During
the 2007 lifeguard season, Beach Safety Director Gary Wise
was often seen kayaking and surfing along the beaches of South
Walton. He wasn’t goofing-off, he was training for the
inaugural Causeway to Causeway 22 Mile Challenge held on Oct.
20 on the Indian River in Cocoa, Fla.
The
event, sponsored by the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame Museum,
had 23 participants using paddle boards, stand up paddle boards
and surfboats. A release issued by organizers of the event
stated, “the overcast and rainy conditions helped to
keep the heat down, however the 10 to 12 knot headwind back
home made the going tough.”
Wise
was first in stand up paddle board, or SUP division, finishing
in 6 hours, 9 minutes. He was 45 minutes ahead of the second
place finisher, Mike Metzger of Key Largo.
“To
the best of our knowledge, this is the longest paddle event
of this type ever held in Florida and possibly the East Coast,”
ECSHFM Paddleboard Race Committee member John Hughes said.
“Wise set the standard for SUPs.”
“He
set his mind to do it,” said Jeff Archer, a local business
owner. “He paddled every day for months to prepare.”
Archer and business partner Tom Losee sell stand up paddle
boards at Yellowtail Trading Company in South Walton.
Wise
used a stock board, one that was designed for recreation,
not competition. “It’s a lot harder to use,”
he said.
While
Archer saw Wise’s participation in the event as a way
to promote his product, he also saw it as an opportunity to
praise Wise and his efforts to bring a lifeguard program to
South Walton.
“For
our county, he has been a real asset. He understands that
there is a growing water community here,” Archer said.
“The water culture here is in its infancy,” Wise
said. “There’s a core group that surfs, but no
one is trying to build the next generation of watermen.”
With
one win in SUP competition, Wise is already training for 2008.
Next year he plans to race in the East Coast championship
again and competitions in California and Hawaii.
|
