City of Huntington Beach
P.O. Box 190
CALIFORNIA 92648

October 12, 1970

Mr. Bruce Gabrielson
18862 Carolyn Lane
Huntington Beach, California

Dear Bruce:

As Chairman of the Executive Committee of the U.S. Surfboard Championships, I would like to thank you and the other signatories for your petition concerning the recent U.S. Surfboard Championships. We feel that it is certainly advantageous to have different viewpoints expressed to the Executive Committee regarding the surfing events.

As you are well aware, the Executive Committee works over one year in order to produce the surfing contest successfully. I fully understand your and the other signatories' concern of having the W.S.A. managing the competitive portion of the event, judging, and establishing some of the qualifications of entry. In an attempt to explain to you and the other signatories, I would like to point out that surfing contests, at best, are very difficult to conduct. This is evidenced by the obvious demise of surfing events on the coast.

The U.S. Surfboard Championships is considered the single largest surfing event in this country. It started as a small local contest and it has progressed to be the No. I sport in this country. We do have competitors from the East, Gulf, and of course West Coast. The associations in all of these areas worked very diligently in evaluating and selecting competitors--all of whom participate throughout the year in some form of competitive program that is regulated by a set of standards.

We appreciate your interest in having more people enter the event, but let me assure you we have a physical problem in accommodating a completely open contest. What you propose would be very similar to a local resident of Indianapolis asking that he be allowed to participate in the Indianapolis 500 because he is a resident of Indianapolis. It would be like Mario Andretti wanting to race without belonging to U.S.A.C.

The competition certainly does require some regulatory agency. In an effort to resolve the dilemma, we are seriously considering sponsoring three or four events annually and then reserving seeding positions in the Championships for the winners of those competitions as well as either foreign or national surfers.

Again, thank you for your petition and interest.

Sincerely yours,

Vincent G. Moorhouse, Director
Harbors, Beaches, & Development

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