Groundswell Society

The 2010 Rincon Invitational will be held on March 20th and 21st.

Download the registration form here >>

Check back soon for this years list of nominees…

Purpose: To recognize and honor surfing organizations, schools, and individuals for their public service record towards enriching the surfing experience of tomorrow’s waveriders.

2010 Guidelines
Please remember that we are guests of Carpinteria State Park. Park rules are in effect, including NO DOGS on the beach (even with leashes), and NO FIRES. Please park in regular parking spaces only – you’ll get a ticket if you don’t! And no overnight parking.

1. Due to the nature of the event, there will be no water marshals to prevent the public from surfing in the event surf zone (from the flag pole to the seawall). Courtesy is mandatory. (See #5.1 and #5.2)
2. Each team is invited to go surfing in the event surf zone for an hour, one team at a time. A team ‘competition’ will be conducted, based on teams of ten surfers. Each of the ten team members being ‘judged’ will wear a singlet. If possible bring your own, all in the same bright color.
3. It is suggested that each team include no more than 15 surfers – with a maximum of 20.
   • If you have more than ten surfers, your extras can be in the water, and substitutions are OK.
   • There are no restrictions on short/long boards, kneeboards, body boards, etc.
   • Five surfers should be 16 or younger; there should be as many wahines (of all ages) as possible.
   • Teams must include experienced adult surfers to supervise young surfers at all times.
4. All the rides of the ten surfers wearing singlets will be counted (see #3) up to a limit of 200 waves. There will be no judging of surfing performance. Rather, the “competition” between teams will be based on:
   • Total number of waves caught
   • Total number of waves shared
   • Total number of surfers on shared waves
5. Based on extensive experience from previous Groundswell Society events at Rincon, the interference rules for the Rincon Invitational are as follows: (Please read carefully.)
   1. If a team surfer blatantly takes a wave, or drops in and ruins the ride, of someone not in the event, that surfer’s ride will not count – and five waves will be subtracted from the team’s total.
   2. No surfing in the event surf zone unless it is your turn. Violators risk a 20% reduction of their team’s total scores. Surfing up coast from the flag pole, at the Rivermouth, or the Indicator is OK.
6. The flag system is: Green starts the session; Yellow = five minutes left; Green = next session.
   • So, enter the water as a team when you see the five minute yellow flag displayed
   • Stay in a group downcoast of the judges until a green flag starts your session
   • An hour later, when your session ends, please leave the water promptly downcoast of the judges, roughly where you entered.
7. Since the ‘competition’ is not based on surfing performance, we don’t need help with judging. However, we do need two volunteers from each team to help tally wave and rider counts. Please see schedule for the times assigned to each team’ s volunteers.
8. Up to nine teams surf on Saturday, with up to nine more teams on Sunday. Each day’s totals will be tallied separately and each day will have a separate awards ceremony. Awards will be presented for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in each category approximately 30 minutes after the last session.

Event Background Information

One of the most important responsibilities of veteran surfers is to create a positive legacy of stewardship for future generations, and over the years we’ve seen a number of initiatives begun by people worried about the impacts of pollution and development on the world of riding waves.

For example, the Rincon Clean Water Classic was an event started in 1997 to resolve the pollution issues threatening one of the world’s best waves. Using a unique team surfing format, we were able to invite hundreds of surfers from up and down the coast to surf great waves and help raise funds. And over the 10 year history of the event, we were happy to see that our fundraising efforts were paying off thanks to Heal the Ocean’s work and the eventual approval of a septics-to-sewers project that we believe will help clean up the surf zone at Rincon. In fact, in 2006 we were able to conclude the Clean Water Classic as a fundraising event with a sense that our job was done.

Now we have taken on a new project at Rincon that is not about surfers getting sick from the ocean so much as it is about surfers getting sick of each other.

Of course, crowding in surfing is not new, and indeed it affects surfers just as much as pollution does. However, the way to solve the problem is simple: sharing waves in a true spirit of the original meaning of the word “aloha”: give away everything you don’t need. This ancient Polynesian precept has found ready acceptance by many surfers and a number of organizations who are going out of their way to share surfing with many who are not fortunate enough to be out there getting great waves all the time or who can’t compete with the crowds in many surfing areas.

Thus was born the “Sharing the Stoke Invitational”, organized to bring together literally hundreds of participants as part of the Society’s efforts to promote a friendly and welcoming atmosphere throughout the surfing community. The inaugural event in 2008 involving 12 teams was very successful, and in 2009 we had a total of 18 teams.

Now in 2010, we’ve shortened the name to simply the Rincon Invitational, and we are again expecting a full weekend of surfing by the invited guests of the Society and the Rincon surfing community, with teams from non-profit organizations, surf clubs, and surf businesses each getting the famed wave to themselves for an hour in recognition of the good work they’ve done.