Almost 100 local surfers competed in the 19th annual Guy Daniels Memorial Surf Off on Sunday.
The two-day surf contest was held at 13th Avenue South in Surfside Beach and drew surfers of all ages from across the Grand Strand.
“We’re just doing this to hopefully commemorate Guy and hopefully leave a lasting footprint of him,” said Mikey Pruitt, director of the Guy Daniels Memorial Foundation
Daniels was a Surfside Beach native, as well as a surfer and lifeguard. He suffered a heart attack while jogging and died at the age of 19. Pruitt grew up next door to Daniels and said the surf off is more than a competition. It’s about passing on a legacy.
“He was just very determined and had goals and accomplished them. We just want to instill that in the kids today,” said Pruitt.
One way the foundation does that is by raising scholarship money for local students through the surf -off. So far, the Guy Daniels Memorial Foundation has awarded $115,000 in scholarships.
“It was definitely a weight lifted off my shoulders,” said scholarship recipient and surf-off participant Triston Finley.
“It means a lot because I got almost a full academic ride and I owed a couple thousand dollars, and that just knocks it off. And it’s going to help my parents out a lot,” said Coleman Bess, another scholarship recipient.
Bess will be starting college in the fall with the help of a $1,000 scholarship from the Guy Daniels Memorial Foundation. He’s competed in the surf-off for almost 10 years, and said it’s now taken on new meaning.
“When I was little my dad brought me down here before I knew what it really meant. Now that I’m old enough to understand it, it’s cool to realize all these people come together for the same cause,” said Bess.
Though many of the competitors never met Daniels, they said the family his foundation has formed is what brings them back each year.
“It’s really anybody that lives like Guy – honorable, humble, compassionate about something,” said Finley.
“He meant a lot to the community. I just love being here in honor of him,” said surf-off participant Bree Labiak.
For more information on the Guy Daniels Memorial Foundation or how you can show your support, click here.