THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 22, 1996 TAG: 9608220545
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SCOTT MCCASKEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 96 lines
Some of their fathers were local surfing pioneers. Many of their kids are following in dad's wake.
Surfing has grown up since it first rolled onto the pop culture scene in the early 1960s. And there's no better proof of its maturation than this weekend's 34th annual East Coast Surfing Championship at the Oceanfront.
Numerous resort-city families are continuing a legacy of excellence in the contest, which draws some of the best small-wave surfers from around the country and world.
Jimmy Q. Parnell, 48, entered the first ECSC - then called the Virginia Beach Surfing Carnival - in 1963 and has gone on to win more than a half-dozen first-place trophies and countless seconds and thirds. His sons Ian and Quincy and daughter Sarah have taken dad's lead.
Ian, 19, won last year's Men's division (ages 18-24), following many earlier victories. Quincy, 20, has made it to the finals several times. Sarah, 17, placed third in last year's Womens Bodyboard division and won the event in '94. While their father has retired from competition, both sons will compete this weekend.
``I'm very proud,'' Jimmy Parnell said. ``It's a great contest, the hallmark of East Coast surfing. Watching them, I can recall the excitement from my first events. The competition is kind of a magnetic thing for them.''
Sandbridge resident James C. Martinette, 51, has been surfing for 35 years, first entering the ECSC in '64. Martinette placed second in the Grand Masters division (45-over) in '93. Son Jimbo, now 25, won the Menehune division (12-under) in the early '80s, but Cameron ``Fleet'' Martinette, 18, has taken the family board and rolled with it.
He won the ECSC Open Longboard division in '93, and in '94 won the Junior Olympics Junior Longboard competition in Sebastian Inlet, Fla. This month, he took top honors in the open longboard division of the 17th Street/Billabong Surf Series in Virginia Beach. Both Jim and Fleet will compete this weekend.
``The ECSC is a big deal,'' Fleet Martinette said. ``My brother Jimbo competed in it, and I just followed him, but I couldn't do it without dad. He keeps me motivated and helps me out with money for all the contests.''
Wayne A. Seymour, 45, has more than a dozen ECSC trophies in several age divisions. His wife Jane, her twin sister Marion Lisenby Purkey, and the Seymours' son, Ian, have had success in the contest. Ian, 16, has made the finals before and is rated No. 1 in the Eastern Surfing Association's Junior Longboard division (15-17).
``The whole family is competitive, especially in the ECSC,'' Wayne Seymour said. ``It's a great contest. The competition is excellent and really brings people out of the woodwork, faces you haven't seen for years.''
Behind the Bells Beach Classic in Australia, the ECSC is the second-oldest continually run surfing contest in the world. The event attracts more than 300 amateurs and some 100 pros. The $20,000 cash purse is the largest on this year's East Coast circuit.
For many surfing families, the contest is a kind of rites of passage celebration. The Hollands have seen three generations enjoy distinction in the event. Robert L. Holland, 67, a former national champion inducted into the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame this year, has won the ECSC several times. His son Bobby, 45, has many first-place trophies on his shelf, and grandson Barrett, 18, has made it to the finals.
``We've always been affiliated with the ECSC. It's a first-class event,'' said Robert Holland, who still ardently surfs, but will watch his son and grandson compete this year. ``It's really great to keep the family tradition going.''
Pete Smith, who also was inducted into the East Coast Surfing Hall this year, and his son Pete Jr., both have been finalists in the contest in past years.
Passing down the tradition of winning means providing offspring with pointers.
``It's great to have your dad on the beach helping you out,'' says Quincy Parnell, ``letting you know where the waves are and how many you've caught.''
Ian Seymour says his dad also is a shoreline coach: `He instructs me from the beach, telling me where the sets are, and he tells me that if I go for a big maneuver, `Be sure to land it.' ''
While surfing dads usually encourage their sons toward the sport, the step into competition often is a natural.
D. Grey Martin, 35, has won the ECSC several times in a variety of categories. He has two sons - Dean, 9, and Evan, 8 - who surf and are chomping at the bit to compete.
``They've gone to the ECSC with me and seen the other menehunes getting trophies and prizes, and it kind of bummed them out that they weren't in it,'' Martin said. ``I've had them in some of the ESA events as a kind of warmup. They'll probably be in the ECSC next year.''
The ranks of fathers and sons - and mothers and daughters - competing in the ECSC will no doubt continue to swell.
``Surfing and the ECSC are something to share with the family,'' Wayne Seymour said. ``Nobody's quitting.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
L. TODD SPENCER
James C. Martinette, 51, top left, and son Fleet, 18, bottom right,
along with Wayne A. Seymour, 45, bottom left, and son Ian, 16, top
right, will carry on the family tradition in this weekend's 34th
annual East Coast Surfing Championships at the Virginia Beach
Oceanfront. by CNB