The Greatest Show on Surf Welcome to
It’s time for the 41st Annual San Clemente Ocean Festival, when friends and families converge on the beaches around the San Clemente Pier to enjoy time together with fun and exciting outdoor activities and entertainment.
Entry is free, and you can start out both days with a delicious pancake breakfast cooked up by our San Clemente Lifeguards, then check out some of the activities, stop by our sponsor booths, or enter some of the athletic competitions. South of the Youth Pavilion, there will be free body surfing clinics, where you can learn about water safety and the “how to’s” of catching a wave.
The theme of this event—families and lifeguards engaged together in fun activities on the beach—has been the basis of the success of Ocean Festival. This has kept it unique and beyond imitation. The event is run by a volunteer board of directors and their executive, athletic and surf directors who pool their talents.
Saturday hosts the action-packed excitement of the National Doryman Association’s two-man lifeguard boat races that start and end on the beach with courses that take them through pounding surf, while trying to avoid the other teams as they race to the finish line.
Like surfing? Check out the stand-up paddleboard contest sponsored by Hobie Surf Shop on Saturday and the “Groms Rule” Surf Contest (boys and girls 14-under), sponsored by Rip Curl and Farmers and Merchants Bank on Sunday.
Join us for the 5k Beach Run, or if you prefer swimming, we have a one-mile ocean swim and many other competitions in and out of the water where you can test your athletic abilities.
This is the 25th year of “Woodies on the Pier” (15 different cars each day), where you can see lovingly salvaged and restored wood-sided wagons, each with their own style and character. There will be a fishing derby and clinic for all ages on Saturday, sponsored by Dana Wharf Sportfishing. You can view the beach activities from above at the Ocean Art Show that stretches along Parque Del Mar, while finding your very own “treasure” to take home with you as a remembrance of the great time you had at the event.
The Youth Pavilion, south of the Pier, will be packed with crafts, games and face painting as well as demonstrations and performances for all ages to enjoy! Saturday there will be a Dolphin Dash kid’s beach run for ages 12 and younger, sponsored by Clif Kid. All participants will receive an Ocean Festival medallion.
Sponsor booths will have information, activities and goodies to share with everyone. The presenting sponsor, Fisherman’s Restaurant & Bar, will have a food court at the base of the Pier with a variety of treats to tickle your taste buds. Saturday evening, pull up your beach chair, towel or blanket and enjoy the free concert featuring Soul to Soul, a Stevie Ray Vaughan tribute band, sponsored by The Sheckler Foundation, as you watch the sun set behind Dana Point. Sand sculpting will start the day on Sunday and the ever-popular Great Rubber Duck Race will mark the weekend’s grand finale.
The San Clemente Ocean Festival has grown into a “tradition” for many within our community, the inland empire, and as far reaching as the East Coast, Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand. We thank San Clemente’s incredibly dedicated lifeguards, watching over all of us as we enjoy the weekend’s events.
Net proceeds from the event’s activities and ever-popular t-shirt sales enable us to support many local organizations and programs, benefitting families in San Clemente—field trips to the Ocean Institute, summer beach concerts, San Clemente Lifeguard programs, scholarships for local students and more.
To our sponsors and volunteers, thank you for all your hard work and support. To those who will be joining us for the first time, or have made the Ocean Festival an annual event, we welcome you to join us for the 41st Annual San Clemente Ocean Festival on July 15 and 16. There will be free parking and shuttle service from Outlets at San Clemente, 101 West Avenida Vista Hermosa. We hope you will agree that it truly is “The Greatest Show On Surf!” For more information and complete event schedules, visit www.oceanfestival.org.
—Peggy Vance, executive director of Ocean Festival
Woodie cars to make appearance at Ocean Festival for 25th year
BY RACHAEL MATTICE
Ocean Festival attendees will need to ready their favorite car-song-centric cassettes, CDs or playlists with favorites like the Eagles’ “Ol’ 55,” Wilson Pickett’s “Mustang Sally,” War’s “Low Rider” and the Beach Boys’ “Surf City” for the 25th anniversary of the Woodie Car Show on the Pier this weekend. Ocean Fest, a South Orange County and surf enthusiast tradition,
will showcase these surf culture emblems all weekend long.
Arlene Button and Gary Clark, organizers of the show and members of the Southern California Woodie Club, said 30 different cars from cities across Southern California will be on display for attendees both Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. with a new set each day.
