By Bridget Downes
NYSEA’s 8th annual Surf Week returned to Long Beach July 12 to 16, featuring a week of events that included open surf contests, open skateboard contests, charity surf events, a memorial paddle-out, movie screenings and an art show.
The week also offered a surf outing on July 13 for the School of Henry Viscardi which was run by Surf for All, a charity founded in 2002 by Cliff and Will Skudin and Jim Mulvaney dedicated to helping people with disabilities get in touch with the ocean. The event was held in honor of Connor Troy, the late son of Kerry Ann Troy of the Parks and Recreation Department.
Later that night, a film screening of Drew Maloney’s “Time & Tide” was shown at Bridgeview Yacht Club followed by a premiere of the film “Green Means Go,” produced by local photographer and videographer Jason Belsky and Will Skudin, a professional big-wave surfer and co-owner of Skudin Surf, a local sponsor of the week’s activities. The film features Skudin and other pro surfers such as TJ Gumiela, Conor Maguire and Noah Lane and documents their travels through Ireland in search of big waves.
“We really wanted to capture the harsh elements and raw nature of Ireland; to show what it takes to stay committed to the common goal out there,” Skudin said in a news release. “It is a collection of some of the best clips captured from a handful of talented local and traveling videographers. With so many epic angles and different camera perspectives, we are excited to premiere this short film for the first time during NY Surf Week.”
Skudin recently clinched an official spot on this year’s elite Big Wave World Tour — the first surfer from the North East to earn such a distinction. He founded Surf Week eight years ago in memory of his late friend and Long Beach surfer George “Geeza” Geiser, who was honored at a memorial paddle-out over the weekend.
Surf Week celebrates Long Beach’s surf culture and shines a light on New York’s emerging surf scene. This year, the event featured an expanded itinerary of surf and skate contests, new Hurley Surf Center activities, non-profit surf outings, film premieres, kids activities, raffles and games, a boardwalk vending village and two NYSEA summer parties for people of all ages.
