Life Of Chunky

Testing + Contests +Summer Plans

Posted on May 14, 2016 by chunkyslabsblog

Last weekends NSSA was so much fun! I didn’t make either of my heats but the waves were super fun. As we showed up it was about chest high and pretty closed out because of the low tide. My heat was a little later around 9:00 which was very unusual because normally I am very early. Free surfing was really fun when I wasn’t in my heat. Adam Hogue and I paddled out before our heat to catch some really fun little waves to ourselves.

This weekend we have a contest, in the same series, at the exact same spot. Hopefully I can pull my act together to get a good result and maybe make some heats! Anyways I stoked to see all my friends and get in the contest vibe!

Line up shot Venturacrop

In a few weeks we have Western Champs, also called Regionals. My mom calls it WCC ‘s for some reason though. It takes place in Huntington Beach, CA also known as “Surf City USA”. Its a hard contest to do well in because of all the kids from around the US and the diversity of skills. I may be a good surfer, but not that good.

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This past week we had AP (Advanced Placement) testing. It was horrible! And I did horrible! I had to wake up early, on my late day! I showed up at the library just in time to walk in and sit on my bum for five hours straight answering questions I dont even have a clue about any of it. I did get to drive to school that morning which was pretty cool.

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Big plans in store for this summer! The day I get out of school I head up to the Western Sierras to hike to “Dinky Lakes” for a week long backpacking trip. I am so ready! After I get back from that, my family will go to Colorado to see family, skate, and mountain bike. And of course go fishing! A few days after I get back from that I go to El Salvador for another water filter trip. After that I don’t really know the order of plans but Im going to Oregon to paddle and kite surf, then going to Woodward skate camp, then doing a water filter trip to Nicaragua, and then going back up to Oregon for another backpacking trip! Yew!

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Birthday + Oceanside weekend + Ventura this Weekend + Lots and lots of editing + Tests are coming!

Posted on May 8, 2016 by chunkyslabsblog

This past weekend I was down in Oceanside (again) for the Junior high surf team and their state championships. I was down there to help coach and just hang out and keep the happy vibe flowing throughout the team. They did pretty good and we all had a good time hanging around the town and chilling at the beach. We slept in JP’s van which was super fun and adventurous. It was way more comfortable than I expected! We also went to the Wave House in Mission Beach, San Diego. I have been going to the Wave House for a couple of years now, I love it! I have gotten so much better and I don’t know why, but it is so much fun!

This weekend I have a NSSA contest at Ventura Harbor. The Harbor has never been one of my favorite waves but I have had good results/ heats there and have gotten it pretty fun! On the far right side of the beach there is a jetty causing waves to wedge up and make a short punchy wave with a good air section at the end if you get the right one. I have a stacked heat, but I’m sure it will be fun.

ANTHONY PLASCENCIA/THE STAR High surf conditions bring big waves to beaches near the Ventura Harbor. 01/27/14 Ventura, CA

On Monday evening I went over to Ben Speir’s house to edit our new video “YES.” We spent ALOT of time on it. Too much time. Wayyyyy too much time. In the end, after all the procrastination, bags of chips, glasses of water and a long adventure in the river near his house, the edit came out to be a minute and thirty seven seconds… Also, it was not the greatest edit we have ever dropped, hoping our next will be better.

Today I took the AP World mock AP test, which also happened to be our final. We had to go in on saturday which was a bummer, but still, glad I got it over with. Don’t know how well I did though.

Yesterday (Friday) was my 16th birthday. Right when I was done with school we went to the DMV and I passed my license test! So stoked. For my birthday I got a new tent of backpacking, so stoked! Only thing that sucked about the day was that AJ didn’t say happy bday 😦

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Cant wait to go to El Sal in a few weeks!

Mammoth Weekend + Coaching states

Posted on April 30, 2016 by chunkyslabsblog

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This past weekend I was up in Mammoth. I was mainly there for the Ezakimak, a five kilometer run from the base of Mammoth (8,500ft) all the way around the backside and up to the very summit (11,006ft). The run starts right at sunset making it a long, cold, grueling uphill race inclining at about a little over 2,000 feet. Last year I finished in 59 minutes and this year I was a bit slower coming in at about 1 hour and 3 minutes. Conditions this year were a but more difficult, so that’s my excuse for a slower time. It was still a great time with another amazing sunset while running up the backside.

