Carlsbad's Handley takes academic approach to competitive bodysurfing
By: SCOTT BAIR - Staff Writer | ∞
OCEANSIDE ---- Hal Handley is the pensive type.
He likes to observe before entering the fray, to analyze risk and reward before committing to a particular course of action. That's what you would expect from an academic who studied at UCLA, UC San Diego and earned his doctorate in cellular biology and immunology from the University of Virginia.
Handley, a 55-year-old Carlsbad resident who will be competing in today and Sunday in the 29th annual World Bodysurfing Championships at Oceanside Pier, takes that approach to most everything he does.
So when the then 18-year-old Handley first went to the Newport Beach bodysurfing haven known as the Wedge, he didn't even get in the water.
Handley didn't stay dry because he was afraid of the steep wave that quickly plummets into shallow water, and he certainly wasn't intimidated by the thought of thrusting his body into the violent surf.
While others rode the water with nothing more than a pair of fins and a well placed arm, Handley sat on the sand, watching and learning.
He analyzed the wave formation and the technique of other swimmers to determine how best to tame the mighty surf.
"I wanted to observe first and put what I learned to practice," Handley said.
He left, pondered and came back with a plan. Handley executed it and looked more like a seasoned pro than a green teen. And somewhere during that process, Handley got hooked on bodysurfing.
"I took a big leap in ability during that time," he said. "I was in the water almost every day and was constantly working on different techniques all the time. And when I began fine tuning my maneuvers, I started to get pretty good.
"That intense period molded me into the type of bodysurfer that I am today."
Handley is one of the best bodysurfers around. Although nearly four decades have passed since that first trip to the Wedge, Handley still approaches bodysurfing in the same scientific way.
This weekend you'll find him standing on the pier or at the water's edge before his heats, silently observing, analyzing, formulating a game plan.
"There's a saying that chance favors the prepared mind," Handley said. "There are lots of strong, talented swimmers out there, but I believe that preparation is what separates those of equal ability. It takes a little luck to win a contest like this, so you need to put yourself in a position where luck can come your way.
"And when it does, you have to take advantage of it."
Handley has taken advantage of it a number of times. He has won his age group five times and the prestigious Grand Championship ---- an honor bestowed on the best bodysurfer out of any age group ---- in 1990.
Handley has bodysurfed competitively for the last two decades and has made the Oceanside contest an annual event, whether he had to travel from the Bay Area, across the country or just up the I-5 like he does today.
Bodysurfing has been an essential part of Handley's life for so long that it's hard for him to imagine a time where it wasn't. But for almost 10 years, from 1975 to 1983, Handley stayed out of the ocean.
He stopped bodysurfing entirely and poured all his efforts into pursuing other interests. But one summer day in 1983, Handley took a trip to a Carlsbad beach.
There was a bodysurfing contest going on that day and, while Handley showed up too late to sign up, he stuck around and did what he always does before jumping into something ----- he watched and learned.
"I just stood on the pier watching these guys do amazing things on a wave," Handley said. "The competitors were so impressive that it started making me think about getting back into it."
Simply watching that contest rekindled Handley's passion for the sport, and he's been bodysurfing nonstop ever since. His drive was insatiable, even when there was no break around to bodysurf.
Handley used to brave the rocks and treacherous tides of Fort Point, which is located near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, when he lived in the Bay Area. He used to practice bodysurfing techniques in a pool when he was studying in Virginia.
And now that he's got waves aplenty near his Carlsbad home, Handley's back bodysurfing regularly in his own private paradise.
At a glance
Lasek redeems himself
Encinitas resident Bucky Lasek followed up a 10th place showing at the X Games with a first-place finish in the skateboard vert competition of the Vans Invitational. The competition was the third stop on the Dew Action Sports Tour and was held Aug. 18-21 in Portland, Ore. Lasek won the event with a 91.50 in his first run. The win keeps him atop the AST's overall standings with 275 points, 96 points above the closest competitor. Ryan Nyquist (BMX Park), Ryan Guettler (BMX Dirt), Jamie Bestwick (BMX Vert), Greg Lutzka (Skate Park) and Kenny Bartram (Freestyle Motocross) also claimed titles in the competition.
Smith competes in finals
Encinitas resident Taylor Smith competed in the Free Flow Tour amateur skateboarding finals on Aug. 17 at the Dew Action Sports Tour's Vans Invitational in Portland, Ore. Smith, 11, qualified for the finals by winning a Free Flow contest in Orange in July. He did not place in the event, but he was recognized among the top 15 amateur skateboarders in the country. David Loy, who won the Encinitas Free Flow stop, made it to the finals, but did not place in the top three.
---- Scott Bair
Local events
Saturday-Sunday: 29th Annual World Bodysurfing Championships
Sept. 3-4: NSSA SW Conference Open, South Jetty, Oceanside
On the tube
No events scheduled
Statistics
Dew Action Sports Tour
Overall Standings
Through three events
Skate Vert
1. Bucky Lasek (Encinitas)?275
2. Andy Macdonald (San Diego)?179
3. Pierre Luc-Gagnon (Carlsbad)?169
4. Shaun White (Carlsbad)?163
5. Bob Burnquist (Vista)?151
Skate Park
1. Ryan Sheckler?275
2. Chad Fernandez?201
3. Paul Rodriguez?155
4. Greg Lutzka?148
5. Paul Machnau?112
Freestyle Motocross
1. Kenny Bartram?263
2. Jeremy Stenberg (Murrieta)?263
3. Mike Mason?153
4. Ronnie Faisst (Murrieta)?133
5. Beau Bamburg?114
BMX Dirt
1. Ryan Guettler?237
2. Corey Bohan?224
3. Chris Doyle?153
4. Cameron White?150
5. Mike Aitken?145
BMX Vert
1. Kevin Robinson?220
2. Jamie Bestwick?200
3. Dave Mirra?193
4. Chad Kagy?193
5. Dennis McCoy?139
BMX Park
1. Ryan Guettler?263
2. Scotty Cranmer?179
3. Steven McCann?169
4. Ryan Nyquist?163
5. Allan Cooke?157
The Action Sports Column runs every other Saturday. To suggest story ideas, report local events or offer general comments, please contact Scott Bair at (760) 739-6642 or sbair@nctimes.com.
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