“We have (woodie cars) coming from
as far as Carlsbad, another car from La Cañada Flintridge, another from Upland,” Button said. “We get most of the cars from Huntington Beach. That’s where the SoCal Woodie Club is centered, but many locals from San Clemente and Dana Point too.”
Attendees can expect to see woodie cars from various decades as well as different makes and models. This year’s festival will feature cars as old as 1928 and as new as 1969.
“The 1948 Chrysler Town and Country is actually a wood-clad convertible,” Clark said. “It’s owned by a local San Clemente person. It’s probably the most expensive woodie there is. It’s a very diversified group of people (who bring their cars to the show at Ocean Festival) and they are as diversified as their cars.”
Historically, woodie cars were used in England for hunting purposes, as well as served surveyors, were used as depot hacks and high end transportation for hotel guests before arriving as a staple with surfers, according to Clark.
“Woodies were big and cumbersome and most people who bought them were wealthier because they had to be maintained and varnished,” Clark said. “Generally, they became discarded and then that’s when the surfer people became aware of them for transporting their boards without hassle. They became a favorite for the surfing crowd and still are today.” •
King TRITON, Mermaids return to Ocean Festival
BY RACHEL WILFORD
King Neptune is returning for the annual Ocean Festival Mermaid Parade on Sunday, July 16, at 9 a.m. Ed Howie has played the role of King Triton in the parade since 2007. Howie, who also dresses up as Santa Claus for house parties and corporate events, was unable to be part of last year’s Mermaid Parade because he attended a Santa Claus convention in Missouri with 800 of his Santa brothers.
Howie is looking forward to diving back into his King Triton role for this year’s parade, which will begin at the Youth Pavilion and end at the San Clemente Pier. The parade will be led by Howie and two mermaids played by returning performers Kelly Garrett, 16, and Kelley Green, 17.
This will be Garrett’s third year being a mermaid in the parade. She is a junior at the Orange County School of the Arts and she also works as a party performer for children’s parties after school. Garrett’s
acting experience has prepared her for her mermaid role in the parade.
“The kids really think you’re the real deal,” Garrett said. “They always say that it’s the best day ever because they got to meet a real mermaid. It’s the cutest.”
Green got her feet wet last year during her first performance as a mermaid and will be returning this year for her second time. The San Juan Hills High School senior has been involved in the Youth Pavilion since she was 8 years old. Green loves acting and entertaining, and she said the Mermaid Parade to be a rewarding experience.
Howie, Garrett and Green all make their costumes for the parade by hand. Howie has been using the same seashell crown and gold trident that he created for his very first appearance in the Ocean Festival 10 years ago.
“Everybody loves seeing King Triton on the beach,” Howie said. “I love seeing the kids so happy and they love seeing me and
Ocean Art Show features diverse mediums from across Southern California
BY DANNY RITZ
Rachelle Liberty, multi-year director of the Ocean Art Show, was excited as she explained how this year’s upcoming event felt “just right.”
The Ocean Art Show is an all things ocean-themed showcase, featuring a diverse range of creative mediums from close to 30 of Southern California’s finest artists.
This year, the Ocean Art Show will be hosting spectacular photography, a variety of oil and watercolor paintings, hand-made artisan crafts such as woodwork and soaps and much, much more. Liberty, a featured artist herself, will be one of a number of returning favorite local artists. These local artists, as well as new exhibitors, have her assured that this year’s show will offer its widest range of high-quality art to date.
taking pictures with me every year.”
King Triton and the mermaids are looking forward to making many children smile during this year’s Mermaid Parade. •
“It’s a one-stop shop to see the talents of Southern California. You can decorate your house… you could buy a gift…you can treat yourself. I really feel like we are putting on the most intimate art show in Southern California. It’s truly a show like no other.”
In a deliberate effort to support that intimate and engaging setting that has become synonymous with the show’s unique identity, Liberty and Ocean Festival have re-centralized the Ocean Art Show back to a single location.
