ISSUE 01 THE TRESTLES THE SPORT OF SURFING OF SPORT THE ISSUE 20 TRESTLES CALIFORNIA ISSUE 01 SEPT.2016 THE 26 TRESTLES ISSUE CONTENTS 04 A NEW BEGINNING An Oral History of Kelly Slater’s First Pro Victory 12 04 11 HOW TRESTLES WORKS By Dr. Falk Feddersen 12 GREAT MOMENTS COVER AND MAP ILLUSTRATIONS BY ALVAR SIRLIN AT TRESTLES Illustrations by Alvar Sirlin EDITOR’S NOTE 16 A TREK THROUGH Roughly 50 miles north of San Diego is an expanse of ocean in his distinctive style. Perhaps the most notable is the rst TRESTLES front, sand and cobblestones named after a railroad bridge. pro victory for an 18-year-old Kelly Slater. We compiled an 16 By photographer Chris Ortiz How did this spot, called “Trestles,” become the most oral history of Slater’s 1990 Trestles win with help from the important place to surf in the continental United States? 11-time world champion. 22 TWENTY REASONS We thought it would be fun to explore that question in this Trestles today stands as a rare example of what the To Be Fired Up About debut of Twenty, a magazine for anyone curious about the California coast looked like in the early part of the 20th the Hurley Pro sport of sur ng. century, when sur ng was a new import from Hawaii and It begins with the 37th President of the United States, not yet a widespread part of American culture. Photographer 24 ONSHORE WORKOUT Richard Nixon, who owned a compound just steps from Chris Ortiz offers a visual guide to this iconic place, and By Kevyn Dean Trestles while he was in the White House. One “beautiful oceanographer Falk Feddersen explains why Trestles’ waves sunny day,” as Nixon’s aide John Ehrlichman remembered got so good in the rst place. Dr. Feddersen, who has surfed 25 THE PHYSICAL DEMANDS it, the President walked along a stretch of sand controlled Trestles roughly 10 times, can con rm the site lives up to by the U.S. military and suggested the “clean ocean water” its reputation. OF TRESTLES By Dr. Oliver Farley should be open to the public. Exactly why remains a bit of We hope this issue gets you excited for the start of a mystery, as writer Alex Roth explains: “Like many stories Trestles’ Hurley Pro and Swatch Women’s Pro, which start involving the only U.S. president to resign from of ce, this 26 SURFER IN CHIEF on September 7th and offer a chance to see how the best Why Richard Nixon Is 24 11 one involves political calculations, feelings of betrayal and surfers attack one of the world’s best waves. You can watch possible ulterior motives.” Responsible for One of the heats live at worldsur eague.com. We started Twenty, the World’s Greatest Waves Nixon’s decision had a signi cant impact on sur ng around which stands for the highest score one can achieve in a By Alex Roth the world. Trestles’ clean, consistent waves provided a round of competitive sur ng, because we believe all surfers canvas for athletes to test what was possible on a surfboard deserve a publication to call their own. The pursuit of excel- and broaden the sport’s appeal in the coming decades. lence belongs to everyone as we enter the water for the rst Illustrator Alvar Sirlin captures some of those moments time and embrace the power of trying something new. Dan Fitzpatrick, editor © 2016 Dan Fitzpatrick 2 TWENTY MAGAZINE ISSUE 01 SEPT.2016 RECOUNTED BY: RICHARD: They ended up successfully FIG: When that place is on there is SURFERS KELLY SLATER, THE NEW KID signing Kelly. I was right in the middle no better wave in California. BUD LLAMAS AND PAT BUD: Slater was the new kid. of all the action. I had certain duties to PAT: Trestles back then that was the O’CONNELL, FORMER LOS help with here and there, go on photo KELLY: I had turned pro that summer. Holy Grail. Most of the events happened shoots and travel with him. At the time ANGELES TIMES WRITER I had been sur ng pro contests for in parking lots with bad waves. If you were I was thinking well gosh it would be fun MIKE REILLEY, FILM eight years since I was 12. I had the to look across what professional sur ng to have a little video project with Kelly. DIRECTOR AND VOLCOM experience. I felt like I was looking at the was at the time it was big city beach, A college friend of mine from Pepperdine, FOUNDER