Peter Townend |
 The Largest Surfing EncyclopediaA-Z: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Advertisement
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Never mind that the trophy was a fraud, one that they grabbed just for the photo. Never mind that most people didn't know there was a tour until it was almost over. As Peter Townend posed with IPS director Fred Hemmings at the Outrigger Canoe Club for a photo at the end of 1976, he was surfing's first professional world champion. And whatever happened from there was gravy.
Townend enjoyed a middle-class upbringing in Queensland, Australia. After following in his father's footsteps of qualifying as a lifesaver on the Gold Coast's beaches, he entered competitive surfing in 1969. He rode Kirra with Rabbit Bartholomew and Michael Peterson soon after shortboards had become a way of life. In 1972, he blew off an architecture scholarship to fly to San Diego for the World Surfing Games, where he finished third. "I went off to the school of life," remembers PT, "the school of Samsonite, as I like to call it." Working as a shaper and PR man for G and S Australia in Sydney, Townend was living as a professional surfer without a tour. However, he entered every contest he could and a third-place finish in the 1974 Smirnoff Pro at maxing Waimea helped him shake off the unfavorable moniker, "Mr. Three-Feet-and-Under." As professional surfing rose from the cradle in 1976, PT was one of the mavericks intent on legitimizing the sport. He wrapped up a consistent season with a solid showing in Hawaii that clinched him the world title over Aussie cohort Ian Cairns. Along with Cairns, Mark Warren and Sydney journalist Mike Hurst, PT helped form the Bronzed Aussies, a band of Australian professional surfers outfitted in matching jumpsuits and boasting an attitude "all for one and one for all." The idea was to overhaul the surfing image into that of tennis or golf, and the Aussies, while succeeding competitively, failed miserably in the business world. Townend took a hiatus from the tour in 1978 for the filming of the Hollywood film Big Wednesday. He performed the surfing of Jack Barlow, a character based on Malibu legend Kemp Aaberg. PT's surfing, along with that of Gerry Lopez, Ian Cairns, J. Riddle and others was state of the art and made the movie appeal to real surfers. "The roots of that story are as relevant today as they were when it was written," says PT. From the experience, he learned that there is more to surfing than the tournaments. After returning to the tour with back-to-back fifth-place finishes, he realized that his fame would have to come from somewhere other than competitive surfing. In 1979, Townend married an American girl and immigrated to Huntington Beach. With Cairns, he started a company called Sports and Media Services, under which they directed the NSSA and developed pro contests on the mainland. They helped coach the US Team to prominence, mentoring Tom Curren and a host of other NSSA stars into professional careers. With some background in journalism from earlier stints with Surfing magazine and The Sydney Daily Mirror, Townend took a position in the advertising department at Surfing. He rose to the position of associate publisher of Western Empire Publications where he served for more than a decade. Meanwhile, his face became synonymous with U.S. professional surfing as commentator for Bud Tour events on the Prime Network and ESPN. PT's passionate commentary often left him voiceless by broadcast's end. Throughout the '90s, Townend earned accolades for his tireless efforts to promote surfing. He was inducted into the International Surfing Hall of Fame, the Huntington Beach Surfing Walk of Fame (where he is also a founding member) and the Gold Coast Sporting Hall of Fame. He is a member of the advisory boards of the ASP and Surfrider Foundation and served two years as president of the Surf Industry Manufacturers' Association (SIMA). After working as marketing director and global brand manager for Rusty surfboards and clothing for much of the '90s, Townend has returned to Surfing magazine, this time as publisher of the Surfing Group, where he also oversees Surfing Girl, Surf Guide and Bodyboarding. A father of three, he resides in Huntington Beach with his girlfriend Shirlee Gage and her two children in a "Brady Bunch" episode come to life. He continues to strive for legitimacy for the sport of surfing. As founder of Surfing America, based on an Australian model of structure in competitive surfing, he hopes to reignite a flagging American amateur scene and develop the talent that will bring future world titles back to the United States. -- Jason Borte, August 2000
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