Scott Duerr Manasquan, NJ ~ Photo: Joanne O’Shaughnessy
While we’re talking Belmar, let’s take it back to the 1972 “BelMardi Gras” contest run by Cecil Lear. The late Jackie Wright took first, but taking second place was 13-year-old Scotty Duerr. Duerr grew up surfing Manasquan Inlet and has been featured in all the major surf magazines with photos by Dick Mez, John Ker, Ray Halgreen, and Bruce Chrisner. He won the 1978 State Championship in Seaside Heights over Mike Grassley, advanced into the main event of the Grog’s Seaside Pro in 1978 defeating the fourth ranked surfer in the world of that time, Chris “Critta” Byrne from Australia. Decades later, he still advanced to the semis of the Brave New World Pro Am in 2006 against some of today’s hottest local pros.Today Duerr is married with three daughters and the whole family spends a good deal of time by the ocean.
Gary Finnigan Avon, NJ ~ Photo: Rick Barry
Finnigan started surfing competitively in 1969, with Cecil Lear taking him to all the ESA surf contests on the East Coast from Montauk to Cape Hatteras. Now he’s been surfing for 47 years, growing up just over the bridge from Belmar in Avon, NJ. Since then, he has surfed in contests all along the East Coast and California with some of the top competitors of his day including Rick Rasmussen, Jeff Aronsman, Billy McCudden, Buttons, Michael Ho, and more. Finnegan is a local surf artist and has been an accomplished harness horse trainer/driver who has won hundreds of races and over millions in prize money.
