By the mid-1980s, Scott Bass ranked highly among an underground Del Mar surf crew that included Dean and Craig Hollingsworth, Chris Olivas, Mike Emerson, Kevin Kinnear and Jeff Baldwin. By age 18, he excelled as both a longboarder and a shortboarder. A decade or so later, he helped pioneer stand up paddling (SUP). After abandoning SUPs, he continued carving his initials with traditional wave riding vehicles.
For years I knew Bass simply as a dedicated surfer and lifeguard. I don’t recall exactly when he became a surf journalist, but his talent and determination quickly led to his becoming Surfer Magazine’s first online editor. From there, Scott employed his vast surf knowledge to launch into radio shows, podcasts and an event called Sacred Craft. From its beginnings 15 years ago, Sacred Craft has been one of surfing’s most anticipated annual events.
In spite of sounding more like a drum circle, Sacred Craft was actually a trade show, something that had earned a dirty name in the surf industry. Having stripped away most everything peripheral to the surfing experience, Sacred Craft left us with three of our sport’s most basic elements: the surfboard, the surfer, the board maker. The only element not included is the primary one: ocean waves.
This show was not only an enjoyable reunion, but something that rocked surfing back to its roots. Prior to Sacred Craft, non-essential goods, most prominently “surf clothing,” were center stage at all surf-oriented trade shows. Sacred Craft was unique in helping separate the wheat from the chaff and putting the surfboard and its maker center stage where they belong.
It’s now known as the Boardroom Surfboard Show, and you will find surfboards from our past, present and future all under one terra cotta roof. Presented by U.S. Blanks, brands as diverse as Bing, Lightning Bolt and Wayne Rich converge to showcase the best surf designs of our time/all time.
A crowd favorite each year is the Icons of Foam. There you can view some of the world’s most gifted surfboard builders carve a rough black into a finely tuned custom surfboard. The idea is for shapers to replicate iconic surfboards from our past.
Past honorees whose boards were copied include Dick Brewer, Ben Aipa, Bob McTavish, Pat Rawson and Rusty Preisendorfer, all of whom have the distinction of pushing surfboard design forward. Some past winners of the shape-off include Ricky Carroll, Wayne Rich, Stu Kenson, Chris Christianson and Matt Biolis.
Among those competing for a trophy and $2,000 this year are famed shapers Chris Christensen, Adam Warden, Dan Mann, Richie Collins, Barry Van der Meulen, Todd Proctor, Allen White and Peru’s Rodolfo Klima.
If you surf, want to surf or are just looking for some inexpensive fun this weekend, check out the Boardroom Surfboard Show, Oct. 11-12 at Exhibit Hall at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.
Paddle out for San Onofre
