Meet the Member An article featuring one of our D.L.S.A. Members.
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Meet Rachael Calkins Article and photos: Jim Coshland
Rachael is the Club Secretary, and she is probably one of if not the youngest elected Officers in the club's 20+ year history. But the honor is not unfitting, for she is one of the most level headed, hardworking and loyal members there is in the club. She also has a list of talents that is almost too long to mention in one article. Besides being one of our competiton team's top competitors, she is also an artist with her own fine art business, a marine biologist and diver on the staff of the Dana Point Ocean Institute, sales person for a local aquarium maintenance and installation company, automotive mechanic, musician as well as always one of the first to volunteer to help out with all the different club events, projects, causes and activities. With her high level of participation and hard work, the club has and will continue to benefit from her being one of our members and officers for many more years I'm sure. If you haven't met Rachael, make sure you introduce yourself and get to know her!
She is a fashion trendsetter!
1. Please tell us your name and age and the names of
your immediate family
members and what city you live in.
Rachael Calkins, 25
Mark,
Katie, Amanda and Alex
besides
my parents we all live in different cities, I occupy the south side in
San Clemente.
2. What
school you go to and what grade if you are a grom?
Graduated in 2006 with 3 Associate of
Science degrees (Biology, Marine Science Technology, and Aquarium and
Aquaculture science) continuing education at Cal State Fullerton
Rachael's beautiful artwork. Contact her for purchase information.
See the link on the "Friends and Sponsors" page.
3. What is your occupation
if you are an adult?
I work full time for OC Fish a custom aquarium and
maintenance company, and part-time for the Ocean Institute, I also own
my own businesses BlueFroof and MyScrimshaw.com
4. How long have you been a
member of the D.L.S.A.?
15 years (shoot maybe longer?) ask my parents I'm guilty
by association
2009 Velzy
Classic
5. What do you like about
being a member of the club?
Comradery, and the
Competition Team (surfing with others who rip to improve my own
ability)
6. Do you prefer surfing on
longboards, shortboards or both?
Long? but it is the winter so maybe short?
2008 Charlie Z's sanO Team Contest
7. What is your favorite
board and what are the other boards in your quiver?
My 9'4" Weber
Planer (thanks Shea and Darren!)
My others include a 9'1"
Weber Feather replica (made exact to my dad's '69), a 6'6" Weber Quad
and a 5'10" 1970's Surfing's new Image single fin. And Tim's SUP that I
"borrow" on occasion.
Rachael helps out at every club event. Here she is judging
8. What is your favorite surf
spot(s)?
Trestles and San O', Doho during a 180 degree south and
Trailer Park's (if you know, you know)
9. What do you like about
surfing?
Everything but putting on a wet wetsuit in the winter
wind
2009 D.L.S.A., G.O.T.T.
10. Do you compete in
contests?
Yes, sireeeee!
11. What are your other
hobbies or interests?
Scrimshaw, Geocaching (check it out!!!), painting,
drawing, off roading, travel, unicycle training with Tim, playing with
Felix, fine jewelry making, tuning my truck, guitar . . . those who know
me can probably think of more ( ;
Rachael has been on the Dewey Weber Competition Team longer than almost any other member.
12. What is your favorite
type of music and what artists or bands you like?
Eclectic, very
eclectic. Ummmm, top choices: Led Zeppelin, Ret Hot Chili peppers, White
Stripes, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, the Bastard Sons, the Chop Tops,
Metallica, Flight of the Conchords, Three Bad Jacks, Red Elvises, John
Mayer, too many to list!!!
13. What else
would you like to say or suggest to the D.L.S.A. or other members?
Keep the Stoke!
if you have one of "those days", just remember
that session or friend that got you into it and relive that moment. And
you'll be In the stoke once more
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Meet the Grom In this article we feature one of our Groms that belong to the D.L.S.A.
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Meet Halle Rohr
Article and photos: jim Coshland
Halle and her family have been members of the club for a few years now, and she along with her brother Perry (who has previously been showcased in this Meet The Grom section) have been top competitors on the D.L.S.A. Competition Team. At this time in her surfing career she is "blowing up". Along with many Coalition, ISF and other contests wins and other finals placements, she placed 2nd and 4th, winning money in two finals of the 2009 Professional Longboard Association contest circuit. Beating many of the top female longboard surfers competing today. So she could have easily been written about here in a "Meet The Pro" article. But she is still so young, there is time for that later on. Besides being an exceptional surfer, Halle is a very good student with many other interests and activities. Halle's Mom and Dad, Nancy and Grant are really great people and support their kids surfing, spending many hours and miles on the road shuttling the kids from event to event. So If you haven't met Halle, make sure you do so. She is a great kid!