The Ocean Art Show will be held from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday on the grassy knoll at Parque Del Mar, directly below the main parking lot and above the beach tunnel to the northside of the Pier. •
Various woodie cars of all makes and models will be on display on the San Clemente Pier during the 2017 Ocean Festival this Saturday, July 15, and Sunday, July 16. Photo: Eric Heinz
Mermaids Kelley Green (left) and Kelly Garrett (right) will participate in the 2017 Ocean Festival Mermaid Parade with King Neptune, played by Ed Howie (center). Photo: Rachel Wilford
From Texas to San Clemente
Veteran Ocean Fest athlete returns for another year of competition
BY ANDREA PAPAGIANIS-CAMACHO
Steve Gleason can’t stay away from the water.
The Laguna Beach native began swimming competitively at 7 years old. More than 50 years later, at the age of 65, he’s still suiting up for races across the country. His top contest: San Clemente’s Ocean Festival.
Gleason, who now resides in Dallas, Texas, started masters swimming almost 20 years ago. In the ’90s and living in Thousand Oaks, he competed in the Bud Light series ocean water swims up and down the coast. He discovered Ocean Festival by word of mouth in the early 2000s and has been an unwavering contender each year since—even with roughly 1,400 miles between his current
home and San Clemente.
Sunday is his day. Gleason competes in everything from the morning’s 5K beach run and biathlon to the afternoon one-mile ocean swim, run-swim-run and Splash & Dash Relay.
“It (Ocean Festival) is awesome,” Gleason said. “I love the whole event. The general attitude of the event, the competitors and volunteers. They are super helpful and excited. And they are into it.”
Gleason said the encouragement contestants receive from volunteers, young and old, is unmatched. That support, along with dory boat races, woodie car displays and kids races make Ocean Festival his favorite.
Aside from Ocean Festival, Gleason competes in open water and pool contests coast to coast, including: the Newport Pier to Pier Swim, U.S. Masters Swimming National Championship, La Jolla Rough Water Swim and World Bodysurfing Championship—the latter he won in the 55-64 age category in 2007.
His six decades in the water started with a little brotherly love.
“My brother is five years older than me and I can remember, at 4 or 5 years old, him telling me to jump off the board. I jumped into the pool, he caught me and I just loved the water,” Gleason said.
He was hooked. A former pastor and twodecade car industry veteran, Gleason hopes to continue competing long enough to become the Ocean Festival’s oldest competitor. When he hits the beach, Gleason will be surrounded by his wife, kids and sister. The older brother, Tony, who got him comfortable in the water then on a surfboard at 10 years old, will be cheering him on too. •
Swimming competitively since age 7 and surfing since 10, Laguna Beach native and Dallas, Texas resident Steve Gleason hopes to one day be the Ocean Festival’s oldest competitor. Photos: Courtesy of Steve Gleason
Featured Booths & Vendors
Clemente Ocean Festival
29. Athletic Refreshments/Purps
30. Rip Curl
31. San Clemente Times
32. Hobie Surf Shop
33. Main Stage & Awards
34. SUP (Sat) & Groms Rule (Sun) Registration
35. KABC/KLOS van
36. Pancake Breakfast (and tickets)
37. Free Speech
miss the Rubber Duck races! Sunday at 4 p.m.
Schedule of Events
From dory races and surf contests to pancake breakfasts and a beach concert, this year’s Ocean Festival has a little something for everyone
SATURDAY, JULY 15
Stand-up Paddleboard
Surfing Championships
6 a.m. Registration/check-in at surf registration booth, north of the Pier
7 a.m. – 3 p.m. Competitions
Children’s Fishing Clinic and ‘All Ages’ Fishing Derby
6:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. Registration, clinic and derby
12:30 p.m. Judging and prizes awarded
*Note: Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult
City Lifeguard Pancake
Breakfast
7 – 11 a.m. North of the Pier, near marine safety
9th Annual “Dolphin Dash”
Kid’s Beach Run (Ages 12 and under)
7:30 – 8:45 a.m. Registration/ check-in at youth pavilion, south of the Pier
9 a.m. ½ mile run for ages 4-6
9:20 a.m. ¾ mile run for ages 7-9
9:40 a.m. 1 mile run for ages 10-12
25th Annual Woodie Car Exhibit
8:30 a.m. – 2:45 p.m. Displayed on the San Clemente Pier
Lifeguard Competitions
Main competition area-northside of San Clemente Pier.
