![]() ![]() Over the years, my dad and Corky had gotten to know one another. To say the least, Corky is an icon of the sport.Īnd there he was, behind the counter at WindAnSea, greeting us with a friendly smile. And he was inducted into the Surfers’ Hall of Fame and Surfing Walk of Fame. He was voted the “Best Surfer in the World” in 1968. Not only was Corky the first to receive sponsorships, paid endorsements and his own production model surfboard, but he was also the first surfer who ever came up with the idea to put “surfer” down as his profession on his tax returns. In case you’re not familiar, Corky Carroll is considered the first professional surfer. Manning the shop those days in the mid-90s was another legend of surfing - Corky Carroll. By the time me and my dad walked through the doors, Hurley had since gone on to start one of the biggest surf brands in the world. Bob Hurley got his start shaping boards for WindAnSea back in the 70s. One of those old school surf shops that are quickly becoming extinct. But back then WindAnSea was a great place. It has since closed and today it’s nothing but an empty lot next to Sancho’s Tacos. WindAnSea used to be located right at the corner of 6th St and PCH. In October of 1995, my dad Rick Walker walked into the WindAnSea surf shop on PCH in Huntington Beach. San Clemente had one lone surf program, but there were no surf schools in Huntington Beach! ![]() In that pursuit, it wasn’t long before he realized his hometown had no surf schools. He was fast on his way to learning to surf well. We rode our first wave together, and it took just that one wave for my dad to get hooked.īy Monday of the coming week he had ordered a surfboard and was surfing every morning before work. Ready to show off my new skills, I voiced up. I might have only found surfing five days prior, but that’s all it took to realize you’d have to be nuts to pass up a chance to get on a board. Other Rick suggested my dad take one of the many surfboards laying on the beach at the party for a ride. My Dad Gets HookedĪt the BBQ, my dad mentioned to the other Rick how he had tried surfing as a teenager. But another venture soon caught his attention while eating some ribs on the beach. Life in Sports was not the success he anticipated. A sports show that families could watch together. His goal was to create a sports show that grabbed the interest of not only adults, but also kids. ![]() The show featured interviews with professional athletes from past and present. Or at least he had for the past twelve years, commuting from Orange County to Los Angeles every day to produce a television show called Life in Sports. My dad, also named Rick - Rick Walker to be exact - worked in TV production. All the parents were invited.Īnd that’s where my dad got hooked on surfing, too. On the last day, Rick arranged a surf-themed BBQ at the beach. I don’t know if you could call me a surfer at that point, but I was certainly hooked. Just a local school teacher named Rick showing a bunch of eager groms how to surf. One day out of the blue I was invited by my mother’s friend to join her son for a week of surf lessons. I was ten years old when I was converted to surfing. Here’s the story of how Corky Carroll’s Surf School was started. And it just so happened to also be the story of how our family barreled into the surf business. ![]() My story involves BBQ, my dad, a local TV show, and one of the most iconic surfers of all-time. Everyone has a story to tell about how they found surfing. ![]()
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