Special Events/Induction Day

ICONS, PIONEERS AND ENVIRONMENTALISTS TO BE HONORED AT 2023 SURFING WALK OF FAME

Incredible lineup of pioneers and icons to be inducted to the Surfing Walk of Fame on Main Street in Huntington Beach.

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. – The Surfing Walk of Fame is pleased to announce Yvon Chouinard, Cheyene Horan, Dick Metz, Pauline Menzer, Don Hansen, Jesse Billauer and Robert “Chuy” Madrigal as its class of 2023.

The induction ceremony will take place in Huntington Beach on the corner of Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway in front of Jack’s Surf Shop. The ceremony, which will see engraved granite stones placed in the sidewalk, will take place on August 3, 2023, at 10:00am, where the honorees’ names will all be enshrined in front of Jack’s Surfboards on the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street in Huntington Beach.

“Every single one of these honorees has had a profound impact on the sport and culture of surfing, the 2023 class has some serious heavyweights in it,” said Peter Townend, surfing’s first world champ who also helps oversee the Walk Of Fame. “From the environment, to making wave-riding more accessible to exploring the possibilities that lie beyond the horizon, there’s so much inspiration in this group.”

One of the most influential of the late ‘70s and early ’80s pro surfing movement, Australia’s Cheyene Horan will be celebrated at the 2023 Surfing Champion. Growing up in the talent-rich Sydney surf teen, Horan was a teen sensation with a penchant of pushing the envelope. Joining the high-profile Bronzed Aussies in 1977, he’s often credited with inventing the floater maneuver.

A perennial runner-up to the world title, Horan’s well known for his wide-backed Lazer Zap surfboard design, complete with his “winged keel” fin. Continuing to live, shape and surf in Australia, his creativity and outside-the-box surfing continue to push the sport forward.

Hailing from Bondi Beach, Australia, Pauline Menzer is the 2023 Woman Of The Year. The 1993 world champion, Menzer’s story is one of overcoming tremendous adversity. Losing her father and grandfather in an accident when she was young, her mom fought to raise four kids on a small welfare check.

Menzer found surfing at 14 and never looked back. Betting on herself, in ’93 she was sponsorless and forced to self-fund her world title campaign. Retiring from competition in 2006 with more than 20 world tour wins to her credit, her steely determination and conviction was a game-changer for women’s professional surfing.

2023 Environmentalist of the Year Yvon Chouinard is one of the most visible and outspoken advocates for the planet today. Founder of Patagonia, Chouinard grew up surfing and rock climbing, eventually turning his passion into one of the most successful outdoor companies on the planet. Calling himself an “existential dirt bag,” in 2022 he made headlines when he announced that he was donating Patagonia, worth $3 billion, to a trust dedicated to fighting the climate crisis.

“I’m kind of pessimistic about the fate of this planet,” Chouinard said at a recent movie premiere in New York City. “We’ve been giving one percent of our sales for a long time. We’ve given away $200 or $300 million over the years, but I’m always thinking, ‘What more can I do?”

The 2023 Surf Pioneer, Dick Metz, exemplifies a true surf life. Born in Laguna Beach in 1929, he’s literally seen it all. As a kid he grew up playing on the beach with the likes of Shirley Temple and other Hollywood stars that were passing through the quaint coastal hamlet at the time. Good friends with Hobie Alter, Metz was instrumental in getting the Hobie business going in Hawaii and elsewhere.

In 1958, he made one of the first great around-the-world surf adventures, uncovering Cape Saint Francis in South Africa along the way—which he would later tell friend Bruce Brown about and would feature prominently in The Endless Summer. Metz spent much of the ‘60s living in Hawaii running the Hobie shop in Honolulu. He also launched Surfline Hawaii with Dave Rochlen, as well as opened other Hobie shops on both the West and East coasts. And as mentioned, he also founded SHACC along with Spencer Croul.

Local Hero honors will go to Chuy Madrigal, who has been a cornerstone of the Huntington Beach surf and skate scenes since the ‘70s. Bursting with talent, beyond his skills on a surf and skateboard, he’s also an incredibly talented artist, writer and event promoter. Bi-lingual and multicultural, Madrigal has worked with the Department of commerce, the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Embassy and more promoting business between the U.S. and Mexico.

And making the Honor Roll, few have done more to promote access to the ocean than Jesse Billauer. Suffering a spinal cord injury when he was just an aspiring pro surfer and confined to a wheelchair, Billauer was relentless in his drive to get back in the water. With the help of friends, he got back to riding waves and soon launched Life Rolls On, a non-profit organization that endeavors to help people with various disabilities continue to live exciting and fulfilling lives. Billauer is also a three-time adaptive world surfing champion.

Also making this year’s Honor Roll is Don Hansen, founder of the iconic Hansen Surfboards. Growing up in South Dakota, after graduating high school Hansen hitchhiked his way to California. Shaping his first surfboard in 1958 out of Jack O’Neill’s shop in Santa Cruz, after time shaping in Southern California and Hawaii, in the mid ’60s he settled in San Diego and opened Hansen Surfboards. A leader in the signature-model era, his team was a who’s who of Golden Era talent, including Mike Doyle, Linda Benson and more.

The 2023 Surfing Walk Of Fame inductees will be celebrated on Thursday, August 3, 2023, at 10:00am. 

About The Walk Of Fame

Going back nearly three decades, Huntington Beach’s Walk Of Fame was the vision of Mike Abdelmuti, owner of Jack’s Surf Shop, as well as a group of dedicated locals and a founding board of directors who all shared a similar vision: to honor those that have contributed to the surf culture, lifestyle and industry. Located on the corner of Main Street and Pacific Coast High in front of Jack’s Surf Shop, the first class was honored in 1994. The categories that are honored include Surf Pioneer, Surf Champion, Woman of the Year, Surf Culture, Local Hero and Honor Roll. Every year more than 200 ballots are sent out to decide who will be recognized.