Breaking Stereotypes in the Surfing World
Latinos are making a splash on the surfing world. Nacho Lopez and Henry Michel of Santa Cruz, California, are slashing stereotypes with a new line of surfwear with a Latino flavor.
(PRWEB) August 22, 2005 -- A new wave of Latinos are hitting the surf
culture. Nacho Lopez and Henry Michel of Santa Cruz are slashing stereotypes:
Lopez didn’t know it at the time — the 1970s — but the Santa Cruz
resident would become a pioneer in the sport of surfing.
Today, at 45,
the two-time competitor at the famed Maverick’s surf contest near Half Moon Bay
is recognized as one of Santa Cruz’s first big-wave riders, one of the few of
Latino descent.
And he isn’t the only Latino hitting the waves these
days.
The face of surfing has changed, and more and more Latinos are
embracing the sport and the culture.
"It’s becoming a lot more
international," said Kelly Tillman, tour representative for the Association of
Surfing Professionals in Huntington Beach.
In the last year, the South
American countries Peru, Brazil and Ecuador were added to the list of nations
hosting major surfing events.
And locally, the rise of surfing among
Latinos has Santa Cruz resident Henry Michel, a native of Jalisco, Mexico,
pushing his own line of surf gear.
Michel opened a store selling his
"Puropedo" wear at the Capitola Mall this month.
"We are targeting the
surf culture with a Latino flavor," said Michel, whose shop sits in front of the
food court. "I think we have hit a crossroad."
Manuel Pastor, a professor
of Latin American and Latino studies at UC Santa Cruz, said Latinos were
possibly not included or welcomed in the surf culture during the early years of
the sport and often lacked the opportunity and proximity to the ocean to
participate.
The rise of Latinos taking up surfing today is no surprise,
said Pastor, whose son also has taken up the sport.
"We are really seeing
a process of mixing," he said.
The spread of surf culture:
Michel
started "Puropedo No Worries Wear" in 1995 when he hit the streets with three
dozen T-shirts on Santa Cruz’s Westside and passed them out to
friends.
The name for the company came from a phrase Michel's father
would say, "Puro pedo," loosely translated as "No worries."
"It’s laid
back and goes perfect with the surf culture," Michel said.
The company
now sponsors Lopez as well as seven other surfers and six
skateboarders.
On Aug. 1, Michel and his brother opened two locations to
sell their clothing — one at the Capitola Mall and the other in San Diego at the
Plaza Las Americas.
"Our aim is to fulfill the need for a Latino surf
brand," said Michel. "There’s nothing else out there."
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/8/prweb275263.htm