9 a.m. Event 1: Surf race –Women
9:15 a.m. Surf race – Men
10:15 a.m. Event 2: Rescue relay (2 person, rescue can and fins) –Open – Heat 1
10:30 a.m. Rescue relay (2 person, rescue can and fins) –Open – Heat 2
10:45 a.m. Event 3: Surf, ski, race (Lifeguard spec) – Women
11 a.m. Surf, ski, race (Lifeguard spec) – Men
11:15 a.m. Event 4: National Doryman’s Association – NDA Race 1
12:15 p.m. Event 5: International Ironwoman (swim, ski, paddle)
12:30 p.m. International Ironman (swim, ski, paddle)
Free Bodysurfing Clinics
9 a.m. – 3 p.m. South of the Pier, next to Youth Pavilion. Hosted by San Clemente Body Surfing Club.
YOUTH PAVILION
All day events: Arts, crafts and games hosted by City of San Clemente Recreation Division. Plus, Ocean Institute, Clif Kid and Hero Nutritional booths.
8 a.m. Ticket sales begin for crafts, games and face painting
8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Arts and crafts, game booths (hosted by SC Parks and Recreation Division), and face painting
10 – 11 a.m. Guillobel Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu - demonstration
11 a.m. – 12 p.m. New! Adder’s Fork teen band - performance
12 – 1 p.m. Hula Connectionperformance
1:30 – 2 p.m. New! SoCal Boot Camp - demonstration
Beach Party and Free Concert
5 – 7 p.m. Dinners available through Fisherman’s Restaurant on the beach
6 – 8 p.m. Free beach concert featuring “Soul to Soul,” a Stevie Ray Vaughan tribute band
SUNDAY, JULY 16
1 p.m. Event 6: Paddleboard rescue relay (2 person, 10’6”) –Heat 1
1:15 p.m. Paddleboard rescue relay (2 person, 10’6”) – Heat 2
1:30 p.m. Event 7: National Doryman’s Association – NDA Race 2
2:30 p.m. Event 8: 10’6” Paddleboard sprint - Women
2:45 p.m. 10’6” Paddleboard sprint - Men
3 p.m. Sup surfing awards ceremony (on main stage)
3:30 p.m. Event 9: American Ironman (swim, paddle, dory)
4 p.m. American Ironwoman (run, swim, paddle)
4:15 p.m. San Clemente Body Surfing Club demonstration
4:15 p.m. Event 10: Beach flags –Men (conditions permitting)
4:30 p.m. Beach flags – Women (conditions permitting)
5:30 p.m. Lifeguard events awards ceremony (near main stage)
Ocean Art Show
9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Parque Del Mar, overlooking event and south of beach tunnel
Ocean Art Show
9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Parque Del Mar, overlooking event and south of beach tunnel
Beach Events
Main competition area-northside of the San Clemente Pier
8 a.m. Event 11: 5K beach run/ walk
9 a.m. Event 12: Biathlon (1k swim and 5k beach run)
10 a.m. Event 13: 10K ocean paddle race (sup, prone, ski)
10:30 a.m. SCOF beach events (11 and 12) Awards ceremony (main stage)
12 p.m. Event 14: One-mile ocean swim
1:45 p.m. Event 15: Kid’s sup sprint race (9-11, 12-14, boys and girls)
1:55 p.m. Junior sup sprint race (18 and under, boys and girls)
2:05 p.m. Women’s sup sprint race (Open, Sr.)
2:15 p.m. Men’s sup sprint race (Open, Sr.)
2:30 p.m. Event 16: Run – swim – run (200m Run, 300m Swim, 200m Run)
2:45 p.m. S.C. Marine Safety water rescue demonstration
3 p.m. Event 17: Splash and dash relay (runner 100m and swimmer 300m)
3:30 p.m. SCOF Beach Events (13-17) Awards Ceremony (main stage)
11th Annual “Groms Rule” Surf Contest (Boys 14 and under, girls 14 and under)
6 a.m. Registration/check-in at the surf registration booth, north of the Pier
6:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. Awards ceremony (main stage)
Sand Sculpture Team Competition
11 a.m. -12 p.m.