Here's some more about her...
It's fun to bug your brother. Getting ready for the pick a stick race at the 2009 60's contest
1. Please tell us your name and the names of your immediate family members
and what city you live in.
I’m Hallie and I am 15. I live in San
Clemente with my mom (Nancy), dad (Grant), and brother (Perry). And my
poodle Lola :)
2. What school you go to and what grade
if you are a grom?
I’m a sophmore at San Clemente High School
Old Man's, August 2009
6. Do you prefer surfing on
longboards, shortboards or both?
Longboards. Only. No shortboards
7. What is your favorite board
and what are the other boards in your quiver?
I just tried the new Weber Planer and it was
amazing. I have a Weber performer that I ride all the time and a Weber
Strato that I’m selling.
2008 Charlie Z's SanO Team Contest
8. What is your favorite surf
spot(s)?
Cardiff, Doheny, Leo Carillo, PV Cove,
Churches, San O, Rincon, Refugio and C-street
9. What do you like about
surfing?
Everything. You can go get wave after wave
until it’s dark and then wake up the next day and do it all over again. I
especially love how with longboarding you can get creative and try
different stuff on the nose
Smacking the lip at Windansea 2008
10. Do you compete in
contests?
I just recently started doing the PLA
contests. I do mostly school and club events
11. What are your other
hobbies or interests?
Baking, watching TV, shopping at thrift
stores, playing piano, camping, being with friends, listening to music,
and playing tennis with my brother
Reverse walkback, SanO August 2009
12. What is your favorite type
of music and what artists or bands you like?
I like just about everything except Taylor
Swift and country music. I’m a big fan of the Killers, Arctic Monkeys,
Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Beatles
13. What else would you like
to say or suggest to the D.L.S.A. or other members?
Good job at the churches contest!
Old Man's August 2009
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Member News If you have any Member News that you would like us to put on the site, please contact us with your information... ______________________________
D.L.S.A. Member spotted at the Surf-A-Rama Member and Club Treasurer Tom Hammer spotted buying a Vintage Board at this years Surf_A-Rama.
Tom and his "new" vintage board _____________________________
Two very talented D.L.S.A. Fine Artist's send us News...
Tyler Warren announces his new show:
HOPE YOU CAN MAKE IT!
TYLER
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Heather Ritts sends us her latest news:
Hi Everyone...
I have some fun and exciting news! The "bust" I
painted for Keep A Breast is traveling with other painted busts around
FRANCE! The foundation is doing a world tour to promote Breast Cancer
Awareness and an entire space was filled with beautiful art. The one I
painted is the blue one in the window with the Hawaiian girl wearing a
headdress of leaves and fish. So please enjoy. For more info go to www.keep-a-breast.org.
As for the "Save the Turtle" shirts I designed for www.loveaseaturtle.com,
they are NOW
AVAILABLE at www.bakeforoceanssake.com. Head over the the right side
and click "Bake Shop". Whole Foods, Oceana.org, and King Arthur Flour
are supporting these amazing young girls in their quest to save the
turtles and have a healthy ocean through baking! I have attached the
shirt photo. They are $18.00 and proceeds go to imms.org to help rehabilitate
sick and injured Sea Turtles from the Gulf Coast tragedy. Thanks for
your support and let me know how you like the shirts!
I also attached my newest Plumeria piece in
acrylics. I will be exploring more in that media in the near future so
get READY!!
Peace and Plumerias!
H
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Picture of a member surfing tandem at the Boneyard in 1979
John Coshland as a 13 year old Grom holding up his buddy.
Picture from the San Clemente Sun Post.
Send in your funny or cool old pictures for the website: dlsawebmaster@hotmail.com ______________________________
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Photos from the paddle out for Erika Arvidson
Photos submitted by Bill Grey
Thanks to everybody who helped out and attended the paddle out, showing support for our fellow member Jon and his family. It was very nice day to remember Erika and celebrate her life with friends and family. There were kind words and beautiful music at the gathering. And the large waves made the paddle out a bit challenging.
Here are some photos that Bill took. Click on the thumbnail for a larger view.
