2019 SURFERS’ HALL OF FAME
ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 2ND AT 9:00 AM
Kai Lenny
Kai Lenny, a champion big wave surfer, stand-up paddle surfer and racer, surfer, tow-in surfer, windsurfer, kitesurfer and overall watersports enthusiast will be inducted into the 2019 Surfers’ Hall of Fame. Lenny will his hand and footprints immortalized in cement for the ages on Friday, August 2nd at 9am in front of Huntington Surf and Sport.
“Kai Lenny is one of the most progressive and amazing Big (and small) Wave Surfers on the Planet with endless amounts of God given talent,” said Surfers’ Hall of Fame founder Aaron Pai. “We are honored and excited to induct Kai into the Surfers’ Hall of Fame this Summer!”
Sam Hawk, a standout power surfer in the 1970s, is the first announced inductee to the 2019 Surfers’ Hall of Fame. Born in 1950 in South Gate, Hawk first started surfing at age fourteen in Huntington Beach. As one of the renowned Hawk surfing clan that includes Tom and their late brother Chris, Sam helped shape the local surf culture in the 1960s and ’70s.
“Sam Hawk is a huge legend of our surfing world”, said Surfers’ Hall of Fame founder Aaron Pai.”Back in the day Sam was one of the best surfers here and in the big surf of Hawaii, and he has been a master shaper since the ’70s. We are super stoked to be able to thank Sam for all his contributions and achievements to our sport of surfing.”
Sam Hawk
Janice Aragon
Janice Aragon, winner of the ISA World Surfing Games and NSSA Nationals, the first woman to judge a world professional tour event and current executive director of the NSSA is among the legendary surfers being inducted into the 2019 Surfers’ Hall of Fame.
“Janice Aragon is a true surfing champion and surfing legend that has impacted our sport and generations of surfers in a huge, positive way,” said Surfers’ Hall of Fame founder Aaron Pai. “We are honored to induct Janice into the Surfers’ Hall of Fame.”
The Surfers’ Hall of Fame celebrated its first induction in 1997 inside of specialty retailer Huntington Surf & Sport where several slabs remain. Four years later with the blessing of the City Council and a stunning bronze statue of sport’s spiritual leader Duke Kahanamoku serving as a backdrop, the ceremony moved outside to the corner of PCH and Main; less than 100 feet from the famed Huntington Beach Pier, site of the U.S. Open of Surfing.Text
Annually, tens of thousands of visitors to Huntington Beach’s downtown area literally walk in the footsteps of surfing superstars and legends from several eras including Laird Hamilton, Mike Doyle, Jack O’Neill, Robert August, Greg Noll, Jericho Poppler, Kelly Slater, Lisa Andersen, Martin Potter, Al Merrick, Shaun Tomson and Rob Machado who are already immortalized in cement.
Styled after the famed Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, which Aaron Pai visited as a youngster, the Surfers’ Hall of Fame is intended to “connect the generations of surfers with a lasting tribute and permanent public showcase for the achievements of those who have shaped and revolutionized the sport,” said Pai. The standing room only crowd on induction day is testament to the landmark’s popularity and the surfing community’s acknowledgment of their heroes.