Kanalu K38 PWC Training course at Kukio on the big island of Hawaii
Shawn Alladio working the Mavericks Surf Contest 2010
Mavericks Water Patrol
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Guiliano- 9/11 - Pit
9/11's first anniversary, we're in the Pit, several hours have passed, the mood begins to shift, people start smiling, it is a really good to start to feel the love and spirit of people shining through a tragedy.
The President
The President Arrives. I'm at the first anniversary of 9-11 in the Pit where the twin towers used to stand, this is an image I snaped looking back up the ramp I had just come down.
The 'package' had just arrived down the ramp, I'm looking up at the ramp behidn the memorial circle
The 'package' had just arrived down the ramp, I'm looking up at the ramp behidn the memorial circle
K38 DC Police Training
Washington Metro Police Department traiing in the Great Falls Park. This was part of the AWA H2O Responder program!
Kanalu K38 2007 Kukio PWC Class
Kanalu K38 2007 Kukio training course on the big island of Hawai'i. This was our night operations training for Search and Rescue. We certiifed the first ever Hawai'an female lifeguards, they did an excllent job in the class along will all the other fantastic students from fire and lifeguarding!
K38 USAR Training
Here are the boys from the USAR Team 6 Riverside City Fire Department. I worked with them in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina
Friday, May 02, 2008
USMC Japan Fire Rescue training
Marine Corps Bases Japan firefighters ride waves, enhance rescue capabilities
Lance Cpl. Richard Blumenstein
Masashi Miyagi, a Marine Corps Bases Japan firefighter pulls a simulated victim to his jet ski while practicing rescues April 25 during rescue water craft training at Kin Blue. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Richard Blumenstein).KIN BLUE, Okinawa (May 2, 2008) -- In the past, when military personnel or civilians have fallen victim to the strong currents and waves of the Okinawa surf, Marine Corps Bases Japan firefighters called to the scene were forced to stand idly by and wait for local rescue groups to step in.
Thanks to the addition of water rescue craft to the MCBJ fire department's inventory, that may no longer be the case.
To improve their ability to respond to water rescue situations, more than 40 base firefighters took part in the department's first rescue water craft training at Kin Blue April 21-26 using two brand-new jet skis.
Many emergency service groups use jet skis in water rescues because of the craft's ability to easily navigate a surf zone, according to Scott Minakami, the assistant chief of operations for the MCBJ Fire Department.
"This is the craft of choice by a lot of surf rescue groups," Minakami said. "It's versatile, easy to move, doesn't require as much maintenance as a boat and gives us a lot of flexibility in the types of rescues we can carry out."
The fire department purchased the rescue crafts in September at $12,000 each and has recently placed an order for two more, according to Minakami.
"Having these rescue water craft gives us a feeling we can actually assist someone rather than feeling helpless on the land," Minakami said.
The fire department contracted water safety instructors from the K38 Water Safety Corporation to conduct the rescue training. The corporation has hosted previous rescue craft courses for various units from law enforcement agencies, military organizations, fire departments and other professional agencies in countries such as Australia, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa.
"We educate them in basic rescue skills and how the craft works, and the basic skills of balance, throttle and helm control," said Simon Rogers, an instructor with K38 Japan, a subdivision of the K38 Water Safety Corporation.
The firefighters spent the week learning how to properly operate the craft and conduct water rescue procedures such as pulling a victim out of the water with one hand while controlling the rescue craft with the other - a "pretty difficult" task, Arakaki said.
Despite the serious atmosphere of the training, it was sometimes hard for the firefighters to conceal their excitement as a few could be seen cracking a smile while racing across the water.
"It's a tool, not a toy, but it's still fun to ride," Arakaki said.
Shawn Alladio (right), a boating safety instructor with K38 Water Safety Corporation, tells firefighters with the Marine Corps Bases Japan Fire Department how to perform handling techniques. (Photo by Cpl. Kevin M. Knallay).
A firefighter with the Marine Corps Bases Japan Fire Department prepares to pull a simulated victim up to his jet ski while practicing rescue techniques during rescue water craft training at Kin Blue April 25. (Photo by Cpl. Kevin M. Knallay).
More than 40 base firefighters took part in the department's first rescue water craft training at Kin Blue April 21-26 using two brand-new jet skis. The firefighters spent the week learning how to properly operate the craft and conduct water rescue procedures. (Photo by Cpl. Kevin M. Knallay).
Masami Goya with the Marine Corps Bases Japan Fire Department holds on to a life board, a platform dragged behind a jet ski to aid a victim, after simulating a swimmer in distress during rescue water craft training at Kin Blue April 25. (Photo by Cpl. Kevin M. Knallay).
http://www.okinawa.usmc.mil/Public%20Affairs%20Info/Archive%20News%20Pages/2008/080502-rescues.html
Lance Cpl. Richard Blumenstein
Masashi Miyagi, a Marine Corps Bases Japan firefighter pulls a simulated victim to his jet ski while practicing rescues April 25 during rescue water craft training at Kin Blue. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Richard Blumenstein).KIN BLUE, Okinawa (May 2, 2008) -- In the past, when military personnel or civilians have fallen victim to the strong currents and waves of the Okinawa surf, Marine Corps Bases Japan firefighters called to the scene were forced to stand idly by and wait for local rescue groups to step in.
Thanks to the addition of water rescue craft to the MCBJ fire department's inventory, that may no longer be the case.
To improve their ability to respond to water rescue situations, more than 40 base firefighters took part in the department's first rescue water craft training at Kin Blue April 21-26 using two brand-new jet skis.
Many emergency service groups use jet skis in water rescues because of the craft's ability to easily navigate a surf zone, according to Scott Minakami, the assistant chief of operations for the MCBJ Fire Department.
"This is the craft of choice by a lot of surf rescue groups," Minakami said. "It's versatile, easy to move, doesn't require as much maintenance as a boat and gives us a lot of flexibility in the types of rescues we can carry out."
The fire department purchased the rescue crafts in September at $12,000 each and has recently placed an order for two more, according to Minakami.
"Having these rescue water craft gives us a feeling we can actually assist someone rather than feeling helpless on the land," Minakami said.
The fire department contracted water safety instructors from the K38 Water Safety Corporation to conduct the rescue training. The corporation has hosted previous rescue craft courses for various units from law enforcement agencies, military organizations, fire departments and other professional agencies in countries such as Australia, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa.
"We educate them in basic rescue skills and how the craft works, and the basic skills of balance, throttle and helm control," said Simon Rogers, an instructor with K38 Japan, a subdivision of the K38 Water Safety Corporation.
The firefighters spent the week learning how to properly operate the craft and conduct water rescue procedures such as pulling a victim out of the water with one hand while controlling the rescue craft with the other - a "pretty difficult" task, Arakaki said.
Despite the serious atmosphere of the training, it was sometimes hard for the firefighters to conceal their excitement as a few could be seen cracking a smile while racing across the water.
"It's a tool, not a toy, but it's still fun to ride," Arakaki said.
Shawn Alladio (right), a boating safety instructor with K38 Water Safety Corporation, tells firefighters with the Marine Corps Bases Japan Fire Department how to perform handling techniques. (Photo by Cpl. Kevin M. Knallay).
A firefighter with the Marine Corps Bases Japan Fire Department prepares to pull a simulated victim up to his jet ski while practicing rescue techniques during rescue water craft training at Kin Blue April 25. (Photo by Cpl. Kevin M. Knallay).