Vintage magazine ad from the 1960's featuring our club Surfing Legend and fellow member Mickey Munoz
Article and photo submitted by Jim Coshland
Mickey said he is twenty something in this picture. Note the 4% sales tax for California residents.
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Pictures of fellow D.L.S.A. member Tom Dalton taken at Church Valentines Day weekend
Photos submitted by Bill Grey
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Be a good example by remembering to always try and follow the basic surfing "Rules Of The Road"
Whether you are surfing at Doheny or another break, remember that you are a representative of the D.L.S.A. So set a good example on how to be a courteous and safe surfer. Be a mentor and show everybody your aloha spirit as well as how to respect other surfers and the ocean. And remember to always pass off a few waves to
the groms and less experienced surfers. It will stoke them out as well as teach them to do the same to others. ______________________________
A cool Video by Perry Rohr
He and Hallie surfing in the 805 last year
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Photos taken at Doheny during the week of big storms in January
Article by Jim Coshland, Photos courtesy of Mickey Munoz
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These photos were taken by D.L.S.A. member and Surfing Legend Mickey Munoz during the week of January 17-23, 2010. They show the power, beauty and effects of the series of very strong El Nino winter storms and severe weather that lasted almost an entire week. The photos were taken by Mickey at Doheny using his Canon G10 digital camera. Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos Mickey! And remember we always welcome photography by our members for posting on the website.
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Photos of Sunset at The 2010 D.L.S.A. Gathering Of The tribes Check out these great photos by two of our members.
Photo courtesy of Bill Grey Photo courtesy of Rachael Calkins
_____________________________ . D.L.S.A. Board of Director and club photographer Steve Ryan's beautiful image "Support America"
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Video of D.L.S.A.'s Tandem Team of Clay and Kristen Huntington being interviewed recently on the local Florida TV News broadcast during the recent charity contest there
See them, the Gales and the Siskars plus many other tandem teams compete for cash prizes at our Dale Velzy Classic on September 26th!
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D.L.S.A. Family Member does well in the recent Catalina to Marina Del Rey Paddle Race
Nick Bobroff son of Charlie and Cherlene, competes in the 2009 Catalina Classic Paddle Board Race and charity fundraiser.
Rudely awakened by the steady beep of an alarm at 5:00 am on
Sunday morning, I slowly start to stir. It’s still dark outside and
the alarm is still going! Jason calls out “Nick! Nick!” since he would
be the only one really having to rally at that hour. Jason, Heather
and I could slowly wake up, as we packed up the boat and began to motor
out of the harbor with the hundred or so other boats.
Welcome to race day of the Catalina Classic, a marathon of paddleboard
races. Beginning from the beach at Twin Harbors, Catalina, competitors
will race 32 miles across the channel with a water finish at the
Manhattan Pier. The two boards used by participants are the unlimited
(eighteen foot) and stock (twelve foot board). Stock boards must weigh
in at 20lbs to keep consistent results from year to year.
Each paddler comes with a support boat and a crew. Our paddler was
Nick Bobroff, riding on an unlimited, but two other paddlers from Santa
Barbara – Shane Scoggins on stock and Steve Shlens on unlimited – also
competed. This would be Nick and Shane’s second crossing and Steve’s
first crossing. Nick and Shane both learned a lot on their first
crossing and were looking to improve their performances from last
year. Nick had a series of unlucky setbacks last year that left him
with a less than supportive boat captain. Now with a strong support
crew of me, Heather, and Jason, Nick could relax knowing that we
wouldn’t leave him!
Having a strong support crew is key. The role of the support
crew is to keep the paddler safe, keep them on course and provide them
with adequate verbal and nutritional support throughout the race.
Sometimes crew are dropped off ahead of their paddler. The paddler
heads directly for them, a water bottle pass-off is completed, and the
boat then picks up the crew. The exchange is seamless, but can make a
swimmer nervous! Nick’s approach was to come close to the boat, toss a
bottle in, and call out what type of prepared fluid he wanted. Heather
and I could then quickly pass off the desired bottle. Also during this
brief time, we updated Nick on speed, how much distance he had left,
who was ahead, or any other information he wanted to know. Then he
plugged in his iPod and returned to his race zone. Back to relaxing on
the boat, Heather and I prepared the next set of water bottles,
listened to the commentary on the radio, and enjoyed the perfect glassy
conditions.
