The Gudangs Are Groms, So They Threw An Event For 140 Of Their Kind

“That’s a ssswishhhhhhh!!!” smiled Tanner Gudauskas.

Another year, another Stoke-O-Rama in the books for the Gudauskas boys. For eight years running now, Dane, Pat and Tanner have been rallying the tribe to give kids a free surf contest experience that’s just simply about fun and “hanging in your wetsuit all day.” Saturday marked their third such comp in Huntington Beach.

“I’m kind of getting flogged out there. Those double-ups are kinda brutal,” laughed Pat, who spent the day pushing little gremlins into Surf City reforms.

Call it karmic training for the U.S. Open. Pat and Tanner will both be competing this week, and there’s nothing like getting to know what the sandbars are doing than jumping in the water with the kids. In total 140 Huntington pier rats entered the comp with age division ranging from 12 and Under to the classic Pops and Pups. Pat, his brothers, and their crew of Positive Vibe Warriors in the water and hustling on the sand firing up the kids all day long.

“I love commentating,” said Dane, who’s become the de-facto announcer over the years. “It’s so fun getting on the mic, firing up all the kids and getting the beach all frothy.”

Meanwhile, Tanner stands in as the beach marshall, handing out jerseys to competitors, signing autographs and snapping selfies.

“This one kid kept coming up and taking pictures with me and his family. I just got a shot with his grandma…how much of a stoker is that!” beamed Tanner.

And while the forecast for the main event of the U.S. Open isn’t exactly robust, one’s man’s slop is another’s score. With clean, two- to three-foot reforms rolling in at Tower 3, “it’s the perfect size surf for a Stoke-O-Rama,” explained Pat. “If we’d done this last week we would have had to call it off because it was too big.”

Saturday was a big day in Huntington for the Gudang boys. Up on Main Street, Jack’s Surf Shop was hosting a surfboard drop-off for the Positive Vibe Warriors latest surfboard drive to benefit the Caribbean. Throughout the Stoke-O-Rama stacks of boards kept showing up.

“It’s all happening down here today,” said Pat, taking a much–needed respite from the shorebreak.

The day wrapped with a screening of their new documentary, “Can’t Steal Our Vibe,” which details the surfboard drive the boys did for South Africa.

“What a stoker of a day!” said Dane. “I mean, how much stoke can you really fit in one day?”

In the three years the boys’ Huntington Stoke-O-Rama has been going one they’ve been able to raise over $25,000 for the Huntington Beach YMCA. The funds will go towards providing underprivileged kids with swimming lessons, so that they can hopefully joint a junior lifeguard program and continue to enjoy the sun and sand.

“To be able to keep giving back like that and share something that’s given us so much and shaped our lives so profoundly, it’s really special. When this whole thing started we just wanted the chance to pay it forward a little, and I continue to be surprised just how much fun these are every time we host one,” said Pat.

“I love commentating,” said Dane, who’s become the de-facto announcer over the years. “It’s so fun getting on the mic, firing up all the kids and getting the beach all frothy.”

Meanwhile, Tanner stands in as the beach marshall, handing out jerseys to competitors, signing autographs and snapping selfies.

“This one kid kept coming up and taking pictures with me and his family. I just got a shot with his grandma…how much of a stoker is that!” beamed Tanner.

And while the forecast for the main event of the U.S. Open isn’t exactly robust, one’s man’s slop is another’s score. With clean, two- to three-foot reforms rolling in at Tower 3, “it’s the perfect size surf for a Stoke-O-Rama,” explained Pat. “If we’d done this last week we would have had to call it off because it was too big.”

Saturday was a big day in Huntington for the Gudang boys. Up on Main Street, Jack’s Surf Shop was hosting a surfboard drop-off for the Positive Vibe Warriors latest surfboard drive to benefit the Caribbean. Throughout the Stoke-O-Rama stacks of boards kept showing up.

“It’s all happening down here today,” said Pat, taking a much–needed respite from the shorebreak.

The day wrapped with a screening of their new documentary, “Can’t Steal Our Vibe,” which details the surfboard drive the boys did for South Africa.

“What a stoker of a day!” said Dane. “I mean, how much stoke can you really fit in one day?”

In the three years the boys’ Huntington Stoke-O-Rama has been going one they’ve been able to raise over $25,000 for the Huntington Beach YMCA. The funds will go towards providing underprivileged kids with swimming lessons, so that they can hopefully joint a junior lifeguard program and continue to enjoy the sun and sand.

“To be able to keep giving back like that and share something that’s given us so much and shaped our lives so profoundly, it’s really special. When this whole thing started we just wanted the chance to pay it forward a little, and I continue to be surprised by just how much fun these are every time we host one,” said Pat.