Chemistry Surfboards Challenge Gen Z To Surf Like It’s 1960

Last Sunday, June 21, the forefathers of sound and surf design gathered in Oceanside, CA, to announce the winners of their “Timeless” video contest. A couple months ago, Chemistry Surfboards founder, Jason Bennett, called on ten kids he enjoys surfing with (most of the time) to participate in Chemistry’s annual tribute to surf heritage. Inside the graffiti-covered walls of his bay, Jason paired the groms before handing out five period-specific designs. Each duo was tasked with creating a 90-second tribute piece for their assigned era. Then, on June 17, after a digital premiere, the public decided which video encapsulated the decade most vividly.

The pairing included: 60s (The Soul): Kayla Luce & Star Delia. 70s (The Revolution): Bison Sharpe & Tyler Knatz. 80s (The Neon): Mason O’Toole & Curren Bain. 00s (The Performance): Ryan Risko & Sonny Witholt. The Future (The Unknown): Timo Simmers & Parker Heit.

Unlike most surf exhibitions, where bass catalyzes a testosterone-induced moshpit, this event ran on a mix of funk and jazz, MPC’d by producer The Ones (of People Under The Stairs)  who partnered with Jason to create a limited-edition vinyl capsule. Knees bent, bars hit, and the community got around a freestyle or two to celebrate the rare intersection.

In the end, Kayla Luce and Star Delia’s vintage love letter to the 1960s took the top honors and a $1,000 check each. Masterfully clipped together by Banna Bazzarie, the girls’ retro toe taps more than doubled the votes of the boy’s edits. Being the high-performance enthusiasts we are, I’d also like to nominate Ryan Risko x Sonny Witholt’s violent encounter with the Pacific (scored to D12) for your pre-surf rotation.

Being the high-performance guys we are, I’d like to also nominate Ryan Risko x Sonny Witholt’s violent encounter with the Pacific’s XXL (scored to D12) for your pre-surf rotation. Applause to Chemistry for getting the kid’s outside and creating. Until next year — 

Ps: Binge all four edits below.