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Ben and I were working on getting some clips for a future edit. We are still deciding if we want to make a HUGE one with all the footage we have captured this whole winter, or just make another small one of this last trip. We are hoping to maybe get one last trip in the season, conditions will be tricky though. The conditions while we were up there were amazing though! As we drove up on Friday evening rain turned to snow as we further drove into the Sierras, next morning we woke up to four to six inches of brand new pow! We rushed up to the mountain and dispersed (no one skies together on a pow day, never) Ben and I got a few lines in before everything worth skiing got tracked out. We actually got three or four really good keeper clips. As the day rolled on, and the afternoon came, the sun came out and the air warmed up. There were only good vibes as everyone was seshing the park in the comfortable warm sun on a kine blue bird day. We all progressed very well in the park and got a few clips too.

This weekend I am going down to Oceanside again for the Junior High State championships. I am not in it, but helping my coach give a few pointers to the SBJH surf team. It should be a lot of fun and the forecast looks good, it’ll be nice to get away from Santa Barbara on a little mini vacation. Not only is JP one of my coaches, but one of my really good friends. We surf twice a week together and see each other all the time, He’s the man!

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Mammoth Bound + Concert

Posted on April 22, 2016 by chunkyslabsblog

This next weekend I will be heading up to Mammoth for the Ezakimak Run (Kamikaze spelled backwards) It is a five kilometer race from Mammoth’s Main Lodge all the way to the top of the mountain. It starts at sunset and usually lasts about an hour (for me) last year I finished in 59 minutes. A “5k” doesn’t sound too bad until you add the details: night time, wind, freezing (ice chips hitting your skin in the middle of the night) a two thousand feet incline, high altitude and its all up hill, for a long time. Last year I didn’t wear spikes on me shoes, so every step I would slide back a few inches. When I finished my mom thought I was going to be dead.

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The only reason I really do it is for the free food at top and one other thing, the sunset. When running up the backside of the mountain, seeing the orange colors over the Minarets is one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced. The Minarets alone are gorgeous, with the exotic bright colors behind it makes it ten times better. Screen Shot 2016-04-21 at 9.48.10 PM

We will also ski the two days we are up there. Logan, Gavin and Harrison were up there last weekend doing some crazy stuff, so we need to go up to shred too. Me and Ben are planning to get some clips, maybe make a mini edit. Ben and I are planning something big. Next year we work on video editing. By then I think we will be able to put our minds to something huge. For now Ben and I are just taking weekend trips up to Mammoth and shooting with our basic DSLRs to shoot and edit some simple fun edits.

Last night I also went to the G-eazy concert. It was insane! I was second row and the base was in my bones. The only thing I didn’t was these little 14 year old girls smoking cigs next to me. They’re disgusting. It was so rowdy and I even touched his face! It was weird to see someone so famous, so close. Because online and the internet theyre just a figure, until you see them real life. G-Eazy_Shrine-4

Longboarding State Champs

Posted on April 15, 2016 by chunkyslabsblog

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This weekend I will be heading down to OceanSide for state champs. I will head down Friday night, stay in a hotel, and then surf the next day. Hopefully our team will surf well and use teamwork to make it through the rounds. I am heading down and staying with JP, the high school surf team coach, one of Santa Barbaras best surfers, and one of the worlds best longboarders. JP has been someone I look up to since I was very young, I always knew who he was and saw him killing it at Rincon. There are only a few of us going down there. We have two girls teams going, one shortboard and one longboard. We only have one boys team going down, a longboard team. Our boys longboarders are all really good too. It has three boys, myself, Chase Nelson and Evan Blix. Us three have traded off on winning events this season and have found our selves in a qualifying spot for states! When we are done surfing we will be heading down to San Diego to go to the “wave house” The wave house is a man made wave and it has been a tradition for those who have qualified for states, to go after the surfing. I have been going since before and many times without the surf team because my dad’s friend lives about five minutes away. but nothing beats the journey along the way!