More than 40 base firefighters took part in the department's first rescue water craft training at Kin Blue April 21-26 using two brand-new jet skis. The firefighters spent the week learning how to properly operate the craft and conduct water rescue procedures. (Photo by Cpl. Kevin M. Knallay).
Masami Goya with the Marine Corps Bases Japan Fire Department holds on to a life board, a platform dragged behind a jet ski to aid a victim, after simulating a swimmer in distress during rescue water craft training at Kin Blue April 25. (Photo by Cpl. Kevin M. Knallay).
http://www.okinawa.usmc.mil/Public%20Affairs%20Info/Archive%20News%20Pages/2008/080502-rescues.html
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Deep Water Films
Surf Theatre Presented by South Bay Toyota
Action Sports on the BIG SCREENApril Newsletter
Surf Theatre presented by SOUTH BAY TOYOTA
Call For Entries!
Coming In April
Quick Links
South Bay Toyota
Deep Water Films
Todd Hannigan
Big Red Store Surf vids and more!
Stratis Financial
Surfline
Malakye B2B
Huntington Beach Surf Theatre Film Festival
Huntington Beach in May
Big Waves on the Big Screen in May!!
QUEST
Filmed in IMAX format, 35 mm and HD, Quest takes you to the heart of the most exciting and dangerous sport; intimately documenting the lives of GIANT wave riders as they seek out and ride monster waves. Don't miss this film!
Watch the trailer: Quest trailer
Starring big wave CHARGERS;
McNamara, Mamala, Gerlach, Parsons, Dorian, Burle, Sterling and many more!
DeepWater Films
Meet in person:
Garrett McNamara, Kealii Mamala and the filmmaker; Ryan Casey
Todd Hannigan www.ToddHannigan.com will play live prior to the screenings with his band. Todd wrote many of the songs for Quest. As a surfer himself, he makes a deep connection with music and the film. Audiences will be stoked to see the live performance of this talented musician.
Huntington Beach: Thurs, May 8th at 7 & 9 PM at our NEW location:
Regency Charter Centre located at Beach and Warner
Only $3.00!! What a deal... bring the whole family!
Click here for TICKETS
Call For Entries! 6th Annual Huntington Beach Surf Theatre Film Festival!
It's time to get those vids completed! The Surf Theatre Festival has been called the 'Golden Globes of Surfing" The competition sets the tone for the hottest releases of the year!
Best Corpo Video
Best Independent Filmmaker
Most Innovative
Best Cinematography
Hot Grom Short (under 15 Minutes)
A diverse panel of surf film experts, journalists and Hollywood producers will judge the films based on the following criteria:
· Film has been completed between July, 2007 and July 1st 2008
· Best Corpo Award: This will be a "Perpetual Trophy" for the ultimate bragging rights. The film is funded by a major surf brand
· Best Independent Film: 80% of funding must come from sources other than the above.
· Most Innovative: this is a very open category that is the at discretion of the judges, it may apply to editing, performance, music, style, format or any other creative outlet which makes a film stand out from the others.
· Hot Grom Short: this is for all those groms who film their friends and create a homemade video. Must be under 18 years old and the film can be no longer than 15 minutes long.
Continuing with the neo-tradition of "Roasting" Tributes at the festival; this year's honoree will be "Rockin; Fig," who has been a staple in the Huntington Beach community with his surf shop, and of course his morning surf reports on KROQ. This Roast is sure to be a hilarious "tell-all" with an all-star Roaster line-up to be announced soon.
More information on the festival is available on Big Red Productions Website
Coming in June Rip Curls SOMEWHERE
SOMEWHERE by Rip Curl
10 Epic locations, 11 unique editors, SOMEWHERE is the compilation of many hands making THE SEARCH. Starring Mick Fanning, Tom Curren, Taylor Knox, Steph Gilmore, Pancho Sullivan and the rest of Rip Curls A TEAM.
Check out the trailer: Rip Curl's SOMEWHERE trailer
Win! Win! Win! Surfline Carveboard, HSS gear, Forever Stoked and more!
See you at the show!
The Carlos FamilyBig Red Productions, Inc
Woman gains silver star
Woman Gains Silver Star -- And Removal From CombatCase Shows Contradictions of Army Rules
By Ann Scott TysonWashington Post Staff WriterThursday, May 1, 2008; A01
KHOST, Afghanistan -- Pfc. Monica Brown cracked open the door of her Humvee outside a remote village in eastern Afghanistan to the pop of bullets shot by Taliban fighters. But instead of taking cover, the 18-year-old medic grabbed her bag and ran through gunfire toward fellow soldiers in a crippled and burning vehicle.
Vice President Cheney pinned Brown, of Lake Jackson, Tex., with a Silver Star in March for repeatedly risking her life on April 25, 2007, to shield and treat her wounded comrades, displaying bravery and grit. She is the second woman since World War II to receive the nation's third-highest combat medal.
Within a few days of her heroic acts, however, the Army pulled Brown out of the remote camp in Paktika province where she was serving with a cavalry unit -- because, her platoon commander said, Army restrictions on women in combat barred her from such missions.
"We weren't supposed to take her out" on missions "but we had to because there was no other medic," said Lt. Martin Robbins, a platoon leader with Charlie Troop, 4th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, whose men Brown saved. "By regulations you're not supposed to," he said, but Brown "was one of the guys, mixing it up, clearing rooms, doing everything that anybody else was doing."
In Afghanistan as well as Iraq, female soldiers are often tasked to work in all-male combat units -- not only for their skills but also for the culturally sensitive role of providing medical treatment for local women, as well as searching them and otherwise interacting with them. Such war-zone pragmatism is at odds with Army rules intended to bar women from units that engage in direct combat or collocate with combat forces.
Military personnel experts say that as a result, the 1992 rules are vague, ill defined, and based on an outmoded concept of wars with clear front lines that rarely exist in today's counterinsurgencies.
"The current policy is not actionable," concluded a Rand Corp. study last year on the Army's assignment of women. "Crafted for a linear battlefield," the policy does not conform to the nature of warfare today and uses concepts such as "forward and well forward [that] were generally acknowledged to be almost meaningless in the Iraqi theater," it said.
In Iraq and Afghanistan, noncombat units in which women serve face many of the same threats that all-male combat arms units do and are performing well, commanders say. "Army personnel were consistent in their perception that a strict adherence to the Army policy would have negative implications" and that the policy should be revised or revoked, the Rand study said.
The Caretaker and Boss
Brown never imagined she would be a soldier, let alone one decorated for gallantry in combat. Growing up in central Texas, she had bounced around to nine schools, moving frequently with her brothers and mother, a nurse, before going to live with her grandmother Katy at age 15.
Despite the itinerant life, Brown excelled academically. She graduated from high school a year and a half early -- a day after turning 17. She planned to enroll in college, but that changed when her brother Justin, who was a year older and like a twin, was drawn to the Army.
Justin had long dreamed of becoming an infantryman, and one day they stopped by the recruiting office together, Brown said in an interview in Khost. On impulse, she offered to join with him. Grinning, they announced the decision to their grandmother, who said she "didn't feel it was the right time with the war on."
But Brown persuaded her grandmother to allow her to join with her brother before she turned 18. Justin "was older, but she was always the caretaker, always the boss," Katy Brown said.
He joined the infantry and Brown enlisted as a medic in November 2005. In 2007, they deployed to Afghanistan. When word came in March that year to Brown's medical unit at the large U.S. base in Khost that a small outpost of mainly infantrymen and engineers needed a female medic, her leadership did not hesitate.
