From top to bottom, in no particular relevance...
1. National Championships in 1987, when USLA was held in Hawaii. It was an amazing trip. There I was, some 16 (almost 17) year old kid in Hawaii without my parents and with a bunch of mid-twenty crazies on the trip of a lifetime. I had won State Championships in paddleboarding that year, and got a trip to Hawaii to compete on the "world stage." Lifeguard teams from all over the country were there, as were two teams of Aussie lifeguards. I managed to snag this medal in the paddleboard race. National JG Champs. Ha ha!
2. 1st place 1976 Avon Dinghy Race on Catalina Island, baby! This was from the first annual (I'm not sure how many times, if any, it ever went down again) Avon Dinghy Race. The Shlens brood dominated. Lost my flip-flops during the race, but it was worth it.
3. Medal & pin from 1988 Cum Laude Society presentation. Yes, that's spelled correctly. I do keep these proudly.
4. ( On the left) My first ever soccer 'trophy.' It was a medal we received at the end of the season. My first ever team, at that: The Guppies. We rocked. Somewhere I've got a picture - powder blue and white uniforms. I remember there was one girl named Tracy. She was cute. Steve Florence, Ben Cravatt, Todd Clark, Damian Capazola, and few other people I grew up with were on that team. I apologize to anyone who didn't want their name listed, but we ruled it for a bunch of 5, 6, and 7 year olds. I need to find that picture.
5. (On the right) State Championship, 3rd place 1987: Paddleboard relay. I was anchor. We were 4th or 5th coming into my leg. I was happy to get us on the medal stand.
6. State Championship, 1st place 1988: Paddleboard race, individual. I recall we were racing at Huntington Beach and the waves were about 10' on the face. It was an incredible South swell, dangerously bad for going out in these races. During the warm up I caught a wave and pearled, snapping my magic 'Hammerhead' board that was shaped by Steve Brom. I borrowed a Waterman from a kid named Joe and managed to pull ahead and win the race. The entire time I was biting the inside of my cheeks. Didn't even know it. After a crappy start, I paddled like hell and was able to pass guys up. As I looked at them, blood was streaming out of my mouth from the biting. I remember one guy looked at me and exclaimed as I passed, "Holy shit!" I thought it was because I was paddling faster than him which made me feel even stronger. Turns out it was the blood, which covered my chin by the time I was done. Victory by intimidation, apparently.
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