Great Lakes SURFER Volume 1. Issue 1 Summer 2008 NW Indiana starts to open up.photo: Mike Killion + Non-Stop to NY + + WINTER RECAP PHOTO + Costa Rica Tube Fest GALLERY PHOTO : MIKE KILLION you can on the SURF GREAT LAKES? That’s right. Surfing on the Great and pathetic wipeouts - catching us Lakes has been around since the 1940’s at our worst moments, never showing and is definitely here to stay. With what happens when no one is looking. more people joining the lineups each So it’s time to take it into our year, as wetsuit technology gets own hands. It’s time to show the real better and better, it seems freshwater power and beauty the Great Lakes holds. surfing is catching up to the ocean... And it’s time to show what the Mid- almost. West has to offer, for all of those Every winter, local news stations send willing to take on the consequences. out their mics and cameras to try and from getting arrested to almost dying catch a glimpse of what us lake surfers from hypothermia, the over 10,900 love to do. literally freezing our miles of coastline offers plenty of faces off to experience some of the best o b s t a c l e s s t i l l w a i t i n g t o b e c o n q u e r e d . sessions of our lives, the news never It’s just up to you to find them. seems to give us the justice we deserve. often showing rides on just whitewater - M i k e K i l l i o n 4 | G L S G L S | 5 photo: mike killion mike photo: GLS Great Lakes Surfer MAGAZINE st Editor/Creator: Mike Killion [email protected] Issue 1 Photographers: Eric Berglund, Justin Bruursema, Nathaniel Clarke, Burton Hathaway, Mike Killion, Ben Leitschuh, Jason Volume 1 Lukas, Rusty Malkemes Summer 2008 Writers: Vince Deur, Ryan Gerard, Burton Hathaway, Mike Killion, Ben Leitschuh, Rusty Malkemes, Mark Urban also inside APRIL FOOLS BBQ 12/ and beach cleanup WINTER RECAP 8/ presented by Third A Southend timeline of this Coast Surf Shop past winter season, showing how all that fetch is worth the PHOTO GALLLERY: wait. Three photogs show 26/ what Lake Michigan has to offer 40/ ALL ABOARD THE L-TRAIN: COSTA RICA TUBE FEST 48/ Burton, Rusty, and Will Ben Leitschuh documents some find themselves in over of the best surf hes ever seen in their head at one of Central America. Superior’s notorious breaks. FEATURED: 68/ Local artists and bands 54/ just doing their thing. NON-STOP TO NY Photog Mike Killion travels east GOT ICE? for the ESA NE Regionals, only 74/ Who’s the coolest surfer to find it gets better when the in the Mid-West? contest ends. 6 | GLS G L S | 7 KILLION MIKE KILLION BBQ and Beach MIKE Clean-Up LUKAS presented by Third Coast Surf Shop JASON APRIL by mark urban TOP : WALT PREPARES BRATS TO FEE D THE HUNGRY . ABOVE : PAUL D’AMATO FOOLSGLI D ES D OWN ANOTHER KNEE HIGH GLI D ER . BOTTOM : EACH STICKER MAKES IT FIVE D EGREES COOLER . fter one of the snowiest winters in Chicagoland was the worst driving conditions I’ve ever been in,” says as the wind backed off for a couple hours before slowly history, dozens of surfers broke out of hibernation surfer Mike Killion. “I thought I was going to die every two fading through the afternoon,”. Although there were no Ato partipate in the 1st anual April Fools Surf BBQ minutes.” Some surfers had made the trek from Green Bay, injuries to report at the Gala, Jim Hoop gets top honors and beach clean-up, sponsored by Third Coast Surf Shop Wisconsin -we were glad to see everyone made it down to for paddling out and belly sliding despite his popped and the SouthEnd Surf Club on March 22, 2008. This the Southend in one piece. Surfing was the primary order knee he got surfing down in Mexico. As the clock ticked year’s event was held at ‘Shooters’ in Whiting, Indiana; of the day and the first crew to hit the water early in the closer to high noon those surfers lucky enough to catch just Southeast of Chicago. The BBQ may have brought an morning got whacked with windy and choppy conditions... the dying wind got another dose of APRIL FOOLS. end to cabin fever for many, but mother nature played APRIL FOOLS! “I thought it went well,” says Third Coast The sun came out and the waves cleaned up providing an APRIL FOOLS joke the night before by dumping over a Surf Shop Owner Ryan Gerard. “The surf went from big fun conditions for all surfers. Once high