Surf’s Up for Da Big Guy of Board Shapers!
Sunny
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Surfing Center Honors Aipa at Opening of New Exhibit
Legendary Hawaiian surfer and board maker Ben Aipa celebrated his 50th year of shaping surfboards on Saturday, May 31 with the people he loves the best – family, friends, and surfers.
Everyone gathered in San Clemente at the Surfing Heritage & Culture Center (SHACC) for the opening of its In the Moment with Legendary Ben Aipa exhibit.
Aipa, who’s made a huge impact on surfing, was inducted into the International Surfing Hall of Fame in 1991 and in 2004 was named “One of the Top Ten Shapers of All Time” by Surfing magazine.
The Center was packed with well-wishers who came to party
and hear Ben’s stories about his illustrious surfing career.
Touched by the large turn-out, Aipa told the audience,
“Surfing has taken me places where I never thought I’d go.”
SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel could
feel the reverence in the room as people listened intently to Aipa’s anecdotes,
life lessons, humor, and more.
Surprisingly enough, Aipa, who was born in Honolulu and
is descended from a long line of surfers…
didn’t take up the sport until his twenties, opting for
football instead. After an injury sidelined a semi-pro football career, he took
up surfing.
Compared to other sports, “surfing takes a lot of upper
body movement and it’s not as rigid,” Aipa explained, joking that, “in surfing
you don’t get hit by other people, just the wave. Of course, the wave can be 40
lbs. of water hitting you.”
Savoring the camaraderie that exists among surfers, he
noted that when surfers get together one of the things they always talk about
is the weather…and that they can remember the surf conditions that occurred on
any given day.
Aipa, who’s won many surf contests and was mentored by Duke Kahanamoku...
believes in giving back to the sport that means so much to him and has trained and mentored championship surfers, including Brad Gerlach, Sunny Garcia, and Bruce and Andy Irons.
believes in giving back to the sport that means so much to him and has trained and mentored championship surfers, including Brad Gerlach, Sunny Garcia, and Bruce and Andy Irons.
With everyone at the exhibit reception feeling the Aloha
spirit, there was plenty of time for mingling and catching up, too.
SHACC visitors looked at the display of Aipa boards…
including his trademark swallow tail, stinger, and modern longboard models.
The longboards – made with an epoxy, sandwich
construction that gives them lighter cores and stronger decks – are easier to
maneuver.
SurfWriter Girl Patti’s husband Greg Kishel, who has his aircraft mechanic’s license, noted that the boards’ design reminded him of the way airplanes are built.
Aipa, a former 240 lb. fullback, also developed a line of
molded surfboards he describes as being for “da big guy” surfer.
Along with the surfboards, there were photos and posters…
and other memorabilia.
Ben’s son and daughter-in-law Duke and Val Aipa were
happy to see so many people enjoying the celebration. Val told SurfWriter Girls, “It’s great to see Ben getting
the recognition he deserves.”
SHACC and its partners made sure that everyone was having
a good time. There were pulled pork sandwiches on Hawaiian rolls and other
munchies provided by Hapa J’s and the Wind & Sea restaurant, along with
Primo beer and Hawaiian Springs Water.
Plus a Kona Ice party truck was out in front serving shaved ice treats…
the perfect cool-down for a summer afternoon.
The In the Moment exhibit showcasing Aipa’s life and work is near SHACC’s Endless Summer display of photos and memorabilia from the iconic Bruce Brown film that launched the 1960s surfing craze.
This seemed perfect to SurfWriter Girls because Ben
Aipa’s extraordinary career as a surfer and board shaper has been one endless
summer.
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