Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-07-28
LONNIE AUSTIN
RIDES THE SURF;
SORE But HAPPY
Accompanies Remarkable Feat
by Learning Art in Week
Bert Lang a Scoffer

Lonnie Austin, boxer and all-round
athlete of the northwest, is one of the
stiffest and happiest men in Honolulu.
He has accomplished an almost if
not quite unparalleled feat in learning
to ride a rd-standing--afte
one week OF eirort. into that week he
put so much work that he has ac-
quired, in addition to a deep, blushing
tan, a pair of lame shoulders and
couple of dozen sore muscles that he
never before knew existed.
Lonnie came down to Honolulu from
Seattle for a vacation He is a great
friend of Bert Lang, the young manag-
er of the Juvenile Bostonians Bert
presents the Juvenile Bostonians ev.
cry night at the Bijou and If Lonnie
wasn't going away tomorrow he would
also present" him as an added at
traction, the champion amateur surfer
of Waikiki r..
Austin went out to Waikiki couple
of days after he arrived here and saw
the swimmers shoot along in front of
the Waikiki combers on their surf
boarSs. ~. ~. .-.-.
III do that in aweek," he declared
to his friends, whereupon they gave
him the laugh and made plying re.
marks about these athaletes." Lon
ME said nothing Next day he went
out and hired a surf-board and tackled
the job. The first time out he got a
sunburn that was so deep it went clear
through and came out the other side,
and for two days after that he did his
surf boarding on cake of medicated
soap in a batntub at the Royal Hawai-
ian hotel. As soon as he was discharg-
ed from the hospital he went out to
Waikiki and tackled it again. Shortly
after that he began wearing his tan as
regular thing and staying in the.
ocean so long some of the bathers
thought he had lost his suit and was
sensitive about coming ashore.
He did everything but take his meals
out in the surf. The first bathers in
the morning used to be surprised to
see Hthesome figure in the offing,
padding around on top of the board,
and the last bathers in the evening
could descry in the cleaning "a. heroic
form CALAMITY breasting the tide and
ever and anon trying to stand up as
the big breakers smashed in white
across the coral reef.
Lonnie's friends continued to lay
odds that the nearest he would come to
doing the stunt would be to ride an
ironing board in the basement laundry,
and several times the friends journey
ed out to Waikiki to see the premier
boxer of the northwest take the count
from his surfing plank.
Austin booked for the coast on the
Matsonia and announced yesterday
that he was prepared to ride the surf
board. HIS ooubting friends, all ready
for final laugh, went out to the beach
yesterday aTcernon and came back
without the laugh. Lonnie padded out
into the sur, waited for good break
er. got his start like veteran; and
when the breaker was right" he leap
ed upon his board and came in stand
ing up. business of loud cheers from
the Moana pier)
Bert Lang, however, didn't see Lon
ME do it. Bert somehow didn't care
much for the beach yesterday. He
went out in a surfboat on Sunday and
spent NEST of yesterday asking his
friends not to slap him on the back
Bert's skin. it appears. is peculiarly
susceptible to the rays of the sun and
he declines to take any further chances
of losing it IN patches. Nevertheless,
he declares that surf-boating. is the
greatest sport on earth and the next
time the Bostonians tour Alaska he is.
going to introduce it among the Es-
kimos.
Austin will take surf-board back to
Seattle with aim and start surfing in
Puget Sound Incidentally, he is ask
ing $4,000 for the moving picture
rights of his remarkable exhibition at
Waikiki yesterday.
1t takes most swimmers several
months to learn to ride board and
the man who does it in a month ac-
complishes a very unusual feat. Aus
tins week is said to be record.
.4--