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This next June I will be heading back to El Salvador for more service work. I’m so so excited to go back, except for three things. One, the culture shock coming back was insane, the next morning all I did was cry. Every time I was in a restaurant I had to walk out and at school the next day I couldn’t function. Two, last time I was there I did surf, its true. The only thing I didn’t like was how much crap I got when I go back. Everyone was saying that I didn’t even install water filters and all I did was surf. I just want to say screw you to all the people who said sh*t to me. Id like to see you to go out of your way to help people who need it way more than you do while you sit on your throne of cash. Third, the crew. The trip will not ever be the same without the same people. I made such good friends with all the people on the trip and now they are all such family. Other than that, the waves are going to be firing! So excited!

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Post- Spring Break

Posted on April 9, 2016 by chunkyslabsblog

Wow, spring break was insane. I did not stop once. ( which is what I like ) I left on the Friday before spring break at lunch and headed to Mammoth mountain in the Eastern Sierras. I went with my dad and my adventure buddy Ben Speirs and my pops, KP. We ventured north through the most boring scenery there is imaginable. I drove part of the way after Mojave, I don’t know how Ben felt about that, pretty sure he was crapping him self in the backseat while I went 85. We arrived late that and stayed the night at my place. We skied the next few days and had lots of fun. In the whole week and one day that I was up there I alternated every day between skiing and snow boarding. we got two powder days in the middle of the week, Tuesday and Wednesday if I remember correctly. Ben and I love to search for snow. We will be on the mountain from eight thirty til four. We hike all throughout the back country and find different powder patches and features. We look for cliffs and natural features, unlike anything you could think of. One of our greatest excursions last week was when we skied over the backside of the mountain. We did the in famous “hole in the wall’ We then hiked along the steep cliffs nearby. There wasn’t enough snow for several of the ones we wanted to do. But we did find something neither of us had ever seen before. Ben hiked along the ridge up top to find a twisted, curvy chute. We then looked at it from the bottom to see if it was ski- able all the way through, it was. Ben hiked up this narrow steep chute for about 35 minutes while I waited at the bottom. He skied down and it was very cool to know that we had just skied something nobody had ever even seen before. For the rest of the week we worked on getting clips for our edit ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0aCRhsPDq4&index=2&list=LLvE_kYaWVjqBFr5itBjOAmw ) As I ventured back on Friday I tried to get as much rest as possible with my family friends I came home with. There were six kids and one adult in that SUV.

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That evening I went to a Lecrae concert. It was amazing! It was one of the first big concerts I’ve ever been to and it blew me away. The next morning I woke up at 6:00AM to go to the Channel Islands to surf. We surfed all day and the waves were amazing! The next day I slept in and then went to the ” Rincon Invitational” down at rincon point. I surfed on the team “PSOS” which is the group I do all my international service work with.

Fun filled spring break!

Spring break coming up + Interview

Posted on March 25, 2016 by chunkyslabsblog

This next week is spring break. I am headed up to Mammoth today to ski and snowboard with my adventure buddy, Ben Speirs. He also has a blog, California Nature. Me and Ben are at a whole different level. Whenever someone says they want to ski with us, we only last a run or two. Me and Ben like to go off into the uncharted. We like to make camp, take off our skis and boards and build big jumps. We enjoy getting cool photos and taking videos. We then go home and edit the photos and post them to social media. I am looking forward to some cool adventures this next week!

I will probably come home mid next week. The family I lived with in Nicaragua last summer will be in town so I would like to see them. Also on friday I am seeing Lecrae in concert. Lecrae is a christian rapper who I listened perform this summer in Knoxville ,Tennessesse. He has several grammys and is INSANE to listen to live, SO HYPE. Then that sunday I have the Rincon Invitational, one of the two rincon surf contests every year. Then on tuesday Im going to a G-Eazy concert. G-Eazy is even more famous and Im so excited to see how cool it will be. So Excited!!

