Corporate types would probably call this “an off year.” The small business type, that is, the guy trying to keep local competitive surfing alive, would probably call it a brutal one. And that’s polite language.

But without overstating the case, the economic slowdown of 2008 has taken its toll on local surfing. The point being: Lack of sponsorship killed the long running San Onofre Classic and will likely kill the HB Surf Series.

Both catered to Southern California surfers. Both offered opportunities for young surfers to test themselves in competition. Both were local businesses run by local entrepreneurial surfers. Both kept the stoke alive. But the financial world is no more sentimental than the natural world. It is always a fight for survival and neither Allan Seymour’s San Onofre Classic nor Jeff Deffenbaugh’s HB Surf Series could live on love alone.

The San O Classic, originally scheduled for May, died after 12 years. The amateur longboard event ran for over a decade with Hobie’s support, then briefly with Quiksilver. Deffenbaugh always amazingly strung together a line of sponsors to provide goodies and a small prize purse for the vast array of surfers who came through its ranks.

“The hardest part right now is me having to answer to the kids who love doing the events,” Deffenbaugh says. “It’s a bummer deal. The only thing I can do at this point is run individual events, or use my permits for other events.”

Deffenbaugh, a former world tour surfer, scheduled this year’s series to be five events spread from May to September. Two events were cancelled and Deffenbaugh says realistically he doesn’t see the remaining three events taking place.

“It’s a bummer because I’ve spoken to a lot of people in the industry who say the budget is not there or they’ve got their own events. It’s just the economy itself. You go to fill your gas tank and all your money is going to that,” Deffenbaugh says.

Seymour has two other events in the fall, the Wahine Classic, an all-women’s longboard event, and the Classic Surf Cup which featured longboarding and stand up paddle surfing. He’s working to keep those events going, but says he will not pursue sponsorship for the San Onofre Classic and its run is over.

But Deffenbaugh knows how lucky he has been already and is focused on bringing the series back in full for 2009.

“I’ve had a really good run with it for four years. It’s just one of those times when sponsorship is tough. Sometimes when things disappear people realize that something good is gone and they get really motivated to bring it back.”

To contact Deffenbaugh or Seymour about sponsorship opportunities, email Seymour at allan@classicsurf.com or Deffenbaugh at jeffdeff@hbsurfseries.com.

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