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chapter 42 Article from The Evening Herald (1917) 5 George Freeth 1883–1919 The following article by George Freeth helps to situate surfriding’s revival fairly precisely to the year 1902, when the nineteen-year-old partHawaiian began experimenting with standing on the surfboard in his home waters of Waikîkî. Although surfriding had occurred in Northern California as early as 1885 by visiting Hawaiians, Freeth is generally credited with sparking the interest in surfriding during his inaugural visit to Southern California in 1907.6 Freeth also helped popularize swimming , diving, and water polo. According to historian Arthur C. Verge, “Freeth’s greatest impact on California, however, remains his instrumental role in revolutionizing the profession of ocean lifesaving.” Freeth’s article in the Evening Herald was preceded by the following note, which outlined his contributions in this area: Article written exclusively for The Evening Herald by George Freeth, life guard at Redondo Beach, who was commended by Congress and the United States Life Saving corps for the rescue of more than 250 lives during his career as a life-guard on the Southern California coast, and noted as the man who revived among the Hawaiians and introduced into the United States the lost art of surf board riding. Freeth has probably brought out and developed more swimmers of note than any other man in the country today, among them being the famous Sheffield sisters, Nita and Lyda, swimmers of the Golden Gate, Ludy Langer, long distance water dog, Doly Mings, the Newark sisters, Clifford Bowles, and others. The noted Hawaiian swimmer, Duke Kahanamoku who broke the world’s record in the 100 meters race both at Stockholm and in Germany under the American colors, is one of Freeth’s swimming companions who owes his success to the Redondo star. 153 i c a n n o t r e m e m b e r t h e d a y when I couldn’t swim. The first days I can remember were those spent at Waikiki Beach, four miles distant from Honolulu, Hawaii, where, with hundreds of native boys, I swam and dove a greater part of the time. I was born at that beach, my father being a native of Cork, Ireland, and my mother, part English and part Hawaiian. Because of the location of my father’s business, I remained there almost every day of my life up to the age of ten years. Waikiki Beach is known the world over for its surf-board riders. Tourists go there from all over the world to watch the natives perform feats on the surf-board and I can name no sport that requires more daring, skill and dexterity than that of riding a surf-board at Waikiki Beach where the great breakers acquire a speed of sometimes thirty-five miles an hour. I was born there November 8, 1883. When I began to swim and sport in the breakers with the native boys there was no standing surf-board riding. Every boy knew from the tales handed down from his father that the Hawaiians had at one time, ridden the waves but then not a one of them could stand. I listened to the tales told by the boys of how their ancestors could stand on a board speeding over the water at a terrific speed. I hardly believed it at first. Not until I was nineteen and had made several trips to the United States, bathed at Atlantic City and learned a lot about water feats, did I attempt to ride a surf board. At that age, nineteen, I returned to Waikiki Beach, determined to learn the lost art of surf-board riding if it was within human possibility. I took a large board, shaped it to suit my weight and started. I would get the board to riding well, then would stand up on my hands and knees, all the while guiding it with my feet. At last I was able to stand on my knees, going at full speed. My next move was to rest on one knee and one foot for short distances and was gradually able to work myself into longer distances. At last I was riding the entire length of the breaker range, a half mile, standing at full height on the board. The native boys had laughed at me when I made my first efforts. Now they hailed me as the reviver of the lost art. They all took to riding...

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