My story post 19

It was spring time, I had a part time job shaping and laminating boards for Pacific Plastics, went to school at Ventura College and surfed as much as possible.

I wasn’t thinking about summer even though it was right around the corner. I guess having a part time job would be all I needed during summer… I’d have more time to hunt for surf. But, everything was about to change and it only took about a week.

It started one day, maybe a Monday or Tuesday when my friend Peter and I were down at the point between classes looking at the surf. The surf was small, kind of wind swell stuff, but I wanted to get wet so I went out. Peter stayed on the beach… I think he had a class to go to or something. At least I remember there was some reason why he didn’t go out with me. Anyway, I was out for maybe 15 or 20 minutes getting a few waste high slides when Peter comes paddling straight out to me calling “Dennis, Dennis”.

I had to have been thinking ‘what the heck, Peter said he didn’t have time to surf, what happened someone die or something?’ Peter paddles up to me and says “Cooper’s on the beach he wants to talk to you. He’s looking for a shaper and I told him I new this guy that shaped, he’s out surfing right now. Should I paddle out and get him?... and he said yes”

Cooper was one of the surfing icons of the day, a big name, immediately recognizable and it was always cool when someone like that was at the beach or you saw him somewhere, like at a surf flick or something. He wanted to talk to me? About shaping? This was going to be a big moment for me, one like when I talked with Greg Noll. I paddled straight for the beach… well, maybe I caught a wave and rode it to the beach. I found Cooper at his car eating lunch.

D.R.