"Brown," she was told, "you're going."
The outpost in Paktika province was little more than a cluster of tents walled off with dirt-filled barriers. There were no flush toilets or running water, and Brown worked in an 8-by-5-foot medical aid station barely big enough for a stretcher. "I loved it," she said.
Then, when fighting against the Taliban intensified in the spring, Brown was placed with Delta and Charlie troops as a line medic, spending days on combat operations. "It was more like a constant mission, because . . . there was more Taliban acting up," placing roadside bombs and attacking bases, she recalled.
"What we would do is go out for four or five days, come back to the FOB [forward operating base], get resupplied for eight hours then go right back out," she said. "If we got tips Taliban were in a village, we went there."
Mortars and Fire
At dusk on April 25, 2007, Brown's platoon had just finished searching for a Taliban leader near the village of Jani Khel. The convoy of four Humvees and one Afghan National Army pickup truck had turned into a dry streambed when a pressure-plate bomb exploded under the rear Humvee.
"Two-One is hit!" Staff Sgt. Jose Santos yelled. Looking back, Brown saw the Humvee engulfed in a fireball as its fuel tank and fuel cans ignited. Insurgents about 100 yards to the east opened up with machine guns and AK-47 semiautomatic rifles, as Brown and Santos ran without cover to the burning vehicle.
Four of those injured crawled or were thrown from the Humvee, while a fifth, Spec. Larry Spray, was caught inside by his boot and was on fire. Sgt. Zachary Tellier managed to pull him out.
Brown and a colleague then grabbed Spec. Stanson Smith, who was in shock and blinded by blood from his lacerated forehead, and dragged him by his body armor into a ditch about 15 yards away. Tellier helped Spray limp over.
No sooner were they in the ditch that insurgents began firing mortars. Brown threw her body over Smith, shielding him as more than a dozen rounds hit nearby. The ammunition inside the burning Humvee then started exploding, including 60mm mortars, 40mm grenade rounds and rifle ammunition. Again, Brown lay over the wounded.
Robbins, the platoon leader, repositioned his Humvee near the injured and was incredulous that Brown had survived. "I was surprised I didn't get killed and she'd been over there for 10, 15 minutes longer," he recalled.
"There was small arms coming in from two different machine-gun positions, mortars falling . . . a burning Humvee with 16 mortar rounds in it, chunks of aluminum the size of softballs flying all around," said Robbins, of Portsmouth, R.I. "It was about as hairy as it gets."
Santos, the platoon sergeant, drove the pickup over to get the wounded to safety. "It was pretty much just like a miracle run," Brown recalled. With another soldier, she hoisted Smith onto the truck, while Spray crouched behind the back window and Brown dived onto a bench in the back. There, Brown put pressure on Smith's head, which was bleeding heavily, and also held the hand of Spray, who was charred and shaking.
"Talk to him," she told Spray, trying to keep Smith conscious. Spray, his face contorted with pain and fear, responded: "It's going to be okay."
Santos drove to a more protected position, while Brown bandaged Smith and Spray, gave them IVs and readied them for the helicopters that arrived 45 minutes later. Brown "never looked around or anything," Robbins said. "She was focused on the patients the whole time. She did her job perfectly."
Smith and Spray were flown to the United States, and Tellier received a Bronze Star for pulling Spray from the Humvee. He was killed five months later in another firefight.
Brown stayed in the field for two more days, while U.S. Apache helicopter gunships attacked insurgents and blew up the damaged Humvee. Within a week, however, she was abruptly called back to the sprawling U.S. base in Khost.
"I got pulled" by higher-ups, she said, because her presence as "a female in a combat arms unit" had attracted attention.
'I Didn't Want to Leave'
President Bush has forcefully backed the Army's restrictions, asserting in a January 2005 interview with the Washington Times that there should be "no women in combat." Since her heroic actions, however, Brown was promoted to specialist and has been congratulated by Cheney in Afghanistan, praised in a meeting with Bush at a NATO summit in Romania, and offered a job on the White House staff.
Military officers in the field and independent experts have said it is both infeasible and contrary to the Army's own warfighting doctrine to prevent women from serving in proximity to -- or together with -- all-male combat units in today's war zones. They contend that if the goal of the policy is to protect women from capture or bodily harm, it cannot be done in the scramble of conflicts such as those in the Middle East.
Across Afghanistan, female medics such as Brown are regularly sent to serve with combat units. "The real catch was to have a female medic out there because of the cultural sensitivities and the flexibility that gave commanders," said Maj. Paul Narowski, the executive officer of Brown's battalion. "It is absolutely not about gender in terms of how well they will do," he said, adding that he does not know why Brown was pulled out.
The only other female Silver Star recipient in the past 60 years was Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester, a military policewoman in Iraq who the Army said had responded to a 2005 insurgent attack on a convoy by firing grenades.
"I didn't want to leave," Brown said, after being pulled from the platoon. Robbins said he and his men, who called Brown "Doc," also wanted to keep her as their medic.
"I've seen a lot of grown men who didn't have the courage and weren't able to handle themselves under fire like she did," said Staff Sgt. Aaron Best of Canton, N.C., Robbins's gunner that day. "She never missed a beat."
By Ann Scott TysonWashington Post Staff WriterThursday, May 1, 2008; A01
KHOST, Afghanistan -- Pfc. Monica Brown cracked open the door of her Humvee outside a remote village in eastern Afghanistan to the pop of bullets shot by Taliban fighters. But instead of taking cover, the 18-year-old medic grabbed her bag and ran through gunfire toward fellow soldiers in a crippled and burning vehicle.
Vice President Cheney pinned Brown, of Lake Jackson, Tex., with a Silver Star in March for repeatedly risking her life on April 25, 2007, to shield and treat her wounded comrades, displaying bravery and grit. She is the second woman since World War II to receive the nation's third-highest combat medal.
Within a few days of her heroic acts, however, the Army pulled Brown out of the remote camp in Paktika province where she was serving with a cavalry unit -- because, her platoon commander said, Army restrictions on women in combat barred her from such missions.
"We weren't supposed to take her out" on missions "but we had to because there was no other medic," said Lt. Martin Robbins, a platoon leader with Charlie Troop, 4th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, whose men Brown saved. "By regulations you're not supposed to," he said, but Brown "was one of the guys, mixing it up, clearing rooms, doing everything that anybody else was doing."
In Afghanistan as well as Iraq, female soldiers are often tasked to work in all-male combat units -- not only for their skills but also for the culturally sensitive role of providing medical treatment for local women, as well as searching them and otherwise interacting with them. Such war-zone pragmatism is at odds with Army rules intended to bar women from units that engage in direct combat or collocate with combat forces.
Military personnel experts say that as a result, the 1992 rules are vague, ill defined, and based on an outmoded concept of wars with clear front lines that rarely exist in today's counterinsurgencies.
"The current policy is not actionable," concluded a Rand Corp. study last year on the Army's assignment of women. "Crafted for a linear battlefield," the policy does not conform to the nature of warfare today and uses concepts such as "forward and well forward [that] were generally acknowledged to be almost meaningless in the Iraqi theater," it said.
In Iraq and Afghanistan, noncombat units in which women serve face many of the same threats that all-male combat arms units do and are performing well, commanders say. "Army personnel were consistent in their perception that a strict adherence to the Army policy would have negative implications" and that the policy should be revised or revoked, the Rand study said.