This week I interviewed Merrick Hahn. A super stoked up and coming grom from La Colina in 8th grade. He skates real good, surfs real good and just is all around a super stoked kid. Love his positivity and happiness. He is someone I like to hang around because of his positivity and stoke. Heres what he had to say:

When did you start surfing? Why?

I started surfing 4 years ago because my dad wanted me to try and I loved it.

When did you start competing? Why?

I started competing because I’m really competitive and all my friends did it.

What is you favorite part of surfing?

My favorite part of surfing is trying to boost and get shacked.

Where is your favorite place to surf? Why?
My favorite place to surf is Hammonds because it’s right near my house and it’s a fun wave.

What are your sponsors?

Sponsors:
I rode for FNA but I don’t know what’s up with that if I’m still on it or not.

Who is your favorite surfer? Why?

Kelly slaters my favorite surfer because he rips super hard and he’s a legend.

Hottest girl surfer?

Alana Blanchard is hottest chick surfer for sure.

Most underrated surfer?

Not sure who’s the most underrated surfer…

Favorite 805 local?

Matty pierce is for sure my favorite 805 loc

What’s your favorite board to ride?

My favorite board to ride is 5’0″ J7 “Grom thing”

Would you rather watch perfect lowers contest or a perfect Mavericks contest?

Rather watch the Lowers comp…. So I could free surf and see people boost fatty airs.

Brazilians or Australians?

Australians

Favorite surf movie?

My favorite surf movie has to be Endless Summer… Its dope

Santa Cruz Wrap Up + Interview

Posted on March 15, 2016 by chunkyslabsblog

This past weekend I was up in Santa Cruz for an NSSA Northwest surf contest. Santa Cruz is one of my favorite places to be for many reasons. You may think of Santa Cruz as a sketchy, over cast, tweaker town, but its a really great place if your in the right areas. I love Santa Cruz because of the waves and people. Theres so many different waves to surf and go mess around in. I also have many friends that live up there.

This week I interviewed Gavin Eason, a local 805 up and coming grom who surfs beyond his years.I have known Gavin since I started surfing and have surfed with him for many years. Gavin is a rad grom who still has so much to offer, enjoy this interview we worked on together.

When did you start surfing? Why?

I started surfing when I was 6 because I didn’t have a boogie board and my dad really wanted me to.

When did you start competing? Why?

I started doing contests when I was 7 because Chris told me that I might like it and then I did one and I liked it.

What is you favorite part of surfing?

My favorite thing to do surfing is ride the tube and I also like to hang out with all my friends and have fun.

Where is your favorite place to surf? Why?

I like sandspit because it is super hollow at low tide and at mid to high it is super fun almost like a smaller rincon.

What are your sponsors?

Sponsors:
Dakine, Freestyle Watches, J7 Sufboards, Dizm Eyewear, Pickles and Swiss, Surf Happens FNA and A-Frame

Who is your favorite surfer? Why?

John John because he is insane at airs rail game and huge barrels.

Hottest girl surfer?

Probably Alana Blanchard

Most underrated surfer?

Conner Coffin

Favorite 805 local?

Trevor Gordon

What’s your favorite board to ride?

Either my J7 Situation or Stag

Would you rather watch perfect lowers contest or a perfect Mavericks contest?

Perfect lowers because it would be fun I could learn from watching them and I could go surf pumping uppers.

Brazilians or Australians?

Brazilians

Favorite surf movie?

Endless Summer

Week of Swell and Snow + Interview

Posted on March 11, 2016 by chunkyslabsblog

This week a huge storm is passing through California. It is considered to be part of the infamous “El Nino” My favorite SoCal mountain, Mammoth has been getting hammered with snow lately. They are said to have gotten over 62 inches in the past four days. My adventure buddy Ben is up there right now, absolutely scoring! We have also had lots of swell push through the past few days. It was hard to put a wetsuit on after being in El Salvador, but I am used to it now. When the right amount of swell, at the right time, with the right period and tide, and fantasy wave called Sandspit starts to peel all the way into the Santa Barbara harbor. This wave, when it breaks drives in all kinds of pros and Santa Barbara legends.

