It isn't going to get any bigger. We're limited on space. Hey, Cocoa Beach is a small town. Now we're focusing on increasing the quality of surfing, boosting the prize purse and creating more family fun. |
Our event is probably at its maximum now. |
Ron Jon stepped up to the plate this year. They did it to get those surfers from California and Hawaii and Puerto Rico. We do have some outstanding surfers coming. |
She was a damn good surfer, really better than a lot of the guys. There were a handful of decent girl surfers up and down the whole coast, but guys weren't very good about giving up waves to women. It just wasn't accepted. A lot of kids today had no idea women surfers existed back then. |
Some people think we just show up on the beach and that's it. But it's trade shows, city commission meetings, planning boards. Everything to make it better. Just the pleasure of seeing it all come together makes it rewarding and worthwhile. |
Somehow, when she was 13, I convinced her parents to let us take her on the road trips. All the rest of them were guys, but she was treated like she had five or six older brothers. She was very good. |
That's the kind of thing that always makes it interesting. |
We had to change. Times were changing. |
We may not be able to get much bigger (waves) than we are today. But every year we are able to bring better quality surfers to the event. Better surfers, better vendors who are more civic-minded and less commercial, that is what we try to do every year to improve the family friendly environment. |
We've been at it for awhile. And it's not getting any easier. |