Unlike a lot of races, “The Classic,” as
it’s affectionately called, is a well organized event. The amount of
teamwork from the support crew and paddler to the boat captains and the
race marshals is amazing. At 6am sharp, the horn goes, with clear
instructions on how to announce that you have found your paddler. A
hundred paddlers leave the shore together weaving through boats until
they reach open water. Support crew then is responsible for finding
their paddler. Knowing their paddling outfit and color of their board
is key, as they tend to all look somewhat similar from far away. Shane
wears bright orange, which is very easy to find! Nick had a red hat,
so I was able to spot him quickly and Steve always wears a tank top,
which quickly eliminated quite a few paddlers! Shane and Nick paddled
together for awhile, with Steve slightly behind them. Shane started to
pull away looking for a first place finish. Nick held a solid pace the
entire race, taking over some paddlers but not letting any pass him!
Steve had a few hiccups with his nutrition early on but with the
support of his crew, jumped back on track finishing strong.
Shane finished 2nd in stock with a time of 5:58:07, just shy of
beating the record. We didn’t see Shane’s finish, but he was lucky
enough to be paddled into the beach by his lady, Keri! Nick finished
shortly behind Shane, with a significant improvement from last year as
the 23rd finisher with a time of 6:04:58. Not far behind, Steve
cruised in with a time of 6:13:38, becoming the 30th paddler to finish.
As the competitors rest this week, I am sure many are already
plotting their strategy for next year! Great job to all! Below are a
group of select images captured during the race.
Heather and Rochelle prepare for the day ahead
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D.L.S.A. Competition Team Members
Take National Surfing Titles!
Article and Photos Submitted by Jim Coshland
Matt Jensen (blue)
At the ASP sanctioned SIMA Surfing America National Championship Finals held at
the Huntington Beach Pier on August 25th and 26th, D.L.S.A. Competition Team members
took home 6 of the 28 awards given out in 7 divisions.
Glen Tilly (blue)
The contest featured the top surfers from all over the United States and included
regional champions from the Western Surfing Association, the National Scholastic
Surfing Association, WSA Prime, Eastern Surfing Association, Gulf Surfing Association and Hawaiian Surfing Association.
Josh Reposo (white), Gabe fembres (yellow)
The 2 days were filled with a very high level of surfing from all the competitors, with incredible performances in large surf. There were consistant big sets along with waist to shoulder high waves, with at least one big clean up set coming through in each heat. Many heats with lots of big dumping surf which made it very exciting to watch the competitors make the most of their heats in the challenging surf.
In that light there were a lot of big hits and gravity defying drop in's that kept all the
spectators very entertained and appreciative of the various performances given in every heat. And after the dust settled, the D.L.S.A. Members competing took home the following National Rankings: Masters Mens Shortboard - Glen Tilly 3rd Place.
Mens Shortboard - Matt Jenson 4th Place. Open Mens Longboard - Josh Reposo 2nd Place and Gabe Fembres 3rd Place. Jr Women Longboard - Michelle Bautista Layton 2nd Place and, Rachael Tilly 4th Place. Congrats to all of these members on your national rankings! Way to represent the D.L.S.A!
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Club V.P. Bobby Knox "back in the day".
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D.L.S.A. Places 4th overall
at Steamer Lane, Santa Cruz
On Memorial Day weekend the D.L.S.A. Competition Team
placed fourth place overall in a field of 11 other Coalition Club Teams at the S.C.L.U's 25th Annual Memorial Day weekend Contest.
On a weekend where it was mostly overcast with northerly
winds in the afternoon, the waves were pretty small for
Saturday's preliminary heats. Sunday brought some afternoon clearing as well as bigger surf, with some sets being almost double overhead. The big sets were very inconsistent, with
the average wave size about shoulder high.
Our group of seasoned competitors did very well against some
of the best longboarders in California. We also placed second
in the Paddle Relay race which really helped out in our overall placement.
Our team consisted of surfers from 11 years to 60+, and
included: Bill Grey, Sal Avila, Geno Arriloa, Jeanette Francis,
Gabe Fembres, Josh Reposo, Matt Jensen, Morgan Sliff, Eli
Gillis, Anna Gillis, Hallie Rohr, Perry Rohr, and the tandem
teams of the Huntington's and Gale's.
