Surf’s up, Cal Poly.
Cal Poly surfers and surf fans alike can catch the waves on the big screen as the Youth Outreach Program for the Performing Arts Center (YOPAC) hosts its first annual “Surf Film Night.” The event takes a deeper look into competitive surfing, and will take place at the Christopher Cohan Performing Arts Center (PAC) today.
The purpose of the film night is to get students more interested and involved with events happening in the PAC. Student excitement is what Melody Klemin, the YOPAC Marketing and Outreach coordinator, is looking for. Klemin said YOPAC wanted to do something that would “relate to Cal Poly students” to get them into the PAC.
“We feel like they don’t often have the opportunity enough or want to come to see things,” Klemin said. “So, we thought it would be logical to try a surf film as a way to get more Cal Poly students into our building because it’s here for them.”
The PAC is also a place for local students to participate and be a part of the performing arts in San Luis Obispo. Since starting under the foundation of the PAC in September 2006, YOPAC has made it possible for 250,000 local students in K through 12 to use the center, free of charge.
“This program is targeted toward local K through 12 students and through a variety of programs, we try to engage them as audience members, performers and investigators of the performing arts,” Klemin said.
YOPAC created both School Matinee Performances — making attending shows more feasible and covering transportation expenses for youths — and Young Artists Onstage, which allows public schools to come to the PAC during the day to watch shows. These programs have expanded to serve all of San Luis Obispo County and parts of Santa Barbara County.
“It’s all about accessibility for students — trying to get people in here who may not otherwise have the chance,” Klemin said. “We have a strong commitment to (local) students, to providing arts education for them.”
Krista Scarbrough, the marketing and outreach assistant coordinator for YOPAC, said she agrees that convenience is key.
“It’s always been a goal to reach out to students and to educate them in the PAC,” Scarbrough said. “Because there have been so many budget cuts, they don’t have that outlet as much as they have in the past.”
Therefore, students should take advantage of this outlet more often, Scarbrough said. With the Surf Film Night, the YOPAC team hopes to do just that.
“Hopefully, it will enlighten the Cal Poly community about the PAC,” Scarbrough said. “A lot of students haven’t attended it, and it would be nice to reach out to them and support arts education.”
And the surfing theme night hopes to draw everyone, even those who do not participate in the sport, because “it’s really interesting to look at the culture of surfing,” Klemin said.
“We have the ocean so close to us; I’m sure we know people who surf as a sport and as a leisure activity,” she said. “It’s cool to peek into their world and have an appreciation for it.”
Two one-hour films will be shown to benefit YOPAC: “Who is J.O.B.?” and “A Fly in the Champagne.”
The film “Who is J.O.B.?” does just what the title entails: it takes a closer look into the life of Jamie O’Brien, the 2005 Breakthrough Performer of the Year by Surfer Poll Awards. The Hawaiian native opens up in the film about his life in and out of the water, revealing information that not everyone knew about him, such as the distant relationship he had with his mother and how he once wore a helmet duct-taped to his head in the water.
“A Fly in the Champagne” features the often spirited rivalry between Kelly Slater, the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) 10-time world champion, and three-time world champion Andy Irons, who died last November. But the Slater/Irons competition finally comes to an end as these two settle the biggest rivalry in surfing.
Hearing names such as Slater and Irons draws the attention of those who are familiar with surfing. Landscape architecture junior Travis Chin recognizes these as “some of the biggest names in the surf world,” and said surfing is something much more than a hobby.
“It’s a way of life,” Chin said. “I feel the most alive when I’m surfing; it’s just me and the waves out there. So, it’s nice that this program decided to bring surfing into the school and community.”
Tickets for the event can be purchased at the Performing Arts Center Ticket Office for $10. Attendees will also receive a complimentary Red Bull energy drink and a chance to win various surf-related prizes.