Flashback:
Its 2001 and I'm strolling up to the Sussex jetty to verify the
day will be just another disappointing link in the chain of summer
swell drought. It hasn't been bigger than 2 foot in weeks and
I really don't know why I even bother. I guess old habits die
hard. As I cross the dunes it's better than I thought, but still
a disappointment. Today's breakers are 50% larger than yesterday's.
3 ft. compared to 2.
Feeling dejected I glance towards the Middlesex jetty and am surprised
to notice some kid catch a sloppy little pile of mush. As I stand
and look a bit longer it becomes apparent that this isn't just
any kid. Before I know it I am gravitating towards the middle
of the beach watching the rider push his board through crumbly
sections and sharp cutbacks. Working through the mellow peaks
he makes his way towards shore eventually hopping into the sloppy,
yet steep (thank god for Cedars), inside sections where he carves
away at what little there is to work with.
On one of the waves he sees the perfect opportunity, directs his
board towards the sky and launches a good 3 feet into the air.
He makes the initial landing but is jarred by the the white water
that follows. His board comes thrashing towards the shore with
no leash in site. Figuring I'll break with Jersey tradition and
be a nice guy, I waddle into the surf to get the board for him.
The kid gives me a smile and a thank you. He inspires me to go
out and I have a great day.
That's the type of kid Chris Kretzer is. His attitude is genuine
and his stoke contagious. The smile rarely leaves his face. Be
it in his surfing or personal life he is living the dream and
you can't help but cheer him on.
Surfing runs in the Kretzer bloodline. Chris's older brother Bill
is owner and head shaper of Kretzer Surfboards. It was Bill that
helped start Chris traveling the world at age 14. Both of the
Kretzers are regulars on the North West coast of Puerto Rico where
Chris has just recently acquired land as well as 2 stray dogs;
Blondie and Rusty.
The dogs are much like Chris and when I walk through his door
to collect some photos and info for the profile I immediately
have two happy dogs spreading stoke all around me. They could
have been mince-meat and now they're hanging out in a nicely furnished
house being fed daily. They're living the dream as well.
You can tell Chris loves Puerto Rico. The excitement he has when
he talks about the waves and the people is obvious. The first
pictures he shows me all have to do with P.R. He recounts stretches
of staying in hostiles for weeks without a minute of privacy.
In true Kretzer style though he shrugs it off. "Who cares?
You're just there to surf anyway." And yes, he admits, the
crowd does come in handy when it's time to party. And party the
kid has. For as many stories he has about surfing, he has twice
as many about hard living.
Not that you would know that now. These days Chris is more focused
on keeping himself in shape, working hard to stay fit for surfing.
"You have to be in shape to handle the big waves outside
the U.S." He tries to accomplish this by shying away from
his past vices. Of course he is telling me this between pulls
on a cold Sierra-Nevada. Still, beer or not, you can tell the
kid does something right. It's not hard to see that he is built
solid, a must, he says, for Hawaiian surfing.
Chris would know after spending 2 ½ months on the North
Shore of Hawaii charging infamous breaks such as Sunset, Backdoor
and Pipe. He talks about a wave at Pipe where he bailed and surfaced
only to see he had two more monster waves coming his way. "If
I wasn't in good shape'", he says "I would have been
dead". This I can believe after we sit and watch some video
of his Hawaiian adventure. First up is Waimea Bay. The video reveals
Chris dropping in on huge peaks, the faces easily reaching 20'.
However, nothing prepares me for his masochistically favorite
clip.
It's probably a good indication of Chris's stoke that the part
of the video he most wants to make sure I see is a nasty wipeout
at Sunset. "You can't cheat on the drop in", he says,
"You have to actually jump up while you are dropping down
steep face." Like Cedars at low tide? I ask him. "Yeah,
only about 15 foot bigger and with reef."
Chris's travel resume is slowly expanding. In addition to Puerto
Rico and Hawaii, he has spent time in the Barbados' and has surfed
the East Coast of the US from Florida to New Hampshire. His focus
is more on power surfing as opposed to air shows so he tries to
get to the most powerful places possible. To watch him surf is
to see that the kid is more concerned with carving than flying.
It's also obvious that he's among the best. As his brother Bill
says, "He has a lot of potential if he stays focused."
According to Chris, Bill is an important part of him reaching
his potential. Chris rides Bills boards exclusively and is very
involved in the process. "I'm very fortunate, actually spoiled.
Sometimes, I take the boards for granted, but I'm thankful. My
surfing has progressed with his shaping, we progressed equally
and his boards have always worked for me." It is as common
to see Chris featured in Bill's ads as it is to see them out in
the water together having a great time.
Chris has been turning some other heads as well. He is currently
riding for Zeal Optics and O'Neill wetsuits. He is also earning
respect from surfers themselves. As a testament to this, Chris
is 1st alternate at the "Grudge Match" this year. If
anyone fails to make their heat, Chris will surf amongst and against
the best New Jersey has to offer. Asked if that was an overwhelming
idea he was quick to respond that he won't let himself get psyched
out. "I think that some other people see who's in the contest
or their heat and then try to come up with a game plan to beat
those people. I don't believe in that. I try to avoid finding
out who's in my heat until I get out there. My focus isn't on
what others are doing, my focus is on what I'm doing and that's
either good enough to win or it isn't." "Besides,"
he continues, "surf contests are about luck anyway."
Luck is something that seems to be on Chris's side. When he talks
about his life you can see in his eyes the belief that he has
somehow wound up in the right place. Recently engaged to fiancé
Jen, a girl he calls "the coolest girl I know", they
are already making plans to jump ship to Hawaii to complete the
nuptials. Better yet, when the honeymoons over they will be returning
to a cozy house they bought recently and their two mutts. It's
almost like a modern day "Leave it to Beaver" where
Ward takes regular surf trips to Puerto Rico and Wally and the
Beav are a bit more hairy.
Chris is a funny guy but he's also a deep thinker. You might not
see this when you meet him but that side is there. After we spend
a few hours looking at photos and watching video we begin to wax
philosophic. No topic is avoided. From god, to death, to politics
(or lack thereof) we dig past the shallow portions of our mind
out into the deeper ocean of life. "I live in my head",
he tells me. "I think I'm 'out there' more than I am here.
Maybe it's escapism but I just spend my days thinking about the
tropics and it always keeps me happy."
It doesn't seem like there's much that doesn't keep Chris happy.
Over the few years that I've known him I don't believe I've ever
seen him without a smile on his face. The one day that always
sticks out however is that small day in Cedars when one kid decided
to make the best of undesirable conditions and by doing so inspired
someone else to go out and do the same. Stoke is infectious and
Chris Kretzer is passing the bug.