Our surfers performed very well in each division. In the end
the Club was represented on the awards stand by the following surfers and their placement:
Anna Gillis 6th - Novice
Perry Rohr 6th - Menehune
Hallie Rohr 3rd - Jr. Women
Eli Gillis 2nd - Jr. Men's
Hallie Rohr 4th - Women's
Gabe Fembres 1st - Masters
Sal Avila 2nd - Legends
The Huntington's 2nd - Tandem
The Gale's 3rd - Tandem
D.L.S.A. Paddle Team:
Josh Reposo, Morgan Sliff, Matt Jensen, Jeanette Francis,
Eli Gillis and Gabe Fembres - 2nd Place
There was a fun party on Saturday night and we had a Club Dinner
on Sunday night after the awards ceremony at the Santa Cruz Diner
where we all appreciated a good dinner after a long weekend of
competition.
As the contest Team Captain I want to sincerely thank
all the competitors and their families for making it such
a fun weekend and for doing such a great job representing
the club. It was a privilege and honor to be up there with
such a great group of people!
Jim Coshland
P.S. Check the Photo Page soon for an album of photos
from the contest.
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A newspaper article about local scholar atheletes, our own Hallie Rohr being one of them
San Clemente High surfers rip in the classroom, too
By FRED SWEGLES
The Orange County Register
Who says the hottest surfers can't be scholars, too? On this year's state champion San Clemente High surf team, the proof is in the ripping.
Marissa Shaw (4.13 grade-point average), Hallie Rohr (4.0) and Doug van Mierlo (3.95) are the top three scholar-athletes on the 2008-09 Triton surf team, which won both the NSSA and ISF state titles.
Coincidentally, the three also were named team MVPs in their respective divisions for their performance this season in the water.
Coach John Dowell announced the grade-point averages and awards at a banquet at the Surfing Heritage Foundation.
Van Mierlo was named the team's Most Valuable Performer, Shaw the MVP for girls shortboarding and Rohr the MVP for girls longboarding.
Drew Erichson was named bodyboard MVP and Scott Brandenburg boys longboard MVP.
Emmy Merrill was named Most Dedicated Athlete. She also was saluted for her 3.89 GPA.
Other scholar-athletes recognized for GPAs of 3.5 and above were Jake Branker (3.59) Casey Andrews (3.56), Chelsea Byland (3.53) and Matt Nickel (3.5).
Contact the writer:fswegles@ocregister.com or 949-492-5127
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Perfect left at Mecca, SanO
Photo submitted by Mark Calkins. Taken at one of his favorite spots.
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Old Quiver
A picture of Jim Coshland's quiver from 1979
Left to right.
6'10" Hawiian Surfing Designs wing pin twin fin, 6'10" Natural Designs stinger, 8' Hansen 50/50, 7'2" Rick James swallowtail, 7' Aipa stinger (check out the leash plug placement), 7'2" Natural Designs pintail.
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Can you spot the D.L.S.A. Member in the photo?
This is the 1986 Annual Becker Surfboards Employee Photo. Can you spot
Steve Ryan, your fellow D.L.S.A. Member? _________________________________
A new video of D.L.S.A.'s Darren Eudaly
introducing his new Dewey Weber
"Planer" model longboard
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D.L.S.A, Members help save a fellow
surfer's life in Seal Beach
On Sunday January 18th Bobby Knox and Chuck McElvain were instrumental in saving the life of a fellow surfer at the river jetties in Seal Beach. While surfing and having fun with a group of other D.L.S.A. Members they witnessed another surfer experiencing a seizure right after riding a wave. Before they could reach the person in distress, the gentleman ended up face down and drowning. When he was turned over the man was lifeless and not breathing. Thinking quickly and enlisting the help of other nearby surfers, they ended up being able to float the man on some boards while a lady climbed on top and started chest compressions while bringing him to shore. And due to the fast emergency treatment they were able to clear the man's lungs of a lot of water and restart his breathing. Soon after the man was brought to the beach by the group of lifesavers, lifeguards and paramedics soon arrived. The lifeguard stated that without the fast action by our fellow club members and other good Samaritans the man would not be alive at this time. To see both print and a tv news report about this event go to: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/beach-surf-surfers-2284803-lifeguards-water and http://www.cbs2.com/video/?id=90193@kcbs.dayport.com
Also please check the website in the future for a club CPR Class date. The club sponsored one a couple of years ago and it is time to do it again. It is something that we all should know in case the need to help someone arises.
It's fun to bug your brother. Getting ready for the pick a stick race at the 2009 60's contest
Who says the hottest surfers can't be scholars, too? On this year's state champion San Clemente High surf team, the proof is in the ripping.