This year’s picks for the Surfers’ Hall of Fame were just announced this week, a group of four surf industry icons who have transformed the sport through the years.
The honorees selected for the Hall of Fame include:  Mike Parsons, Brad Gerlach, Sean Collins, and Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew.

The Surfers’ Hall of Fame – now in its 11th year – is a collection of about 30 hand and footprints of surf icons gathered through the years, set into cement and placed into the sidewalk at Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street in Huntington Beach.
The Hall of Fame started in the Huntington Surf and Sport store, where many of the concrete slabs still remain. HSS owner Aaron Pai got the idea from the famous Chinese Theater – where he visited as a kid – and wanted to bring the concept to the sport of surfing.
“Just like someone is able to go to the Chinese Theatre to check out John Wayne … he’s gone, but you can experience a little slice of John Wayne’s past,” Pai said. “It kind of connects the generations.”

The ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. on July 25.  Here’s a write up of last year’s event. The honorees are selected by a small group of industry people. Here’s a summary of why each was selected:
Mike Parsons
Parsons was a champion of the NSSA, and toured on the WCT. He is currently still involved with the WCT as a contest director. The San Clemente native played a key role in big wave surfing, and took home a win at the XXL Big Wave awards in 2001.
 
Brad Gerlach
The Huntington Beach native was on the HB Surf Team in the mid-80s, and went on to win the XXL Big Wave Challenge  two years ago for a 68-foot wave he caught on Dec. 21 2005  at Todos Santos, Mexico . He’s still considered one of the big wave chargers of the day, both past and present. He’s also one of the nicest guys in the world, Pai said.  
 
Sean Collins
“He’s the most modest guy, but he’s had a huge impact on our sport of surfing,” Pai said.  Collins transformed the sport from being reactive – when thousands of surfers would get in their cars and have to head to the beach to check conditions – to proactive by being able to log online to check conditions. Before creating Surfline.com, he ran a phone line with surf forecasts. To this day, pro surfers will call Sean to find out where the next big waves will be. “He’s one of the most powerful and influencial people in the sport of  surfing,” Pai said.
Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew
The Australian surfer has had a huge influence on the sport from the ’70s through today. He was crowned world champion in 1978. He helped start modern day pro surfing along with other icons,  and is still heavily involved in the sport of surfing with his current role of president of ASP. “I was in Australia three years ago, and we were surfing his home break (Snapper Rocks) ,” Pai said. “All of a sudden, I saw this guy take off, he put his arms behind his back, and I knew it was Rabbit. The guy got the longest tube. He still surfs great today.”- For more on Orange County’s surf scene, go to ocregister.com/beaches - Laylan

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