Oct 10, 2024 07:57AM ● By Mb News Staff
It’s time for one of the most popular surf contests of the year in Manhattan Beach – “The Jimmy” – a unique family-friendly team surf contest benefiting the Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation.
The Jimmy Surf Fiesta brings together surfers, friends, and families in friendly competition while fostering teamwork and stoke – and keeping alive the memory of surf enthusiast Jimmy Miller, the foundation’s namesake.
The funds raised at The Jimmy are used to support the foundation’s internationally recognized Ocean Therapy Program. The foundation works with at-risk/at promise, abused and underprivileged children in Los Angeles, young adults and children with special needs, young adults from the Friendship Foundation and Mychal’s Learning Place, and healthcare workers who have experienced PTSD and trauma associated with their work. JMMF also supports active-duty military and veterans as well as first responders in its Ocean Therapy sessions.
How The Jimmy Surf Fiesta Works
The Jimmy Surf Fiesta is designed to foster camaraderie and aloha in the water and is not hyper-competitive like many other surf contests.
Teams consist of one member from each skill level (A/B/C/D/E) from rippers to people who have never surfed before. Members will self-rate their ability on the contest entry form, and the contest committee will determine ultimate skill level and make up the teams.
The contest directors will assemble teams with various levels of ability to try to make the competition fair. Even if you get knocked out in Round One, you can put your name on an alternate list and try to join another team if someone has to leave.
Beginner surfers are encouraged and welcome and can request assistance for their heat(s). You don’t need to be a surfer to compete, and your team members will be there to help.
The Jimmy is sponsored by Manhattan Beach Rotary and Fresh Brothers Pizza.
New This Year: “Bucket Drop” Fundraiser and More
This year, the event will once again provide an opportunity to raise funds for longtime JMMF supporter Greg Browning, a pro surfer and filmmaker who has been diagnosed with ALS. The event will feature a “Tower of Water” Bucket Drop, with three guest “dunk-ees.” Look for teacher, coach and LA County Lifeguard Tracy Geller; “Man about Town,” Chris Brown, owner of CampSurf, membership director of California Surf Club, and president of California Beach Volleyball Association; and actor, musician, philanthropist and world traveler Ed Quinn. For $5, you will get three chances to dunk the “dunk-ees.”
“We are excited about helping Greg Browning in his battle with ALS and the three ‘dunk-ees’ expect to get wet and raise lots of money for the cause,” said Nancy Miller, mother of Jimmy Miller and board member of the foundation.
This year will also include a limited number of “All Girls” Teams – inspired by the “Queen of the Beach” contest – and a “Fun Zone” that will feature the Tower of Water Bucket Drop, cornhole and other activities for kids and their parents as they wait for their heats.
Food will be served all day with breakfast sweets, coffee and hot chocolate from Mychal’s Learning Place; fruit from Lazy Acres; pizza from Fresh Brothers; and peanut-butter and jelly sammies from National Charity League. Juglife Water is the water sponsor; Firewire will bring demo boards to ride.
The famous mid-day raffle will feature prizes from Spyder, Hurley, Brent Broza, Kai Fragrance, Manhattan Denim, and California Surf Club. The awards will be sponsored by Spyder, ET, Florence Marine, SunBun Vuori, and others.
The entry fee is $60 for one surfer or $100 for two. Contestants will receive a hoodie when they sign up to surf. There will also be a limited number of special edition JMMF hoodies for sale on the beach.
JMMF Named For Global Surfing Adventurer
The foundation’s namesake, Jimmy Miller, was a Manhattan Beach surf teacher and global surfing adventurer who spent his life sharing his joy of the ocean with others. In Manhattan Beach, he founded what is now Camp Surf, where he was dedicated to sharing his philosophy and the method he developed for teaching surfing. After Miller tragically took his own life in 2004, his family created the Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation to preserve his memory and share his love for the ocean with others.
Since then, the JMMF pioneered and formalized the concept of ocean therapy programs through surfing and therapy sessions led by licensed therapists who guide pre- and post- surfing “talking circles.”
JMMF is currently the largest provider of ocean and surf therapy programming in the world. It has continued to introduce new populations that have suffered from some form of mental and/or physical trauma to the healing power of the ocean.
