Posted by Richard L. Roberts
Phares said his mother introduced him to surfing at the Santa Monica Pier; he had no fear and was soon noticed by other surfers who took him under their wing and taught him the finer points of bodyboarding. He was soon anxious to compete. He lost badly in his first competition, like he got a 1 out of 10 score. His goal was to become a competitive body surfer, so he practiced hard, worked out and improved his cardio. He attended PepperdineUniversity, a tough school, but close to the water. He quickly rose in the ranks of amateur surfing competition winning the National Collegiate Bodyboarder and Western Men's Championships. He had a short stint as a professional but he couldn't afford to do that and go to school too so he figured out that if he became a judge, he would be paid and his travel to surf competitions would be paid. He became a certified judge and he said that in one year he judged as many as 40 surfing competitions. Phares said, "What a deal, I got to travel, surf, judge and got paid for it". Using a video of surfing competitions, he described the concepts and fine points that judges use and described surfing techniques they use to win. He spent some time touting female surfers who are quite athletic and have a certain fluid flair to their surfing. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us, Michael!
