By Jackie Connor , Special to the | ||
|
Independent
Blink and you might pass up the beautiful shores of Oak Street Beach . Among the 26 unique shorelines in Laguna Beach , Oak Street is home to
|
Tess Booth navigates the lineup at Pavones surf break in
Costa Rica . Photo /
Randolf Stoker
|
|
|
not only a marine protected area but also a host of locals like the Booth family , who call many of these unique shorelines home . For Tess Booth , 20 , growing up splashing in the shore break and conquering some of Laguna Beach ’ s premier surf spots ignites a forever passion for the ocean .
Daughter of former professional surfer and Laguna Beach local Jeff Booth and surf industry design veteran Melissa Martinez , owners of Distant Local , a surf shop co-branding company , Booth and her brother Travis were raised with surfing as a steadfast passion . Booth may not remember her very first wave , but she recalls diving under the waves at Oak
Street alongside her dad when she was five years old .
“ Something clicked in my brain and I went under , and … it was perfectly fine ,” said Booth . “ And ever since that moment ,
I feel like I got really comfortable with the
|
ocean and started surfing with my dad .”
At age nine , Booth was determined to join her dad and brother out in the surf , recalling her birthday present from her dad — a seven-foot Odyssey surfboard .
Fueled by her determination to be a part of the surf conversation with her dad and brother , Tess would surf on her own , honing her skills , or with her dad by her side , coaching her .
“ I am extremely lucky to have a dad
|
who is a master of his craft because he taught me everything that I know and really helped me to become the surfer that I am today and the surfer that I want to be ,” said Booth .
Her surf journey soon graduated to
Brooks Street , a left-breaking wave whose reputation for being anything but gentle precedes itself during large summertime south swells . It is also home to the Brooks
TESS , PAGE 24
|
|
By LB Indy Staff
SchoolPower , Laguna Beach ’ s Education Foundation , hosted its 38th Annual Gala Above & Beyond on March 23 at Montage Laguna Beach . Chaired by SchoolPower trustees Ashley Brown and Liz Black , the event grossed more than $ 400,000 for Laguna Beach Unified School District ’ s four schools .
“ When a community works together to realize a mutual goal , magic is created . And magic is what SchoolPower has created
|
with its commitment to improving both the education and well-being of Laguna Beach students ,” said Liz Black , a Thurston Middle School parent and event co-chair .
SchoolPower is a parent volunteer-based , nonprofit that has raised money for Laguna Beach public schools since 1981 . Through SchoolPower grants , the Family Resource Center , and the After School Program , SchoolPower supports academics , athletics ,
SCHOOL POWER , PAGE 21
|
SchoolPower Executive Director Sarah Durand addresses guests at SchoolPower ’ s 38th Annual Gala . Photo / Candice Dartez Photography |
INSIDE
MONKS , PAGE 3
COASTAL REAL ESTATE GUIDE THE ULTIMATE REAL ESTATE GUIDE FOR HOMEBUYERS & OWNERS IN NEWPORT BEACH AND LAGUNA BEACH
|