This weekend I am heading up to Santa Cruz for a surf contest. I love Santa Cruz so much despite the coldness and not the greatest waves. I guess I just enjoy the vibe up there. The waves are supposed to be HUGE, its supposed to be FREEZING and super WINDY. It may be miserable, but I always love the adventure.

This week I interviewed Jace Kennedy. He has been one of my buddies since I started surfing. Jace is one of the most stylish surfers in the 805 zone, known all over. Heres what he has to say. 10835442_10153005804460250_4578645806162428317_o

When did you start surfing? Why?

I started surfing around when I was 8 because my brother and dad did.

When did you start competing? Why?

I think I started competing when I was around 11 or 12 because I had friends that were.

What is you favorite part of surfing?

My favorite part of surfing is being with friends when the waves are good and not having to worry about anything.

Where is your favorite place to surf? Why?

My favorite place to surf is sandbar because it’s the best wave in Santa Barbara even though it’s the most crowded.

What are your sponsors?

Rip curl, Famous Traction and Channel Islands surfboards.

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Who is your favorite surfer? Why?

Bobby Martinez because he’s good at it all.

Hottest girl surfer?

Alanna Blanchard

Most underrated surfer?

There’s too many.

Favorite 805 local?

Brandon Smith and Killian Garland

What’s your favorite board to ride?

Fred Stubble or New Flyer, both Channel Islands Surfboards

Would you rather watch perfect lowers contest or a perfect Mavericks contest?

Mavericks would be more entertaining to watch.

Brazilians or Australians?

Australians

Favorite surf movie?

Sandspit Files

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Coming home + Interview

Posted on March 5, 2016 by chunkyslabsblog

I got back from El Salvador this past Monday. I didn’t get home til about 2:30 AM. I didn’t sleep on the plane either so I was very thrown off with jet lag, time change, not sleeping, and other factors. I woke up the next morning at 6:30 AM because in El Salvador it was actually 8:30 AM. I woke up to reality, not where I wanted to be. I just wanted to be back in worry free, Central America where I could wake up, not look at my phone all day, and relax and surf. I missed the stress free days where I could hang with cool people all day and just chill. Down there the vibe is so great and I love the way of living.

I think I have fallen in love with Central America. The people and the culture have continued to bring me back. I have been to Costa Rica, Nicaragua and El Salvador, making Central America one of the top spots on my hit list. Of course the warm water is what brings me back too :p

Because I don’t always have something SUPER interesting to talk about on my weekly blog, I have decided I will start doing interviews. This week I chose to do Adam Hogue, one of my buddies I’ve been through a lot with and he absolutely shreds. Adam is born and raised in SB and is true to the 805 rule. Adam surfs insanely good and has a mental air game.

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When did you start surfing? Why?
I have been surfing on and off for my whole life but started competitive surfing about 2 years ago.

When did you start competing? Why?
I started competing about 2 years ago because I thought it was fun and a bunch of my friends were doing it.

What is you favorite part of surfing?
My favorite part of surfing is the feeling I get when I am on a good wave.

Where is your favorite place to surf? Why?
My favorite wave to surf is called rincon it is a long right point break and I am regular foot which is part of the reason it is my favorite.

What are your sponsors?
I am not sponsored by anyone

Who is your favorite surfer? Why?
My favorite surfer is Mikey wright because he has a sick style and cool hair

Hottest girl surfer?
I think Alana Blanchard is the hottest surfer.

Most underrated surfer? I think Adam lambert is underrated

Favorite 805 local?
My favorite 805 surfer is Adam lambert as well because he is a cool guy and he rips

What’s your favorite board to ride?
My favorite board to ride is the 4 mod by Channel Islands

Would you rather watch perfect lowers contest or a perfect Mavericks contest?
I would rather watch a lowers contest because i find it really fun to watch the best surfers in the world rip a perfect waves

Brazilians or Australians?
Australians all the way

Favorite surf movie?
My favorite surf movie is step into liquid

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