Mickey Mongoose–Sounds Like Fun

The Legendary Mickey Munoz is the luminary behind the new Mickey Munoz Mongoose Cup Stand up paddle board fun paddle and relay race. It sounds like a truly great event. It’s always fun to be in on an inaugural event–here’s your chance. And it is clearly designed for everyone and anyone, not just the serious racers. First there’s a fun paddle, and then a relay race that requires every four person team to have a woman paddler, one over fifty and one under 16. If you don’t have a team they’ll help you put one together from people who sign up at the beach. Sounds like geezers like me might be in demand!!

Mickey is quite a guy. He competed at both of the Battle of the Paddle (BOP) races. The first year he beat me soundly on the last leg. When we turned into the wind he choked way down on his paddle, bent down low like a 20 year old, and pulled away like he had a motor. I could have copied his technique, but I would have had to go straight from the beach to a chiropractor. The results listed me as finishing first, but it was only because someone had registered Mickey as a woman! Maybe they really thought he was Gidget. At 73 he’s full of fun and energy. It’s a pleasure to meet him and spend some time in the water with such a legendary surfer. You’ll enjoy it.

Here’s the release:
Hola Paddler,

Enjoy a great day of paddling fun, camaraderie, get a cool long sleeve event tee and delicious BBQ at Dana Point’s Festival of Whales. The Mickey Muñoz Mongoose Cup will begin at 9:00 a.m. with a Fun Paddle around Dana Point Harbor Island. The Fun Paddle will be launched after a vital “Rules of the Road” paddling safety meeting is conducted by officials from Dana Point Harbor and the Orange County Sherriff Department’s Harbor Patrol.

After loosening up with the Fun Paddle, participants will be organized into SUP Relay teams that will race for the inaugural Mongoose Cup. Each SUP (4) person relay team will be required to have one female paddler, one senior paddler (50 & over) and either one junior paddler (16 & under) or a beginner/intermediate paddler on their respective teams. The start and finish for the flat-water race will be at Baby Beach. To be eligible for the Mongoose Cup teams must race 12’6″ & under SUP boards.

Don’t worry if you do not have a team. We will have a SUP Relay sign-up sheet on the beach for those looking for a team. We want everyone to have a chance to participate.
Event proceeds will benefit the Doheny State Beach Interpretive Association (DSBIA).

Mickey Munoz Mongoose Cup
DATE: March 13, 2010
TIME: 9:00 A.M. Fun Paddle Start
LOCATION: Baby Beach, Dana Point Harbor
MORE: Dana Point Festival of Whales
ENTER: Click here

This is going to be a great event to celebrate & honor our friend Mickey Munoz and kick-off the season. Bring your friends and new paddlers wanting to gain race experience and learn more about the sport of SUP.
Barrett Tester
Event Coordinator
barrett.tester@gmail.com

$5.00 off entry fee with early mail-in: $30.00 for early entry includes commemorative Mongoose Cup event tee, “Rules of the Road” safety decal and delicious BBQ lunch.  Mail-in entries must be submitted/post marked before Monday March 9th, 2010.

Mail to:  DSBIA c/o Mongoose Cup
3240 Michigan Ave.
Coata Mesa, CA  92626

On-site entry fee: $35.00.
Event registration begins at 7:30 a.m. at Baby Beach.

About Mickey Munoz
Mickey Munoz, born in New York City in 1937, is an early pioneer of surfing and well-known surfboard shaper. Once described as the “surfer’s surfer”, Mickey has been riding waves since the 1950s and has been featured in many popular surfing films and documentaries. Winning the first professional surf contest and pioneering big wave surfing at Waimea Bay are a few of Mickey’s surfing accomplishments. Munoz was the stunt double for Sandra Dee in the 1959 teen film Gidget and he developed an iconic surf stance that became known as the “quasimoto”. Mickey currently lives in Capistrano Beach, CA with his wife Peggy and is an avid stand-up paddler (SUP).