An Interview with “PT” Townend
Surfing’s 1st World Champ Weighs In on Surfing, Surf City, and Rip Curl’s Surfboards in the Sand
Every sport needs a trailblazer, an individual who blazes a trail for those destined to follow in his footsteps. One who is not only talented, but who also goes beyond the heat of competition to help build the sport into a sought-after brand. Crowned as surfing’s first world champion in 1976, Peter “PT” Townend has been a catalyst for much of the growth of surfing and surf culture.
Australian-born and -bred, “PT” Townend turned down an architecture
scholarship at age 18 with a different blueprint for his life in mind
– one that consisted of chasing epic waves coast-to-coast.
As an early maverick of surfing as a sport, “PT” showed surfing supremacy throughout his professional career: His inductions in the International Surfing Hall of Fame, the Huntington Beach Surfing Walk of Fame, and the Gold Coast Sporting Hall of Fame are proof of his dominance.
“PT” has held every imaginable surf-related job, including covering the surfing beat for newspapers, writing for surfing magazines, announcing the sport’s biggest events on ESPN, coaching the ISA World Amateurs to a championship, acting in the motion picture “Big Wednesday,” and today operating his own marketing company, ActivEmpire.
In September, “PT” is working on yet another surfing milestone: the inaugural
Rip Curl Surfboards in the Sand, an epic photo event on Saturday, September 19th benefiting Surfrider and Orange County Coastkeeper. Thousands of surfers will join “PT” and “stand with their surfboards” in the sands of Huntington Beach to demonstrate their love for surfing and the ocean environment.
If you want to “SOS-4-10” (Save our Surf for $10), pre-register online by Thursday, September 10th at www.SurfboardsInTheSand.com. Registration includes a donation to the Surfrider Foundation and Orange County Coastkeeper; a free limited edition “Surfboards In The Sand” T-shirt by Rip Curl (valued at $25 and delivered onsite on event day); a one-year subscription to Transworld SURF (valued at $30), and a bracelet entitling the wearer to restaurant and retail discounts throughout downtown Huntington Beach on the day of the event. After September 10th the registration fee goes up to $20.
For more about PT’s “take” on Rip Curl’s Surfboards In The Sand, click here.
You’ve lived in Huntington Beach for more than half your life. Coming from Australia, what is it that has kept you in HB?
It's simply “Surf City” and there's rideable waves every day at the pier. The surf lifestyle here is unlike pretty much any other town I’ve ever been in.
How would you define that “surf lifestyle”?
The birth of surf culture as we know it was born right here in Southern California at places like San Onofre, Windansea Beach in La Jolla, Malibu and course right here in “Surf City USA” Huntington Beach. Today, you are really seeing the 3rd or 4th generation of surfers who have grown up in this Surf/Beach culture environment.
In the beginning, the essence of surf culture was just about riding waves. But in the late 50’s, it started to really become popular due to the release of the “Gidget” book and films, as well as movies like Bruce Brown’s Endless Summer in the mid-60’s. They really created an atmosphere that made people think “Hey, this is cool.” Eventually, it became a full blown culture.
It also became a fashion statement.
The exposure of surf/beach culture in the late '50's into the '60's through movies and surf music from Dick Dale and groups like Ventures, the Beach Boys and Jan and Dean, created a “surfer style” that became a fashion statement. The surf trunks, the Pendleton flannels, the surfboard drive logo tees, the Levi's 501's and the sneakers became the cool look. Out of that evolved the surf brands we know today – fashion which has become a multi-billion dollar industry with the brands like Rip Curl, Billabong, O'Neill, Volcom, Hurley and, of course, Quiksilver right here in Huntington Beach.
You’ve made a career out of surfing. What is it about the sport that has kept you inspired to do so many things for the sport?
The truth is, surfing waves is a fantasy come true. Not everyone can surf, but everyone wants to be a surfer. It's one of the best rushes in life. It is a true feeling that can only be imagined when danger meets exhilaration and the speed of flying across the face of a wave. And, I still surf almost every single day!
