phrase associated with events of prestige, including the Eddie Aikau, Mavericks Big Wave Event, as well as the Red Bull Dungeons Big Wave Event. However, a new event has surfaced that abides by this very law: Tom Curren’s grom competition.
If you have been lucky enough to check out the mid-80’s classic surf flick, “Off the Wall 2”, then you already know that Santa Barbara’s famed ‘Sandspit’ is a special place for the former 3x World Champ. Sand-sucking, 200-yard screaming righthand barrels come to life when the conditions are right, which has resulted in the birth of this community event.
“We don’t do any promotion for it: no flyers, no tents, nothing really,” reveals Tom’s wife Maky Curren. “But it’s crazy how fast the word spreads! We get a whole bunch of kids down here just from word of mouth, ready to do the contest.”
That’s right. In true elusive Tom Curren fashion, if the waves happen to be there, the contest will come to life. For the groms 18 years/under in Santa Barbara, they are treated to an afternoon of surfing and hanging with one of the greatest surfers of all time.
“It’s all for fun, and all for the kids,” claims Tom himself. And this year was no different. A steady little waist-to-chest high swell hit the Sandspit, delivering a great little canvas for the kids to paint on.
At the end of the day, Carp local Adam Lambert took the win. “I’m so stoked,” released Adam after the victory. “Tom is such a hero of mine, and it’s awesome that he does this for all of us!”
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