6:30 a.m. Registration and sculpting, south of the Pier
1 - 1:30 p.m. Judging/viewing (depending on the tides)
2 p.m. (apx) Awards – Immediately following judging
City Lifeguard Pancake Breakfast
7 – 11 a.m. North of Pier, near marine safety
25th Annual Woodie Car Exhibit
8:30 a.m. – 2:45 p.m. Displayed on the Pier
Youth Pavilion
All day events: Arts, crafts and games hosted by City of San Clemente Recreation Division. Plus, Ocean Institute, Clif Kid and Hero Nutritional booths. 8 a.m. Ticket sales begin for crafts, games and face painting
8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Arts and crafts, game booths (hosted by SC Parks and Recreation Division), and face painting
9 – 10 a.m. Mermaid parade with King Triton and mermaids 10 – 11 a.m. South Coast Conservatory – performance
11 a.m. – 12 p.m. New! Hard Core Fitness Studio – Zumba demonstration
12:30 – 1:30 p.m. School of Rock “House Band” – music and entertainment
1:30 – 2 p.m. New! Crunch Fitness – ‘pound’ demonstration
25th Annual GreaT Rubber Duck Race
4 p.m. (approximate time) Sponsor ducks are $5 each
Duck, Duck, Golden Goose
These little rubber birds have a lot at stake
BY ERIC HEINZ
Traditionally, rubber duck races get the attention of a lot of smaller children, eager to compete for bragging rights as having the fastest duck.
Ocean Festival’s version of the universally quaint competition takes it to a whole other level. Thousands of ducks are poured into the Pacific Ocean shores and bob their way over waves with owners’ hoping their duck will be the first on shore, about a quarter of a mile toward the Marine Safety building. The first duck wins a grand prize and other ducks are selected as runners up for other rewards.
This year marks the 25th year of the Rubber Duck Races, and Tod Bryant, the coordinator of the Duck Races, said he’s seen people lunge for the ducks, craving to claim ownership of the multicolored counterfeit birds.
In 2008, the duck races raised more than $12,000 for Ocean Festival, selling at a rate of 3.3 ducks per minute for 13 hours over the weekend, according to figures provided by
Bryant. It has raised $40,000 in the last five years.
“One year, someone tossed a small bag of them on a table, and people were scrounging for them as if they were the last ducks on the planet,” Bryant said. “For years, the Ocean Festival did not make a dime at all, and so it was really the efforts of the community that brought these events together.”
Bryant has been the lead coordinator of the races for the last 17 years and understands how important it is to maintain order. He said even though they’re mostly children competing in the races, 600 pairs of eager eyes ready to tackle those first ducks on the shore can be intimidating.
Proceeds from the duck races go toward operations of Ocean Festival, and anything that is left over is put into a fund for local scholarships and programs for children.
“We look for someone who is going to be a marine biology major or something that’s ocean-related,” Bryant said. •
IF YOU GO:
Ocean Festival Duck Races
When: 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 16
Where: Just north of the San Clemente Pier, Marine Safety Division building
Cost: Ducks are $5 each and may be purchased at booths during the weekend of Ocean Festival
The Rubber Duck Race is possibly one of the most sought-after games of chance at the Ocean Festival, drawing hundreds of participants each year. In the past, grand prizes have been as lavish as weeklong vacations to Tahiti.
Photo: Eric Heinz
BY ERIC HEINZ
Two people were named to receive the 2017 Dorothy Fuller, an honor bestowed by the San Clemente Ocean Festival (SCOF) to some of its most dedicated volunteers.
The award winners were announced at the SCOF sponsors dinner on Thursday, July 6, at Casa Romantica.
Rubber duck races have been an extremely popular event, and for the last 17 years, Tod Bryant, the first recipient of the award, has ensured that hundreds of people participate.
Bryant has also served on the SCOF donations, scholarships and entertainment committees.
“He has sailed from California to East Africa, Mahe, Seychelle Islands and Indian Ocean, plus ran with the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain,” said Maureen Easter, SCOF board member, during the sponsors dinner. “We thank him for his many years of service to the event, his dedication to finding great en-
Kids, Inc.
BY ERIC HEINZ
The Youth Pavilion at Ocean Festival gives people of all ages and abilities something to look forward to every year, while the older kids take to the ocean.
Illiana Farias is taking over as director of the Youth Pavilion this year and said there will be some new features people can anticipate.
“This year we are having new oceaninspired games, arts and crafts for children and young teens and new entertainment,” Farias said.
A native of San Clemente, Farias said
tertainment, and the gathering of over 500 exciting prizes throughout the years.”
The second recipient, Erin Blake, was surprised at the event on Thursday as a recipient. Blake helped grow the Youth Pavilion and was a board member for years. She also started the annual mermaid parade, and she continues to coordinate the children’s Dolphin Dash—all while raising her four children.