The Caretaker and Boss
Brown never imagined she would be a soldier, let alone one decorated for gallantry in combat. Growing up in central Texas, she had bounced around to nine schools, moving frequently with her brothers and mother, a nurse, before going to live with her grandmother Katy at age 15.
Despite the itinerant life, Brown excelled academically. She graduated from high school a year and a half early -- a day after turning 17. She planned to enroll in college, but that changed when her brother Justin, who was a year older and like a twin, was drawn to the Army.
Justin had long dreamed of becoming an infantryman, and one day they stopped by the recruiting office together, Brown said in an interview in Khost. On impulse, she offered to join with him. Grinning, they announced the decision to their grandmother, who said she "didn't feel it was the right time with the war on."
But Brown persuaded her grandmother to allow her to join with her brother before she turned 18. Justin "was older, but she was always the caretaker, always the boss," Katy Brown said.
He joined the infantry and Brown enlisted as a medic in November 2005. In 2007, they deployed to Afghanistan. When word came in March that year to Brown's medical unit at the large U.S. base in Khost that a small outpost of mainly infantrymen and engineers needed a female medic, her leadership did not hesitate.
"Brown," she was told, "you're going."
The outpost in Paktika province was little more than a cluster of tents walled off with dirt-filled barriers. There were no flush toilets or running water, and Brown worked in an 8-by-5-foot medical aid station barely big enough for a stretcher. "I loved it," she said.
Then, when fighting against the Taliban intensified in the spring, Brown was placed with Delta and Charlie troops as a line medic, spending days on combat operations. "It was more like a constant mission, because . . . there was more Taliban acting up," placing roadside bombs and attacking bases, she recalled.
"What we would do is go out for four or five days, come back to the FOB [forward operating base], get resupplied for eight hours then go right back out," she said. "If we got tips Taliban were in a village, we went there."
Mortars and Fire
At dusk on April 25, 2007, Brown's platoon had just finished searching for a Taliban leader near the village of Jani Khel. The convoy of four Humvees and one Afghan National Army pickup truck had turned into a dry streambed when a pressure-plate bomb exploded under the rear Humvee.
"Two-One is hit!" Staff Sgt. Jose Santos yelled. Looking back, Brown saw the Humvee engulfed in a fireball as its fuel tank and fuel cans ignited. Insurgents about 100 yards to the east opened up with machine guns and AK-47 semiautomatic rifles, as Brown and Santos ran without cover to the burning vehicle.
Four of those injured crawled or were thrown from the Humvee, while a fifth, Spec. Larry Spray, was caught inside by his boot and was on fire. Sgt. Zachary Tellier managed to pull him out.
Brown and a colleague then grabbed Spec. Stanson Smith, who was in shock and blinded by blood from his lacerated forehead, and dragged him by his body armor into a ditch about 15 yards away. Tellier helped Spray limp over.
No sooner were they in the ditch that insurgents began firing mortars. Brown threw her body over Smith, shielding him as more than a dozen rounds hit nearby. The ammunition inside the burning Humvee then started exploding, including 60mm mortars, 40mm grenade rounds and rifle ammunition. Again, Brown lay over the wounded.
Robbins, the platoon leader, repositioned his Humvee near the injured and was incredulous that Brown had survived. "I was surprised I didn't get killed and she'd been over there for 10, 15 minutes longer," he recalled.
"There was small arms coming in from two different machine-gun positions, mortars falling . . . a burning Humvee with 16 mortar rounds in it, chunks of aluminum the size of softballs flying all around," said Robbins, of Portsmouth, R.I. "It was about as hairy as it gets."
Santos, the platoon sergeant, drove the pickup over to get the wounded to safety. "It was pretty much just like a miracle run," Brown recalled. With another soldier, she hoisted Smith onto the truck, while Spray crouched behind the back window and Brown dived onto a bench in the back. There, Brown put pressure on Smith's head, which was bleeding heavily, and also held the hand of Spray, who was charred and shaking.
"Talk to him," she told Spray, trying to keep Smith conscious. Spray, his face contorted with pain and fear, responded: "It's going to be okay."
Santos drove to a more protected position, while Brown bandaged Smith and Spray, gave them IVs and readied them for the helicopters that arrived 45 minutes later. Brown "never looked around or anything," Robbins said. "She was focused on the patients the whole time. She did her job perfectly."
Smith and Spray were flown to the United States, and Tellier received a Bronze Star for pulling Spray from the Humvee. He was killed five months later in another firefight.
Brown stayed in the field for two more days, while U.S. Apache helicopter gunships attacked insurgents and blew up the damaged Humvee. Within a week, however, she was abruptly called back to the sprawling U.S. base in Khost.
"I got pulled" by higher-ups, she said, because her presence as "a female in a combat arms unit" had attracted attention.
'I Didn't Want to Leave'
President Bush has forcefully backed the Army's restrictions, asserting in a January 2005 interview with the Washington Times that there should be "no women in combat." Since her heroic actions, however, Brown was promoted to specialist and has been congratulated by Cheney in Afghanistan, praised in a meeting with Bush at a NATO summit in Romania, and offered a job on the White House staff.
Military officers in the field and independent experts have said it is both infeasible and contrary to the Army's own warfighting doctrine to prevent women from serving in proximity to -- or together with -- all-male combat units in today's war zones. They contend that if the goal of the policy is to protect women from capture or bodily harm, it cannot be done in the scramble of conflicts such as those in the Middle East.
Across Afghanistan, female medics such as Brown are regularly sent to serve with combat units. "The real catch was to have a female medic out there because of the cultural sensitivities and the flexibility that gave commanders," said Maj. Paul Narowski, the executive officer of Brown's battalion. "It is absolutely not about gender in terms of how well they will do," he said, adding that he does not know why Brown was pulled out.
The only other female Silver Star recipient in the past 60 years was Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester, a military policewoman in Iraq who the Army said had responded to a 2005 insurgent attack on a convoy by firing grenades.
"I didn't want to leave," Brown said, after being pulled from the platoon. Robbins said he and his men, who called Brown "Doc," also wanted to keep her as their medic.
"I've seen a lot of grown men who didn't have the courage and weren't able to handle themselves under fire like she did," said Staff Sgt. Aaron Best of Canton, N.C., Robbins's gunner that day. "She never missed a beat."
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
K38 Instructors
Getting ready to load a patient on port side, not an easy thing to do, balance points are critical.
The K38 Way of training!
The K38 Way of training!
K38 Rescue Water Craft Training
Looks easy, but its not at all, very difficult in fact..that is what makes the difference, when something looks easy, there is a lot of great effort applied to skill!
K38 SWRT
Here is a side view of a 3 person drill, the recovery of the patient with positive vessel control and stability...
K38 Swiftwater Training
Instructors are run through the paces on the American River, this is just one of the building blocks in the K38 Way of training.
Big Ben
Ben stays steady in the current vector, while his nose pearls on the Jet Ski, he maintains control and eases off the throttle ever so gently maintiaining his position...we love this kind of training.
K38 swiftwater
What does it feel like to ride on a rescue water craft through a current vector...these guys know...
K38 Instructor training class.
K38 Instructor training class.
K38 Cary Smith
Pic I took of Cary Smith taking his instructor swiftwater course on the American River, this is the technical confined op's through the current flow in the rock pile.
K38 John Alexiou
Pic I took of John at our K38 Instructor course on the American River near Placerville, California.