noon came the foot of snow to parts of Michigan, Wisonsin and Illinois. “It and blown to shreds in the early morning to clean and fun first beers were cracked open and the smell of charcoal 8 | G L S G L S | 9 LUKAS LUKAS JASON JASON ABOVE : A LOCAL SHOOTER LEAVES THE GUN RANGE WHILE ONE OF THE REAL LOCALS GETS ONE TO HIMSELF . smoke filled the air. Some opted for sausages or hotdogs while one brave and patient soul hand-made 35 turkey sandwiches. While grinding down on the variety of meat and brew, many surfers hanging out near the tv set got to witness the home-video action of surfing around the lakes. As some surfers left the lineup, more were suiting up, waxing down, and paddling out into the fading but still fun swell throughout the afternoon. Those that surfed earlier in the day or had on their environmental awareness caps on, joined Unsalted Director, Vince Deur for a beach cleanup. LUKAS “There were about 8 of us who grabbed bags and combed JASON LUKAS LUKAS the beach for trash,” says Deur. “ We filled up about ten bags with plastic and glass bottles, tons of balloons and ribbons, SURFERS BRING THE EVENT TO AN EN D , OVERFILLING THE GARBAGE CAN WITH TRASH FOUN D ALONG THE BEACH . JASON JASON fast food containers and assorted plastics and a couple tires.” TOP LEFT : FOO D AN D CONVERSATIONS WERE SHARE D The beach cleanup was organized by Deur and Gerard; both WHILE KEEPING WARM UPSTAIRS . members of the Surfrider Foundation-Great Lakes District. TOP RIGHT : JIM HOOP BRINGS BACK ONE OF THE MANY TIRES The day ended in grand fashion with a stellar sunset and Want To Help Our Lakes? FOUN D ON THE BEACH . a few more ankle-biting waveletts for the surf-starved BELOW : FELLOW SURFERS CHEER ON OTHERS IN THE WATER There are a couple organizations that make it all the WHILE KICKING BACK WITH SOME BREWS . individuals. Log on to www.thirdcoastsurfshop.com for more information about all upcoming 2008 Great Lakes and easier for you to do so. Whether you’re sepnding time in ESA sponsored events. the water or not, you owe it to yourself to help take part KILLION in saving one of our most valuable resources. Check out the following websites to see what you can do to help. KILLION Surfrider Foundation: Michigan Chapter http://www.surfrider.org/lakemichigan/ Alliance For The Great Lakes http://www.greatlakes.org/ 10 | GLS GLS | 11 WINTER RECAP southend style words and photographs by Mike Killion urfing in the winter isn’t all fun and games around the Great Lakes. Dodging icebergs and hypothermia or waiting for the ice to melt off your hood so you can change in your bonneville are only a few of winters inconveinences. It’s so cold that most “normal” people won’t even take a step outside their house to get the mail. But when you know there’s S30+ knot winds whistling through your hometown, you can’t deny yourself a dip into some of the coldest water on the planet. Because just past all that ARTEM ABAKUMOV PREPARES TO CELEBRATE 2008. NEW YEARS D AY - NW IN D IANA . snow and ice are beautiful, glassy, empty, waves just waiting to be ridden. WINTER 10.24.07: Not quite “winter”, but it sure left: Phil finds his wave of the day. lost their size from the 24th. Opposite top it was sunny. Soon enough we’d be surfing in felt like it. The swell was a straight 10.27.07: Late fall really starts to give right: Mark Urban tucks in at Shooters. white out conditions and spending less time north gusting over thirty knots the night us some consistency on the southend. You 11.06.07: Another great day to be out surfing, in the water. A lot of waves to be had on this before. Waves were about five to seven can find waves a few times a week if your besides the temperature being in the mid 20s day. Above: Ryan Gerard logs in some water feet, big, semi-mushy, and surprisingly lucky. It was still a little onshore this with wind chill. Yet this day gave us just time. Opposite Bottom: Jim Hoop, walking the held up well for how onshore it was. Top day, but started to clean up as the waves whatRECAP we needed; long, clean, glassy lines, and line. Below: Jack Flynn gliding down a beauty. WINTER 14 | GLS RECAP GLS | 15 WINTER 11.15.07: More offshore winds made some some chilly rain. Wasn’t too bad considering 12.03.07: One of the cleanest days I’ve seen chest.