Longboard News

Swami's surfers oppose proposal by Linda Benson

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 20 November, 2009 : - - An Encinitas committee is examining a proposal by famed surfer Linda Benson to hold a women’s longboarding contest at Swami’s Beach in October. Benson says Swami’s is perfect for her four-day contest because of its world-class point break and the beach’s central location. She applied for city permits last month. 

Her plan has attracted opposition, with local surfers saying the contest would force them to compete for waves at other beaches and set a precedent for more commercial use at Swami’s. By Wednesday, 395 people had signed an online petition seeking to ban surf contests at the beach. Benson has started a petition in support of her contest, and she had collected 365 signatures by Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission appointed a three-member subcommittee to consider Benson’s application. The members are Commissioners Doug Goad, Doug Long and Stephen Valois.

The subcommittee will report its findings to the full commission Jan. 19. The commission will then make a recommendation to the City Council, said John Frenken, the city’s parks and beaches superintendent. The City Council will decide whether to begin the permit process.

Swami’s is below steep coastal bluffs just south of the Self-Realization Fellowship and its meditation gardens, which draw people on spiritual quests. Surfers park in a blufftop lot and descend a steep staircase to reach the ribbon of sand.

Benson, 65, is an Encinitas native and is in the International Surfing Hall of Fame.

Read the full article at Sign On San Diego

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Source: Sign On San Diego

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