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SEPT/OCT 2018
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The Waveshaper
BEING THE WAVESHAPER at the Bend Whitewater Park has given me a unique
perspective on the progress of river surfing here in central Oregon. When I first
came to Bend about 3 years ago, I had heard there was a surf culture here, but
it wasn’t obvious at first. One of the first times this culture became apparent was
when I met Travis (Yamada) on day one of testing the new surf wave back in
August of 2015. At first I was skeptical of this guy someone had picked to give
feedback on a standing river wave, but after seeing him in the water, I knew he
had skills and experience that can’t be faked. I soon learned there were many
more people out there like him, and, this surprised feeling I got became a theme.
I began meeting pro athletes, high level businessmen, and other unique individu-
als who obviously knew their way around paddling on a piece of fiberglass. They
all seemed to be coming out of the woodwork and gathering at this spot with
one thing in common- surf.
This park and its users have continued to evolve over the past years. It is not un-
common to meet a pro skier from Europe who ‘heard about this adjustable surf
wave’ and has come to Bend to try it out. Or the famous musician who is playing
a show at LSA and wants to come surf the wave for a few hours before continu-
ing their tour...it truly is a magical spot in the sense that it brings together unique
individuals who share a common interest.
And the kids! In just a couple of summers, I have had the pleasure of watching
young groms progress from timid boogie boarding in the smallest rapids of the
park to shredding on surfboards and dominating the massive Green Wave. It’s so
cool.
I’ll end with why I think this park is special and fosters such awesome encoun-
ters and experiences. When someone new to the sport comes to me and asks
for help or advice, I send them straight to the wave.
‘Just get a board and go down there?’ they seem surprised.
The wave itself can be intimidating, sure, but I think a lot of people associate
some of the negative aspects of traditional ocean surfing with this wave. Even
kooky newbs know you don’t just paddle out on some famous break in the ocean
and start dropping waves- there’s a thing called localism. Despite experience,
people seem to know that there is an expectation that you earn your way into
using a spot, you don’t get to just surf it. Not here. The best way to get into this
sport is to immerse yourself in the community of people surfing the wave! The
atmosphere is friendly and inviting, and most all of the more experienced surfers
are willing and even eager to help out the new guy or gal. The consistency of this
wave helps with this, as everyone isn’t clawing to drop the one perfect wave of
the day. But it goes beyond that. We truly have a magical group of people who
are stoked on surfing, and, more importantly, sharing surfing. Isn’t that what it’s
all about, after all?
I sure do feel lucky to be a part of it!
By Ryan Richard
Bend Parks & Rec
The Warden
LIFE LONG SURFER Simon Elston was born in England but moved to Perth
Australia in the early 70’s. Simon got his first beat up surfboard at the age of 12
and caught the surfing bug. Simon lived across the road from the beach so he
skipped a lot of school in his teens, reasoning that he wanted to become a pro
surfer and work in the surf industry; plus school sucked. Simon got his first job at
a surf shop at the age of 14, fixing dings, sanding, glassing and eventually shap-
ing boards. He then went on to try his hand at being a pro surfer. Elston’s “Pro”
career didn’t pan out as he wanted but he travelled plenty and got to surf a lot of
cool places.
Figuring he needed to fund his surfing habit, he scored a job as a flight atten-
dant for QANTAS, this gave him cheap travel around the world. Then Simon met
his awesome wife skiing in Colorado in 1990 on one of those random vacations.
The couple started dating when he returned to the states on a ski trip to Mount
Bachelor in 1991, which is ironic because that is where they ended up here 30
years later. Simon moved to Montana in 1993, got married and had two amazing
kids, Jonah and Jared.
They opened a ski and snowboard shop in 2003 until (like most independent
retailers) the internet crushed them in 2012. The Elston’s decided to move to
Bend in 2013 so their boys could enjoy the mountains and be around more
people with similar goals. This is where Simon found a great surfing community,
a river wave and a surf shop that allowed him to get “dusty” again.