‘Fins 4 Friends’ Surf Contest Raises Funds for Charity
Some of the Fins 4 Friends contestants check out the waves at the 30th Street beach.
The inaugural Fins 4 Friends surf contest was held Oct. 7, and for a first-year event it was a smashing success, raising more than $1,000 for a local charity.
Planned to coincide with the Avalon Seafood Festival, the contest was held at 30th Street beach in Avalon, and drew surfers from Cape May to Ocean City. More than 35 competitors turned out to fill 13 divisions, and stoke levels were at “frothing” levels the entire day, with the weather reaching highs of 87 degrees and the sun shining all day. The waves cooperated for most of the day as well, breaking about 3-4 feet and semi-clean in the morning, with winds chopping them up during the afternoon. What a great day overall!
The event was organized by local surfer John Tracy Jr., who is the general manager of the Whitebrier as well as a contributing writer for Seven Mile Times.
“Ever since I heard that the Brendan Borek surf contest was going into its last year, I wanted to start a new contest to sort of fill the void,” Tracy says. “It was such a great community event that I was a part of for years, and I wanted to hit the reset button and start something similar but in a new way.”
In August, Tracy finally made the call to go forward with the event, setting the date over Columbus Day weekend to allow a two-day window for optimal surfing conditions.
“It wasn’t a lot of time to put things together,” he says, “but I had the help of some friends, and the experience of organizing Oktoberfests and surfing at the Brendan and Nuns’ Beach contests, so I figured I could make it happen.”
Even though it was held on Columbus Day weekend, the spirit of the event was more about thanksgiving.
“After a month of epic surfing conditions in the Northeast created by hurricane after hurricane, which ravished Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Houston and Florida, to get a day like that for the first contest was huge,” Tracy says. “Everyone was having a great time and got to surf a ton. We all have to be thankful for our safety, and the month we had with all the waves and beautiful weather.”
But ultimately the contest was about giving, and natural disasters highlight the importance of helping others. Friend In Need was the charity involved with the contest. Coincidentally, the abbreviation for Friend In Need is FIN, which goes with the name Fins 4 Friends. The organization helps local people in times of need due to illness, death, or hardship. The contest, along with a “Tacos and Cervezas” after-party at The Whitebrier, helped to raise more than $1,300 for the charity after expenses.
Special thanks to a few individuals who contributed to the day: Jacques Beningo and John “Bird” for judging; Dave and Anne of The Spot and the Horner family from Avalon Surf for donating prizes for the winners; Dave Rettinger and Matt Sichel for donating their time and music for the after-party, Bob Moran and Patty Davis for helping to get it all approved and promoted, and John Tracy Sr., Deb Majer, Bethanie, Taylor, Bill Davis, the Hoy family, and the Hendy family for putting in time during the day to help the contest and after party run smoothly.
“There will be a next year,” Tracy says of the event. “Plans are already in the works and, with more promotion over the summer months, I think we can grow the contest into something pretty big. Let’s just hope for weather and waves as good as this year!”