“She brought about a reawakening of an integral segment of the SCOF which emphasized the meaning of a community and family event,” Marquez said.
Dorothy Fuller was regarded as the “mother” of the Ocean Festival. According to SCOF officials, she started promoting the event in 1977. Fuller coordinated the event with San Clemente lifeguards and coined the phrase “The Greatest Show on Surf.”
The award began in 2000 when the Ocean Festival recognized Fuller for her years of dedication to the event. •
the Ocean Festival was a major part of her upbringing, and she said she didn’t hesitate when offered the chance to volunteer this year.
“I wanted to give back to my community (with) memories like the ones I had created growing up,” Farias said.
Although the Youth Pavilion has not changed much over the years, Farias said she coordinated with the Ocean Festival board and the city to provide new games, arts, crafts and entertainment.
“I am hoping this will encourage families to bring their children back to the Pavilion to create new experiences,” Farias said, adding the Ocean Institute will provide educational games for children.
Planning the Youth Pavilion takes a lot of time and effort, Farias said, and as soon as this year’s is over she will start planning for next year’s.
“I look forward to seeing new and old faces at this year’s Ocean Festival,” Farias said. •
San Clemente Aquatics team to compete in this year’s Ocean Festival
San Clemente’s inauguration in the 1920’s, named as the “theater to the stage of the sea” by founder Ole Hanson, is a piece of history not forgotten by San Clemente Aquatics Head Coach Goran Westerlund.
“Swimming here is like walking elsewhere. It’s essential,” Westerlund said.
The San Clemente Aquatics team will be a noticeable presence in the 2017 Ocean Festival, having encouraged its team members 11 years and older to participate in the many swimming events, most notably the daunting one-mile ocean swim.
The integration of this formidable crosstraining challenge has been spearheaded largely by Assistant Coach Brittany Vocke. A former collegiate swimmer at George Mason University, as well as All-American Triathlete and All-World recognized Ironman competitor herself, Vocke is excited to see her athletes recognized in one of their town’s own premier events.
“We want to show that we are helping the youth of San Clemente become well-rounded, disciplined and talented athletes, as well as safe community members.”
This emphasis on safety was seconded by Westerlund.
“Swimming is the fundamental base of almost all of the aquatic activities that San Clemente is renowned for across the world,” he said.
The addition of Ocean Fest and its athletic competitions correlates with the positive evolution of San Clemente Aquatics from its founding in 1975.
Around 2010, San Clemente Aquatics received a state-of-the-art Olympic-quality facility with the support of the city of San Clemente, of which they are considered a “senior partner.”
Under Westerlund and his coaching staff, the Club has grown to over 300 members and is a regional competitive powerhouse with multiple nationally ranked swimmers
qualifying for such events as the United States Nationals and Junior Olympics.
Westerlund’s pride was evident when asked to comment concerning San Clemente’s presence in the Southern California competitive sphere, a historic breeding ground for world class swimmers.
“Previously, clubs from surrounding areas such as San Juan Capistrano and Irvine, pool-oriented communities, have been dominant,” said Westerlund. “This is an ocean-centric community; we sort of had to go the other way. We’re thankful for the support of the city and of the community, and we are looking to truly put San Clemente on the map in the swim world.”
As they wrap up their competitive season, Ocean Festival is a localized point where Westerlund, Vocke and their team look to put swimming on a pedestal previously reserved for surfing and water polo.
Be sure to look out for San Clemente Aquatics team members, including 13-year-old Stella Copeland, winner of the 2016 Women’s One-Mile Ocean Swim, as they make an unmistakable splash in this year’s Ocean Festival. They will be hosting a booth, where anyone interested in learning how to participate in, as well as support San Clemente’s premier club swimming experience, is encouraged to stop by and introduce themselves to their team and staff. Offering a wide range of programs for the novice and skilled competitive swimmer alike, as well as appealing to athletes looking to cross-train for other sports, they truly have something for everyone.
Guests are invited to drop in and gain an insider view of San Clemente Aquatics as they practice on Monday through Thursday from 3:30-7 p.m. and 3:30–5:30 p.m. on Friday at their stunning facility at 987 Avenida Vista Hermosa.
