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The 26th Annual Venice Surf-A-Thon was held on Saturday, December 14th, once again taking place at the Venice Pier. The contest is a grassroots local tradition that has evolved from a mentorship gathering for youth beset by gang violence to an inter-generational celebration of community. The contest has been a labor of love for it's founder Ger-I Lewis.
Ger-I founded the Venice Surf-A-Thon in 1993 after returning home from military service.
"I wished to do something for the children , young adults and the community in general that is fun and has a positive influence on everyone." says Ger-I. "For sure back in the day the contest was edgy as so was I! Instead of handing out trophies at the beach like most contests, I incorporated the awards party to give everyone a chance to shine. Inviting local talent as well the bikini contest was also a strategy to enhance and create a Venice culture showcase. Well times have changed and folks have mellowed, the bikini contest is no longer a part of the event as many of the original contestants are grandfathers now! The event has a generational community expectation and Surf-A-thon has taken on a family atmosphere. Many world class surfers, celebrities, have supported and donated to The Venice Surf-A-Thon including Mimi Miyagi, Peter Destafino, Perry Farrell, C.R. Stecyk, Danny Trejo, Robert Trujillo (of Metallica), Noah Budroe, Chris Ward, Tonan, Tina Cheri, DJ Muggs, Kid Frost, and Beowülf. Moreover the contest has provided a an opportunity for surfers to get a start in competition surfing."
These contest photos were shot by Six12 Media.
Custom trophies created by Brock Mayeux were passed out to all the winners later Saturday night at the Awards Show.
So who won what? Not having attended the awards show, it was hard to track down the official results from anyone. But here's what info we did gather: Stephanie Wise got 1st for the Women with Nicole Lynchie getting 2nd, Ricksen Massie got 1st for the Groms, one of the Packham kids get 2nd. Ricksens's pops Rickie got 3rd in body Surfing. Eric Wise won 1st in something, so did Cole Sweeney (since we can tell from theese screen shots grabbed from Elisabeth Fried's Instagram Stories.
You can find 100 more surf contest photos, all full size and in high-resolution, in this photo gallery:
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