Mustang Survival Swiftwater Drysuit
I've been waiting a long time to see what Mustang Survival was going to produce with their new swiftwater drysuit. Tom Pohaku Stone and I attended the IBWSS in San Diego, and headed straight away to meet with Steve @ Mustang.
Needless to say, and I need to say, I loved it. It was better than I thought it would be. We found it to be lightweigth and efficient over any other suit in terms of movement that I have trialed before.
Can't wait for my order to come in!
Needless to say, and I need to say, I loved it. It was better than I thought it would be. We found it to be lightweigth and efficient over any other suit in terms of movement that I have trialed before.
Can't wait for my order to come in!
IBWSS Kawasaki On Water Demo
Mission Bay was the site location for the Kawasaki on water demos for the IBWSS membership.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
NSBC
National Safe Boating Council director Virgil Chambers, his wife Pamela Dillon and Tom Pohaku Stone after the opening ceremony for the International Boating and Water Safety Summit in San Diego, California, 2008 proceedings.
Cal Boating Director Ray Tsuneyoshi
Ray Tsuneyoshi provided the IBWSS membership a report on the California Department of Boating and Waterways programs and new projects. Ray is native Hawai'ian and introduced Tom Pohaku Stone from Kanalu K38 for the IBWSS traditional blessing in Hawai'ian that Tom provided. Ray is a friend of boaters not only in California but throughout the world, we are honored to call Ray our friend and colleague. Mahalo!
K38 Japan Instructors
Yoshimura rides the blue Kawasaki Jet Ski LX and Kazu rides the Kawasaki Jet Ski FX-15 in Okinawa during our USMC fire rescue training.
Swimmer's First!
USMC Fire Rescue team members prepare for a full PPE swim. It's one thing to swim, it's another to swim with all your gear, then swim carry a person, so that is exactly what we do. Swimmer First.
The K38 Krew
Simon, John Arakaki, Alladio, Kazu, Yoshi and Saito-san at the end of the 3 day class. The cert's were handed out, everyone was pretty tired and ready for John John's!
K38 Japan FIRE
K38 Way of training, progresses to a 3 person pick up recovery drill, this was yet another fanatastic training course held for USMC Camp Hansen Fire Rescue personnel in Okinawa.
K38 Sign Okinawa
Scott, you and John are really true road warriors!
You are elevated into the K38 Pirates! A distinguished place of humorous rogues, you are now elevated with your clever wit and resilience to get things done before they are finished.
Thanks for getting this pic, its historical and global!
K38 Pirates!
You are elevated into the K38 Pirates! A distinguished place of humorous rogues, you are now elevated with your clever wit and resilience to get things done before they are finished.
Thanks for getting this pic, its historical and global!
K38 Pirates!
K38 Japan FIRE Okinawa
Great training picture of B Shift on the second day of class, training in Okinawa, we had a really nice rain and wind storm come by and we trained until dark, a very long day. I really loved working with these people, they are incredible, and their leadership is really inspiring to me.
throwbag drill
K38 instructors getting drilled in the subtleties of throw bag etiquette on the American River.
k38 Swiftwater
Ben Granata from the K38 UK family, snapped this pic at the Chili Bar where I was teaching an instructor course on the American River. What a great place to train, will be going back again soon!
K38 SAKE
Japan had a lot of K38's available if one looked around, so we started collecting them...here our sake at a local dinner house brought the bottle much to my enjoyment!
K38 Japan Heavy Rescue 2
USMC Camp Hansen FIre.
Heavy Rescue 2 loads the JET SKIS after a full day of training during a storm in Okinawa.
Heavy Rescue 2 loads the JET SKIS after a full day of training during a storm in Okinawa.
K38 Japan FIRE class picture
USMC fire rescue RWC team members strike a pose in the class pic. Okinawa proved to be kind with warm water, clear depths and the best students ever. Here is the A shift in a moment of rest, which was unusual.
K38 Okinawa Class Photo
This is a group shot with B Shift from the USMC Fire rescue RWC team. We had a blast training in Okinawa, and a better time at John John's wih the crew.
K38 Japan USMC Fire
Heavy Rescue Unit 2, gets their rig ready to deploy their Jet Skis in Okinawa during the K38 training course. There was a tail end of typhoon weather that caught the island, lots of rain and winds, good for training
K38 Japan FIRE 1264
Shawn Alladio and Yoshimura at the Castle in Okinawa, taking a break from training
K38 Japan FIRE 1202
Yoshimura, Saito, Shawn and Simon.
Pic of us wearing the quakeysense sponsored apparell for the K38 Japan courses, this pic was taken in Okinawa April 2008.
Thanks to quakeysense and Hot Products, Maris and Kawasaki
Pic of us wearing the quakeysense sponsored apparell for the K38 Japan courses, this pic was taken in Okinawa April 2008.
Thanks to quakeysense and Hot Products, Maris and Kawasaki
Sea Doo Wake Board Edition PWC
PWC WAKE BOARD EDITION
I took these pictures at the Yokohama International Boat Show in Japan. This was at the Sea Doo display for their 2008 model line production units. They showcased their wakeboard edition PWC since the demographics have changed greatly in the past 10 years for users, this is one of the focus products of Sea Doo.
Always read the warning labels and abide by what the manufacturer recommends. These warning labels are for the safety of all the users.
The Ballast tanks are removeable in pieces. There is also a side holder for a single wakeboard on the port side of the craft. The extendable wake boarding line pole runs through the reboarding handle on the stern deck.
Water is run from the pump through water hoses, the deck of the plastic material has grooved texture for reboarding on the craft and sits snug inside the footwell and stern reboarding section of the craft in the aft section.
The drain plug is easy to open to remove the water from the tanks, it appears to be quite a simple system that is well fitted to the craft itself.
K38 Goes to Okinawa
K38 Okinawa 2008
USMC Camp Hansen Fire Rescue Training, April 2008
I arrived in Okinawa to the familiar tropical atmosphere of warm air currents and beautiful colored waters. I was soon to be working again with my team mates from K38 Japan to train the USMC based fire rescue personnel under the guidance of thier Chief (Eric) who worked diligently for several years to create the RWC (Rescue Water Craft) program.
B Shift Group Photo
Eric and Scott got the ball rolling and I got to play in their court. Our game was good. The players are solid. Six consecutive days of training, no complaints and the men are good to go!
A Shift Group PhotoTwo Shifts (A&B) were trained back to back with an K38 Open Water Rescue Boat Course, the course employed Kawasaki LX Ultra's and a STX 15 were used with Lifsleds.
Special Thanks to: K38 Japan instructors, MARIS, Plus One Marine Shop and the firefighters who serve you.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
K38 UK Swiftwater Instructors Course
K38 UK Swiftwater Instructors Course
Apr-6-08 12:07am
Apr-6-08 12:07am
Ben is working in the current vector, this was one of a myriad level of skill building drills that eventually would layer up to the real world situations that a water rescue professional would encounter.
All skills were developed to learn technical handling of the RWC (Rescue Water Craft). Most operators I have observed worldwide do not understand the difference between 'riding' and 'technical' use of a personal watercraft.
Essentially, due to this lack of knowledge and understanding, they run the liability risk of impact injury or equipment damage, and worse yet, a rescue or patrol attempt that creates unnecessary stressors.The K38 Way of Training.....a good foundation to build upon!Thanks again Ben!See you in Hawai'i!