For more information and club updates, visit their Facebook page at www.facebook. com/sanclementeaquatics. •
Left: Ernie Marquez, left, gives Erin Blake a hug after being announced as one of the recipients this year of the Dorothy Fuller Award. Right: Tod Bryant was named the 2017 recipient of the Dorothy Fuller Award during the sponsors dinner on Thursday, July 6, at Casa Romantica. Photos: Eric Heinz
TEXT AND PHOTO BY DANNY RITZ
New Director of Youth Pavilion Eager for Ocean Festival
Illiana Farias
Erin Blake, Tod Bryant Named CoRecipients of Dorothy Fuller Award
Fresh EMCEES
Sports media personality and Hobie lifestyle athlete are the new voices behind Ocean Festival
BY ANDREA PAPAGIANIS-CAMACHO
Be it a passionate, drawn-out “goal” or stoked out, wave-ride narrative, from the pitch to the surf, sports announcers embody their game. Their enthusiasm and ability to encapsulate big, dramatic moments while weaving together stories and casual conversation is an art form.
The voices behind this year’s San Clemente Ocean Festival are perfecting this craft.
Tracey Engelking and Dreu Murin radiate energy. At stand-up paddle board, surf and waterman events across Southern California, airwaves resonate with their contagious excitement—the kind of elation and color festival founder and longtime announcer Charlie Ware said it was time for as he retired last year.
Ware, the Vin Scully of Ocean Festival, provided steady, informative commentary
for 40 years. First from a Pier-top perch at The Fisherman’s Restaurant, then a beachside announcing booth, Ware’s to-the-point, informative-style became a natural part of the festival fold.
His legacy and enduring contribution to Ocean Festival aren’t lost on Engelking, who emceed with Ware the past few festivals, and Murin as the team runner-up for
and she’s made a career of sharing her passion for the ocean with others.
It’s her enthusiasm that landed Engelking her first broadcasting gig. With an announcer out at the San Onofre-located King & Queen of Dogpatch stand-up paddle event in 2009, Engelking got her shot. Her excitement led former Rainbow Sandals event director Barrett Tester to pick her out of the crowd.
She was a natural on the mic and has been announcing surf sports ever since. Murin, a South Lake Tahoe-based media personality, co-hosts the nationally syndicated “Wild Fish Wild Places” show on World Fishing Network and is the afternoon drive DJ on Lake Tahoe’s rock station 97.1 FM. The longtime action sports commentator also calls Sacramento King and Reno Bighorn games, International Surfing Association competitions and Red Bull’s extreme sports events across the country.
hosting duties.
“We’re stepping into some big shoes,” Murin said. “Don’t listen Charlie,” he joked.
In the lead up to their inaugural Ocean Festival, the duo let their excitement flow.
“It feels like a privilege,” said Engelking. “It truly is an honor to be a part of something that speaks to San Clemente. I am lucky to be a part of it.”
Engelking, the marketing and social media manager for Hobie Surf Shops, learned to surf at the San Clemente Pier. A San Clemente resident and Hobie lifestyle athlete, Engelking’s life revolves around the water
San Clemente Ocean Festival is Now Mobile-Friendly
BY ERIC HEINZ
“The San Clemente Ocean Festival may be 41 years old, but its website is brand new and now mobile-friendly,” a release from the Ocean Festival Board of Directors said. “Cruise on over to check it out at www.oceanfestival.org today.”
This year’s schedule of events, map of locations, volunteer opportunities and more are available on the website. Information to register for events is also available.
Check out the site during Ocean Festival, July 15 and 16, at the San Clemente Pier. Also, visit the San Clemente Times website at www.sanclementetimes.com and on Facebook. Check us out on Instagram @s_c_times and Twitter @SCTimesNews for highlights of the festival. •
In recent years, he’s spent more time along the coast announcing surf and SUP contests, like the Mongoose Cup, Pacific Paddle Games and former Battle of the Paddle where he and Engelking first paired up.
“San Clemente and Dana Point have become my second homes,” Murin said. “Every time I am here I am blown away by the beauty and the people … Everyone is so supportive and accepting. It’s such an enlightening experience.”
From lifeguard competitions to the Great Rubber Duck Race, Engelking and Murin will be blending sports knowledge and lighthearted banter with natural ease and excitement throughout the festival. •
Emcees Tracey Engelking and Dreu Murin are packing the fun for the Greatest Show on Surf.
Photo: Courtesy of Dreu Murin
