"Contests and Clubs," SURFER Magazine, Winter 1961

Huntington Beach did it again as the third annual West Coast Surfing Championships proved a rousing success before a crowd of some 20-25 thousand. For the third year in a row the contest was graced by better thanaveragee waves over the weekend. Saturday morning was biggest with the early heats seeing a lot of wild pier action. A high-tide lull set in till about eleven. Then, as the tide dropped, the crushers started lining straight across leaving a hair-raising pier shoot as the only avenue of escape.

The Sunday surf was a little smaller, following somewhat the same pattern. The finals ran as expected with only one major upset. Harry Lindon of Malibu edged out favored surfers Dave Willingham and local Denny Buell.

The wind blew on schedule leaving the last few events to be run in very poor quality slop. Sixteen-year-old Ron Sizemore scored first in the men's finals, with a weekend display that well earned him the title. His antics included riding backwards through the pier.

1961 West Coast Surfing Championships

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