Shawn
Shawn
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Nelscott Reef Contest
Oregon coast locals inspired by competing against surfing legends
Published: December 20, 2005
By JOSH KULLA
The News Guard
One high-profile surf contest can go a long way toward garnering attention for surfers who have previously been anonymous to the rest of the world.
Such is the case both for longtime Lincoln City surfer Jason Garding and the now-famous Nelscott Reef. Garding, 32, began surfing the frigid waters of the Pacific Ocean in the mid-1980s, and such are the prevalent conditions along the coast - water temperatures in the mid-50s, stormy for much of the year, and the possibility of running into a white shark - that he says the number of dedicated surfers remaining at the coast has actually dwindled at the same time surfing has exploded in popularity around the world.
"There are a lot of fair-weather surfers in Oregon," Garding said last week. "Surfing has picked up in Oregon, but only at the beginner level. The number of hardcore locals has died off a bit."
And after the success of last week's first-ever tow-in surf contest at Nelscott Reef, one might expect that would change. But Garding and other locals don't necessarily think this will transpire.
"I don't think it will do anything with the crowds," Garding said. "As far as some locals thinking it's going to get crowded, well, go down and look at Canyons (a local surf spot near the Nelscott reef); there's no one out there."
Perhaps the fabled harshness of the Oregon coast will, in fact, deter the hordes from descending on Lincoln City and other Oregon locales. But for Garding and local surfers Keith Galbraith and Mark Builder, there is no going back following the success of the state's first professional surf contest. This is particularly the case with Garding, who would have finished eighth out of 30 surfers had each surfer been judged individually. Sponsored by Russo Surfboards and Valley Surf, Skate and Snow, of McMinnville, Garding stood out among a field of some of the world's best big-wave surfers, in part because of his local knowledge of the reef, but also because he is simply that good.
But you wouldn't know it from talking to him. Instead, like many other surfing professionals, he lets others gush forth with the accolades.
"Jason got eighth out of a field of 30 and that's frickin' unbelievable," said Roland Hoyle of Behemoth LLC, the driving force behind this year's event. "Some of the top guys in the world were there. Keith and Mark both did very well, also, they held their own for sure. They proved the locals, in fact, did belong in the contest. That was a big concern we had before, so we were really stoked that the locals did as well as they did."
For his part, Garding played up virtually all aspects of the contest during an interview last week - except his own performance. Far from boasting, he, instead, chose to focus on the importance of teamwork when it comes to tow surfing, as well as the camaraderie which was present in spades at Nelscott Reef.
"I pretty much got the butterflies out on Saturday," he said. "Don Curry (his partner for the contest) and I stayed out until sunset that day. I wiped out on the first wave and took a 15- to 20-footer on the head. But after that, we really started hooking up. Don's a really mellow guy, like me, so it really worked out well."
He added that instead of an ultra-competitive contest, the inaugural Nelscott Reef event seemed more like a friendly, free-surfing session.
"All these guys are so humble, all they really want to do is surf," he said of surfing legends such as Jeff Clark, Richard Schmidt, Peter Mel and others who have earned the lasting respect of their peers at such big-wave spots as Mavericks, near Half-Moon Bay in California, Ghost Trees, near Pebble Beach, and Todos Santos, found off the coast of Mexico.
"In the mid- to late-80s, I had only surfed for a few years, and Richard Schmidt was the guy," Garding added. "He was the best big-wave surfer from the U.S., and he was the one guy who could hold is own in Hawaii."
As for teamwork, it is paramount when surfers are towed into a wave. Not only is communication difficult given the noise and distance separating the driver and surfer, the timing has to be just right in order to catch the wave properly. Go too early and the wave will break behind - or directly on top of - the surfer. And if you get a late start, you will either miss the wave altogether or get swept "over the falls" and into a churning froth of whitewater.
What it comes down to, Garding said, is one simply has to quit thinking and let the body take over.
"When I first looked down at a solid 25-foot wall of water I didn't let go of the rope," he said. "And then I told myself ‘you're just going to have to shut your brain off.'"
Organizer Jim Kusz, who was responsible for making arrangements with North Lincoln Fire and Rescue and K38, a California company specializing in water rescue instruction, agreed the close-knit big-wave surfing community is far more responsible when it comes to safety procedures than the general surfing public. This, he noted, is partly due to the inherently dangerous nature of surfing waves with faces 30 feet or more in height. But it also comes from the uniquely intense nature of their sport, where one miscue can result in a surfer's death.
"It was really a group effort," Kusz said of the contest as a whole. "These guys aren't out beating each other. They watch out for each other. It's a real tight-knit community, and there are a lot of lessons to be learned from watching these guys compete."
Contest founder John Forse, who first "discovered" the wave at Nelscott Reef a decade ago, said the wave itself is at least partly responsible for the safety aspect, existing as it does in relatively deep water, where surfers who wipe out are in little danger of striking rocks or other potentially lethal obstructions.
"We had relatively smooth faces on the waves, and the reef is responsible for a lot of that," he said of the day of the contest.
Several days after the contest was over, the adrenaline rush of both the contest and the media coverage had yet to wear off for Garding.
"The whole thing was just incredible," he said. "The last few days have been kind of surreal. I think I just need to take the girls (daughters Marley and Madison) down to Otter Rock and get back into it."
Published: December 20, 2005
By JOSH KULLA
The News Guard
One high-profile surf contest can go a long way toward garnering attention for surfers who have previously been anonymous to the rest of the world.
Such is the case both for longtime Lincoln City surfer Jason Garding and the now-famous Nelscott Reef. Garding, 32, began surfing the frigid waters of the Pacific Ocean in the mid-1980s, and such are the prevalent conditions along the coast - water temperatures in the mid-50s, stormy for much of the year, and the possibility of running into a white shark - that he says the number of dedicated surfers remaining at the coast has actually dwindled at the same time surfing has exploded in popularity around the world.
"There are a lot of fair-weather surfers in Oregon," Garding said last week. "Surfing has picked up in Oregon, but only at the beginner level. The number of hardcore locals has died off a bit."
And after the success of last week's first-ever tow-in surf contest at Nelscott Reef, one might expect that would change. But Garding and other locals don't necessarily think this will transpire.
"I don't think it will do anything with the crowds," Garding said. "As far as some locals thinking it's going to get crowded, well, go down and look at Canyons (a local surf spot near the Nelscott reef); there's no one out there."
Perhaps the fabled harshness of the Oregon coast will, in fact, deter the hordes from descending on Lincoln City and other Oregon locales. But for Garding and local surfers Keith Galbraith and Mark Builder, there is no going back following the success of the state's first professional surf contest. This is particularly the case with Garding, who would have finished eighth out of 30 surfers had each surfer been judged individually. Sponsored by Russo Surfboards and Valley Surf, Skate and Snow, of McMinnville, Garding stood out among a field of some of the world's best big-wave surfers, in part because of his local knowledge of the reef, but also because he is simply that good.
But you wouldn't know it from talking to him. Instead, like many other surfing professionals, he lets others gush forth with the accolades.
"Jason got eighth out of a field of 30 and that's frickin' unbelievable," said Roland Hoyle of Behemoth LLC, the driving force behind this year's event. "Some of the top guys in the world were there. Keith and Mark both did very well, also, they held their own for sure. They proved the locals, in fact, did belong in the contest. That was a big concern we had before, so we were really stoked that the locals did as well as they did."
For his part, Garding played up virtually all aspects of the contest during an interview last week - except his own performance. Far from boasting, he, instead, chose to focus on the importance of teamwork when it comes to tow surfing, as well as the camaraderie which was present in spades at Nelscott Reef.
