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ESA In Their Own Words: Tyler Callaway |
 The ESA is where I learned to compete but it was a lot more than that. It’s where I got a sense of family and of the surfing world outside of my little NY District.
In ’73 I went to Hatteras for my first time in the boys division of the Easterns and my world opened up. They were the best surfers I’d ever seen. Greg Loher, Ricky Rasmussen, Jim Cartland, Mike Openhiemer and dozens of others were absolutely ripping. I choked in my first heat,..I literally froze up while riding a wave. But I came away heavily influenced by what I saw and the people I met. I went home wide eyed with lots of mental notes on what to work on. I also had a group of new friends up and down the coast. The Easterns were presided over by a dedicated jolly man by the name of Dr. Colin Couture - he was the director of the ESA back then. Doc embodied the spirit of Aloha. He gave so much of his time and energy to the ESA that I believe he played a big part in laying the foundation for amateur and pro surfing in the US. By the next year I got over my shyness in heats and went on to get second in the next Eastern’s as a freshman in junior division and then to get 3rd at the U.S. in Texas the next year. The following year in ‘76 I went to Hawaii for the US. which was being held at Ala Moana. I only made it through a few rounds but decided to stay in Hawaii. Again, the network of friends that I’d made at both the East Coast championships in the U.S. championships helped me feel at home on the North Shore. Somewhere there I realized that I wasn’t cut out to be a pro surfer. I went to college and made a career for myself in the surf industry. I just kind of figured things out as I went. I know what I learned in the ESA really helped set me up for life. I learned how to compete but also learned how to make friends, be confident and to win or lose gracefully. Looking back, those lessons really helped shape who I am today. I have been in the surf industry for a long time. I find the business world requires the same formula for success: Compete fiercely but fairly, and be humble when you win or gracious when you lose. I have always supported the ESA because that’s where I came from.
After college I went back to New York for a couple of years and actually ran a contest to re-launch the New York district which was floundering at the time. I went back to compete in Hatteras for the first time in five years and was stoked to be reunited with many old friends. Doing well there got me an invitation to be part of the very first ESA All-Star team, which was an honor. We were invited to compete in California and again the friends I made on the trip helped me decide that California would be my new home. It’s not bad out here really, I’ve gotten quite used to it. I went on to compete in the Masters in the NSSA and even won a few national titles. I’ve been a sales rep and the marketing director for both Reef and Rusty before launching FCS in the U.S. 10 years ago. I’m really lucky I live near the beach in La Jolla and work doing something I love. I travel a lot for FCS and no one ever gives me a hard time about bringing surfboards or chasing a few waves. I still go surfing almost every day and I have friends all over the world. But for me it all started coming together during that first trip to Easterns.
Best regards,
Tyler Callaway
Director of Business Development
Surf Hardware International |
