Guy 'Grundy' Spagnoli 2011 Honor Roll
Hole in the Walk Gang Team Member Inductee
Guy was born November 7th, 1952 and began surfing in 1964 at the Huntington Beach Pier. Originally one of the Huntington Beach Lifeguard Surfing group, he says. They made us wear the orange helmets whenever we surfed. He starting competing in surf contests in 1967 and won numerous trophies of surfing accomplishments in the junior division of U.S.S.A (United States Surfing Association) which then became the W.S.A.(Western Surfing Association) in the area. He won the Huntington Beach City (Men’s division) contest in 1971.
We worked and surfed for Walden Surfboards, Infinity Surfboards, Surfline, Wayne Brown Surfboards, Carl Hayward Surfboards, Chuck Dent Bronze Aussies Surfboards and Gordie Surfboards.
He placed in the top 5 in numerous contests from 1972 to 1980 while traveling to Hawaii, Japan, France, Mexico, Central America, South America, Australia and Thailand. Guy joined the Hole In the Wall Gang for Gordie Surfboards in 1978.
Guy recalls that, "When the surf was flat we would turn to skateboarding to stay in shape and skateboarding was another form of surfing but on land. We would ride the streets and hills of neighboring cities and find locations throughout Southern California that were ideal for smooth land surfing. "I was always into going fast while surfing and skateboarding helped me find the speed lines that I needed to practice on and then bring that into the water when I surfed. In the process of learning the ‘Speed Line’ so to say I competed in the first Downhill Skateboard Contest’ hosted by the United States Skateboard Association (USSA) on Signal Hill in Long Beach California in 1975 and was able to set the first recorded Guinness Book Land Speed Record on a skateboard at 50.2 miles per hour."
"Gordie made me a Downhill Skateboard in 1978 out of solid Mahogany that was used in the 1978 Downhill Skateboard contest and went 53 miles per hour."
"He competed all of 1978 in the WSA Masters Division taking 1st, 2nd or 3rd in all contests. He won numerous events in kneeboarding, paddle races and Surfing to help the Hole in the Wall Gang become the Number 1 Team on the West Coast of the United States.
PHOTO: Guy with his downhill skateboard quiver's.
PHOTO: Another day getting wet.
PHOTO: Guy and Michael Kakuuchi in San Clemente.