"I pretty much got the butterflies out on Saturday," he said. "Don Curry (his partner for the contest) and I stayed out until sunset that day. I wiped out on the first wave and took a 15- to 20-footer on the head. But after that, we really started hooking up. Don's a really mellow guy, like me, so it really worked out well."
He added that instead of an ultra-competitive contest, the inaugural Nelscott Reef event seemed more like a friendly, free-surfing session.
"All these guys are so humble, all they really want to do is surf," he said of surfing legends such as Jeff Clark, Richard Schmidt, Peter Mel and others who have earned the lasting respect of their peers at such big-wave spots as Mavericks, near Half-Moon Bay in California, Ghost Trees, near Pebble Beach, and Todos Santos, found off the coast of Mexico.
"In the mid- to late-80s, I had only surfed for a few years, and Richard Schmidt was the guy," Garding added. "He was the best big-wave surfer from the U.S., and he was the one guy who could hold is own in Hawaii."
As for teamwork, it is paramount when surfers are towed into a wave. Not only is communication difficult given the noise and distance separating the driver and surfer, the timing has to be just right in order to catch the wave properly. Go too early and the wave will break behind - or directly on top of - the surfer. And if you get a late start, you will either miss the wave altogether or get swept "over the falls" and into a churning froth of whitewater.
What it comes down to, Garding said, is one simply has to quit thinking and let the body take over.
"When I first looked down at a solid 25-foot wall of water I didn't let go of the rope," he said. "And then I told myself ‘you're just going to have to shut your brain off.'"
Organizer Jim Kusz, who was responsible for making arrangements with North Lincoln Fire and Rescue and K38, a California company specializing in water rescue instruction, agreed the close-knit big-wave surfing community is far more responsible when it comes to safety procedures than the general surfing public. This, he noted, is partly due to the inherently dangerous nature of surfing waves with faces 30 feet or more in height. But it also comes from the uniquely intense nature of their sport, where one miscue can result in a surfer's death.
"It was really a group effort," Kusz said of the contest as a whole. "These guys aren't out beating each other. They watch out for each other. It's a real tight-knit community, and there are a lot of lessons to be learned from watching these guys compete."
Contest founder John Forse, who first "discovered" the wave at Nelscott Reef a decade ago, said the wave itself is at least partly responsible for the safety aspect, existing as it does in relatively deep water, where surfers who wipe out are in little danger of striking rocks or other potentially lethal obstructions.
"We had relatively smooth faces on the waves, and the reef is responsible for a lot of that," he said of the day of the contest.
Several days after the contest was over, the adrenaline rush of both the contest and the media coverage had yet to wear off for Garding.
"The whole thing was just incredible," he said. "The last few days have been kind of surreal. I think I just need to take the girls (daughters Marley and Madison) down to Otter Rock and get back into it."
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Yamaha penalized
Release 05-27 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEDecember 16, 2005 CONTACT:Jerry MartinGennet PaauweDimitri Stanich(916) 322-2990Karen Caesar(626) 575-6728www.arb.ca.govAttorney General Files $20 Million Complaint Against YamahaSacramento - On behalf of the Air Resources Board (ARB), the CaliforniaAttorney General's Office has filed a $20 million complaint againstYamaha Motor Corporation, USA, and two of its dealers for allegedlycircumventing air pollution control laws and importing more than 400motorcycles not certified for sale in California."We have worked extremely hard to improve California's air quality andhave made great strides," said ARB Executive Officer CatherineWitherspoon. "We simply can't afford to let manufacturers and dealerssell vehicles that do not meet our emissions standards, which is whatYamaha appears to have done.We need to send a powerful message that this will not be tolerated inCalifornia."Several dealers involved in the case have already reached mutualsettlements with the Air Resources Board. The parties that could notreach a settlement were referred to the California Attorney General'soffice for civil prosecution. The civil complaint filed in Orange CountySuperior Court seeks penalties totaling $19,610,000.00 from Yamaha MotorCorporation, USA, San Jose Yamaha, and South Seas Cycle Exchange ofHonolulu, HI.It is a violation of California law to import new motor vehicles forsale, use or registration which are not certified to meet California'sstringent emissions standards, the toughest in the nation. According tothe ARB investigation, Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA, imported more than100 illegal non-California-certified motorcycles, registered them toYamaha Motor Corporation, USA in California, obtained California licenseplates, and then eventually sold some of them to California residents.In most cases, these were popular motorcycles that were in great demandand were hard to acquire in California.It was also discovered during the investigation that representativesfrom Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA were informing their dealers inCalifornia that if they needed these specific models they could obtainillegal, non-California-certified versions from other Yamaha dealersoutside of California. One dealer imported nearly 200 and sold all ofthem to California residents."We regret having to resort to litigation in this case, but it wasnecessary because our negotiations failed to reach a settlement. We arehoping that this case will have a deterrent effect on manufacturers anddealers who may intend to elude our strong emissions laws," addedWitherspoon.The Air Resources Board is a department of the California EnvironmentalProtection Agency. ARB's mission is to promote and protect publichealth, welfare, and ecological resources through effective reduction ofair pollutants while recognizing and considering effects on the economy.The ARB oversees all air pollution control efforts in California toattain and maintain health based air quality standards.
K38 Award given to Schmidt
Local surfer Jason Garding shines among big names
By Gail Kimberling Of the News-Times
Pablo Schulte and his surfing partner, Davey Smith, 980 miles straight from Santa Barbara, Calif. to participate in the inaugural Nelscott Reef Tow-In Contest held off Lincoln City Sunday. "It was well worth it," Schulte said, as he showed off his specially-made surf board. (Photo by Gail Kimberling) As the finalists surfed their last heat for the inaugural Nelscott Reef Tow-in Contest held Sunday, Pablo Schulte stood on the beach off Canyon Way Wayside in the waning afternoon sun and reflected on the day's events.
"Everyone was super nice, super polite," Schulte said of his brief stay in Lincoln City over the weekend. Schulte and his surfing partner, Davey Smith, had driven 980 miles straight on Friday and Saturday from Santa Barbara, Calif. to participate in the first contest of its kind in the Northwest. "It was well worth it," Schulte commented, even though the duo didn't make the finals.
"They all loved it," Stan Michelsen, a contest judge and local surfer, said of the 30 surfers who came from afar to ride the massive wave more than one-quarter of a mile off the Nelscott district of Lincoln City. Placing eighth (individually) among these world-class competitors was Lincoln City's own Jason Garding.
"It was pretty cool," Garding said about a contest of this caliber taking place in his own back yard. "Most of these guys are so cool; they're super friendly, they just love to surf like we do. It was neat." Garding, 33, was paired with Don Curry, a Carmel Beach surfer who appeared on the cover of Surfer Magazine this past spring. Though a little apprehensive at first - "I wasn't too comfortable with getting a new tow partner the day before a big event like this," Garding said - Curry's laid-back attitude soon put Garding at ease and the pair placed "pretty high up" in team scoring. Conditions for Sunday's contest were "near perfect" reported event sponsor actionsportsnw.com. "We had (a) 12-foot swell hold steady all day with sunny skies and light offshore winds," the website stated.
"The swell could have been bigger, but who's going to complain about 20- to 30-foot waves?" asked Garding, and Schulte added, "They were definitely 'A' caliber waves."
