SURF COUNTY, USA : A WAVE OF REWARDS : Surfers Used to Compete for Trophies, but These Days, the Stakes Have Become Much Higher

Huntington Beach, circa 1970--Brad McCaul of Newport Beach won the U.S. Surfing Championship at the Huntington Beach Pier, but he wasn’t about to take his winnings to the bank.

To the winner went a trophy: a cast-bronze surfer riding a cast-bronze surfboard through cast-bronze waves. No prize money was offered.

“Money’s not a big factor in my life,” McCaul said. “It’s nice to have around, but I’m not going to revolve my life around it.”

Huntington Beach, circa 1989--Richie Collins of Newport Beach, surfing the same area McCaul did 19 years earlier, beat Tom Curren of Santa Barbara to win the Op Pro surfing competition. Collins took home $8,000 in prize money.

Collins and McCaul surf for many of the same reasons, but not under the same conditions. While surfing was McCaul’s life 19 years ago, it’s Collins’ livelihood today.

“It’s a year-round job,” said Collins, who won $42,300 in prize money last year.

“How could it not be? I pack my bags, get on a plane and fly 30 hours to surf overseas. Then I pack my bags and fly somewhere else. As long as there are contests and money in surfing, it will be work.”

The days of surfers competing for trophies, gas money and a free T-shirt are long gone.

Corporate America has discovered this sport, and surfers are competing for increasing prize money as well as a wealth of financial backing from major beachwear and surfboard companies. Some of the top pros make as much as $250,000 a year in winnings and endorsements.

Although surfers earn nearly seven times more in prize money than they did eight years ago, it’s not distributed equally among men and women on the Assn. of Surfing Professionals world tour.

For example, the winner of this year’s Op Pro men’s contest will earn $10,000 while the women’s winner receives only $3,500.

Wendy Botha of Sydney, Australia, earned $44,325 last year while winning the women’s world title. The men’s world champion, Martin Potter of Newquay, England, made $116,875. Botha won seven events last year to Potter’s six.

“I can’t complain,” Botha said. “People outside of surfing always point out that we make less than half what the men do. But to me, I still think I’m lucky. Money’s not all of it.

“The thrill to me is to get on the awards stand and get the trophy. You’ll spend all the money in a month or two, but the trophy is something that will last. But sometimes, we don’t even get good trophies.”

Selena Osterman, media relations officer with the world tour, said the women haven’t attracted as much recognition or as many sponsors as the men. Also, the male surfers outnumber the females four to one at most competitions, so the men must compete in more heats.

Osterman said women’s prize money has increased during the last few years but “it’s a long way from being equal to the men.”

“Girls like Wendy, Lisa (Andersen) and Pam (Burridge) are bringing up the level of competition for the women, and I think that will help,” Osterman said. “I think the women’s prize money will get closer (to the men’s) in the next few years, but it still has a way to go.”

While the women struggle for equal earnings, the men’s winnings continue to increase.

At the start of the 1990 season, Potter’s career prize-money earnings were $259,455. He’s one of six men who have cracked $200,000 in prize money. He is joined by Tom Carroll of Newport, Australia ($322,649); Cheyne Horan of Palm Beach, Australia ($271,180); Curren ($265,430); Barton Lynch of Manly, Australia ($237,100); and Shaun Tomson of South Africa ($225,800).

In 1976, surfers on the International Professional Surfing tour competed for a $65,900 purse. By 1982, the year before the ASP took over the world tour, prize money had increased to $340,900. Prize money in 1989 totaled $2.24 million and is estimated at $2.4 million this year.

Prize money, however, may amount to only a fraction of a surfer’s total income. The big money is in sponsorships and endorsements.

Some surfers have as many as five sponsors, and every event on the tour is underwritten by a corporation.

“This is definitely a business,” said Bonnie Crail, vice president of marketing with Ocean Pacific. “Companies don’t make investments these days without checking first to see if it’s worth it. It’s expensive (to sponsor an event/surfer), but we love it and we get good exposure.”

The Op Pro has a $260,000 budget, and Crail expects the company to lose $100,000 on this year’s contest. She said Op more than makes up for the loss with the exposure it receives from the event.

Op also gets exposure by sponsoring top pros such as Curren, Gary Elkerton of Mooloolaba, Australia, and Todd Holland of Cocoa Beach, Fla.

Depending on terms of a surfer’s contract, sponsors pay for equipment such as boards, wet suits and beachwear. Some sponsors even help with travel costs, cars and living expenses.

“It depends on the (surfer’s) track record,” Crail said. “A good surfer can make over $100,000 a year in retainer payments alone.”

When prize money, endorsements and other bonuses are added, “it’s not unheard of for top guys to make $250,000 (a year),” Crail said.

And with that, they could buy their own cast-bronze trophies.