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Surfing Becomes New Turf for Gang Bangers; Program Gets National Spotlight on Sept. 16
September 12, 2008
PRESS RELEASE
The next edition of ESPN's primetime newsmagazine E:60 on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 7 p.m. ET, will feature a story about two former gangbangers from the barrios of central California--guys who expected to and nearly did end up doing hard time--who managed to turn their lives around through their discovery of, and love of, surfing - a sport they are now bringing to other young gang members.
Through their love of the sport, both Manny Raya and J.J. Ortiz managed to overcome their tough upbringings and earn their B.A.'s from University of California at Santa Barbara and Cal State Northridge, respectively. J.J. Now owns a thriving business in downtown Santa Barbara and Manny is pursuing his Masters in Philosophy from San Francisco State University with the hopes of obtaining his Ph.D and someday becoming a university professor.
But instead of turning their backs on the despair and mean streets of their childhoods, for the past 6 years, Manny and J.J. Have set aside a full month of their busy schedules to run a camp called Turf 2 Surf where they teach surfing to kids that remind Manny and J.J. of themselves ay earlier ages.
Reporter Lisa Salters brings the story of the kids and their mentors to life - both on the surf of California's beaches and the turf of the hardened urban streets the kids are trying to escape. Viewers can join Manny and J.J. passing on surfing and life skills at legendary beaches like Rincon and Malibu as they transfer their hopes and dreams of a better tomorrow to kids who'd been given up for lost.
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