Participants were towed to the offshore reef area by wave runners or jet skis. All personal watercraft were equipped with rescue sleds, and every surfer wore safety vests and other required equipment. "I probably have $15,000 invested in all this," Schulte, who is also a partner in K38 Water Safety, said. His company specializes in the use of personal watercraft or jet skis for towsurfing and managing water safety for big wave surfing competitions. After a series of preliminary heats the hour long final was called "close," with less than a point separating the top three placers.
Overall winners of the contest were Zach and Jake Wormhoudt, of Santa Cruz, Calif.; second place went to Shane Desmond and Tyler Fox of Santa Cruz; in third were Peter Mel and Anthony Tashnick, also of Santa Cruz; and taking fourth were Jeff Clark and Mike Brummett of Half Moon Bay. Richard Schmidt was awarded the K38 most valuable player award for best driver of the contest.
The event - which came together at the last minute when conditions finally cooperated in a set "window" - turned out "way beyond my expectations," said Adam Wagner of actionsportsnw. "We had great weather, great showings. Everybody had a great time."
"The community (of Lincoln City) was excellent. There were tons of volunteers, and they were invaluable," Wagner added. "At the awards party (at Chinook Winds Golf Resort Sunday night), all those guys said they were definitely coming back next year," Garding said. "They liked how friendly everybody was, and they loved the wave - it's just a high performance wave. "A lot of big waves you're just surviving ... this (Nelscott reef) wave is just perfect. It has an open wall, it just begs you to turn. You can really show off your surfing in a wave like that," Garding explained. A surfer for most of his life, Garding recalls watching the wave off Nelscott as a teen. "I remember being 16 years old and watching that break outside the (Nelscott) canyon. We were fascinated by that big, giant peak. We didn't have a name for it back then, we didn't even know how far out it was." Then tow surfing evolved, and Garding began riding the Nelscott Reef wave about three years ago.
"As a kid we would just look at it and think, 'No way.' It's weird to finally be surfing it." Garding said he wasn't surprised at the hundreds of spectators at Sunday's contest, since word of the event quickly spread over the Internet. In spite of some grumbling by local surfers who want to "protect" their home turf, Garding isn't worried about the Nelscott Reef gaining this kind of notoriety.
He said, "All the surfers know about Oregon, but it's a tough place to be a surfer. There were actually more surfers (here) when I started 20 years ago. Now there are more valley surfers who are mostly fair weather surfers. Oregon (weather) itself keeps the crowd down." Sponsors and surfers are already looking forward to next year's Nelscott Reef Tow-in Contest, with a window set for sometime between Oct. 15 and Dec. 15. "There are so many variables that have to fall into place for it to work. For it to happen (like it did Sunday) was just incredible," Garding said. http://www.newportnewstimes.com/articles/2005/12/14/news/news02.txt
By Gail Kimberling Of the News-Times
Pablo Schulte and his surfing partner, Davey Smith, 980 miles straight from Santa Barbara, Calif. to participate in the inaugural Nelscott Reef Tow-In Contest held off Lincoln City Sunday. "It was well worth it," Schulte said, as he showed off his specially-made surf board. (Photo by Gail Kimberling) As the finalists surfed their last heat for the inaugural Nelscott Reef Tow-in Contest held Sunday, Pablo Schulte stood on the beach off Canyon Way Wayside in the waning afternoon sun and reflected on the day's events.
"Everyone was super nice, super polite," Schulte said of his brief stay in Lincoln City over the weekend. Schulte and his surfing partner, Davey Smith, had driven 980 miles straight on Friday and Saturday from Santa Barbara, Calif. to participate in the first contest of its kind in the Northwest. "It was well worth it," Schulte commented, even though the duo didn't make the finals.
"They all loved it," Stan Michelsen, a contest judge and local surfer, said of the 30 surfers who came from afar to ride the massive wave more than one-quarter of a mile off the Nelscott district of Lincoln City. Placing eighth (individually) among these world-class competitors was Lincoln City's own Jason Garding.
"It was pretty cool," Garding said about a contest of this caliber taking place in his own back yard. "Most of these guys are so cool; they're super friendly, they just love to surf like we do. It was neat." Garding, 33, was paired with Don Curry, a Carmel Beach surfer who appeared on the cover of Surfer Magazine this past spring. Though a little apprehensive at first - "I wasn't too comfortable with getting a new tow partner the day before a big event like this," Garding said - Curry's laid-back attitude soon put Garding at ease and the pair placed "pretty high up" in team scoring. Conditions for Sunday's contest were "near perfect" reported event sponsor actionsportsnw.com. "We had (a) 12-foot swell hold steady all day with sunny skies and light offshore winds," the website stated.
"The swell could have been bigger, but who's going to complain about 20- to 30-foot waves?" asked Garding, and Schulte added, "They were definitely 'A' caliber waves."
Participants were towed to the offshore reef area by wave runners or jet skis. All personal watercraft were equipped with rescue sleds, and every surfer wore safety vests and other required equipment. "I probably have $15,000 invested in all this," Schulte, who is also a partner in K38 Water Safety, said. His company specializes in the use of personal watercraft or jet skis for towsurfing and managing water safety for big wave surfing competitions. After a series of preliminary heats the hour long final was called "close," with less than a point separating the top three placers.
Overall winners of the contest were Zach and Jake Wormhoudt, of Santa Cruz, Calif.; second place went to Shane Desmond and Tyler Fox of Santa Cruz; in third were Peter Mel and Anthony Tashnick, also of Santa Cruz; and taking fourth were Jeff Clark and Mike Brummett of Half Moon Bay. Richard Schmidt was awarded the K38 most valuable player award for best driver of the contest.
The event - which came together at the last minute when conditions finally cooperated in a set "window" - turned out "way beyond my expectations," said Adam Wagner of actionsportsnw. "We had great weather, great showings. Everybody had a great time."
"The community (of Lincoln City) was excellent. There were tons of volunteers, and they were invaluable," Wagner added. "At the awards party (at Chinook Winds Golf Resort Sunday night), all those guys said they were definitely coming back next year," Garding said. "They liked how friendly everybody was, and they loved the wave - it's just a high performance wave. "A lot of big waves you're just surviving ... this (Nelscott reef) wave is just perfect. It has an open wall, it just begs you to turn. You can really show off your surfing in a wave like that," Garding explained. A surfer for most of his life, Garding recalls watching the wave off Nelscott as a teen. "I remember being 16 years old and watching that break outside the (Nelscott) canyon. We were fascinated by that big, giant peak. We didn't have a name for it back then, we didn't even know how far out it was." Then tow surfing evolved, and Garding began riding the Nelscott Reef wave about three years ago.
"As a kid we would just look at it and think, 'No way.' It's weird to finally be surfing it." Garding said he wasn't surprised at the hundreds of spectators at Sunday's contest, since word of the event quickly spread over the Internet. In spite of some grumbling by local surfers who want to "protect" their home turf, Garding isn't worried about the Nelscott Reef gaining this kind of notoriety.
He said, "All the surfers know about Oregon, but it's a tough place to be a surfer. There were actually more surfers (here) when I started 20 years ago. Now there are more valley surfers who are mostly fair weather surfers. Oregon (weather) itself keeps the crowd down." Sponsors and surfers are already looking forward to next year's Nelscott Reef Tow-in Contest, with a window set for sometime between Oct. 15 and Dec. 15. "There are so many variables that have to fall into place for it to work. For it to happen (like it did Sunday) was just incredible," Garding said. http://www.newportnewstimes.com/articles/2005/12/14/news/news02.txt
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