Exec downtime: squash, golf, and ... surfing?
Corporate executives and professionals are trading their wingtips for wet suits as surfing becomes the hobby du jour of the white-collar crowd.
from the May 24, 2007 edition
Page 2 of 3
As befits the monied class, many of the newcomers don't want to put in too much time learning slashes and bottom turns. They want to master the craft now. Before their power lunch. So corporate titans are showing up at the chipped-paint door of Todd Roberts, co-owner of ZJ Boarding House in Santa Monica, for lessons and exotic surfing excursions. "I'm teaching more stock guys, marketing guys, and mortgage guys," says Mr. Roberts. "I think they like surfing because it is the polar opposite of the corporate world."
Of course, money helps with the start-up costs, too – a good wet suit (the new ones keep surfers warm and virtually dry in the water) and a good board. Epoxy resin is now the material of choice: It makes a board that is significantly lighter than the old fiberglass-wrapped ones and less susceptible to "dings." The boards cost anywhere from $600 to $1,500.
The new white-collar watermen have become adept at mixing business and pleasure. On a Saturday at famed Malibu, several professionals are hanging out at the beach with their epoxy boards, including Grant Hardacre, president of the Association of Surfing Lawyers. He is wearing wraparound sunglasses, board shorts, and a tan that befits a pool boy. Mr. Hardacre specializes in estate planning ... and long boarding.
"I was a surfer long before I was a lawyer," he says. "But I think it's easier to be a professional and a surfer. A lot of the nooks and crannies are getting crowded, and when you make a little money, you can travel to more remote destinations."
The Association of Surfing Lawyers started in 2002 after its founder, David Olan, realized how many of his colleagues had taken up the sport. Today, the group holds its "minimum continuing legal education seminars," a requirement to maintain state bar status, in exotic locations, such as Fiji and Costa Rica, where the surfing is good.
When asked whether the association's 100 members are actually surfers or posers, Hardacre laughs. "Yes, we do have some kooks," he says. "And I am not too impressed with the younger guys, either. But at the end of day, it doesn't matter because we are all out here to have a good time."
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