RICHARD wave a little differently than the standard bikini show. It had nothing to do with Jon Freeman, was making little surf WOOLCOTT, TOUR ANNOUNCER sur ng of the time. My con dence was actually trying to nd better conditions movies during college and I thought well ROCKIN’ FIG, BODY getting bigger and bigger.1 and create an actual sporting event. gosh Jon could help me work on this lm. Trestles was the one event where when GLOVE CO-OWNER AND PAT: I knew he was going to be a world It was really a small side project. What you did actually lose you stayed and TOUR DIRECTOR RONNIE champion the rst time I saw him. was interesting is that one of the rst big watched all day. For that reason I am sure MEISTRELL, AND PRIME MIKE R.: There was all this mystique shoots was the contest. Kelly wanted to win there super bad. TICKET TV COMMENTATORS about him, this kid from Florida. It was KELLY: I just narrowly made it into the PT TOWNEND AND MIKE an interesting time for sur ng. The cutline for the number of guys to surf at CHAMBERLIN. Aussies were very dominant and Tom the Trestles contest. I want to say I was WHY IS HE SLEEPING Curren was about to take a year off from in 90th place on the tour and 100 guys ON THE FLOOR? * We also used a Prime Ticket sur ng and was getting a little long in could surf.3 broadcast of the event to recreate the tooth.2 They needed a bright young RICHARD: I was living in Newport Beach5 FIG: We already knew he was pretty the words of TV commentator star to come in and carry the torch for and I had some roommates. Kelly was Mike Chamberlin, who said he much red hot. He had done well on the sport. coming to town and we’re making this could not remember speci cs, events throughout the season. But movie so let’s all hang out together and dialogue from Woolcott’s RICHARD: Quiksilver was going after Kelly. heading down to Trestles you are looking 1991 lm ‘Kelly Slater In Black and we will shoot some footage. Every They wanted him to be the next face at one of the best waves on the coast. And White.’ Interviews conducted morning the objective was to get up early of their brand. I was in the marketing If anybody is going to show their stuff that by Dan Fitzpatrick. (Hint: the and get Kelly down to the contest so he voices are color coded.) department at that time and I remember is where they need to be ready to go off. all of the negotiations. He is supposed had plenty of time to warm up and get to be the next guy that takes sur ng into comfortable. I was probably the most the future and to break down barriers and 30 GRAND nervous because deep down I thought he win multiple world titles. So he has a lot could win this event but I didn’t want to of pressure on him to live up to those RONNIE: I ran the contest. I set it up and put pressure on him. expectations. I hired all the people, did all the spon- KELLY: It was hard to disregard that. sorships. Body Glove wanted to have the KELLY: Quiksilver had reservations Richard’s whole program was to make a richest rst place prize money ever given about signing me I only found out later movie on me. I guess they are making to any surfer anywhere on tour.4 on, because I had not won a world ama- this movie on me in the rst place teur event in three times trying. I felt like BUD: It was 30 grand for rst place because they trust I surf well and can they were spending a lot of money and which then was a lot of money. I knew I do my job but at the same time I literally A was coming to the end of my career and signed my contract on the beach at that time and effort to promote who I was. I NEW winning that 30 grand would have been a contest and they wanted me to have felt like it was really important for me to deliver. That puts a lot of pressure on a way to go out. a big coming out. It is hard to shut all those things out and focus on the goal in young guy. RICHARD: That prize purse was huge BEGINNING the moment. We’re lming every single back then. PAT: Everyone was making a bid at him. session. I remember him having a little bit of fun KELLY: I grew up in a small town in a KELLY SLATER IS THE MOST ACCOMPLISHED PROFESSIONAL SURFER RICHARD: We lmed everything. We lmed with it. Never being stressed out.