Rolf Aurness

Last updated
Rolf Aurness
Personal information
BornFebruary 18, 1952
Santa Monica, California
Height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Surfing career
Best year1970
Major achievementsWorld Surfing Champion, 1970
Surfing specifications
Stance Goofy foot

Rolf Aurness (born February 18, 1952, Santa Monica, California) is an American surfer who won the 1970 World Surfing Championships held at Johanna in Victoria, Australia, beating Midget Farrelly in the finals. [1] [2]

Contents

He is the son of the famous Gunsmoke actor James Arness.

Surfing career

When he was nine Aurness suffered a skull fracture after falling from a tree. His father, reported to be an enthusiastic surfer, [3] used surfing to help his son recover. He implemented a strict training regimen of dawn sessions at beaches, long distance swimming and weekend beach trips, including the Hollister Ranch. [1]

Several times a year they visited Hawaii, renting accommodation on Mākaha beach. [3]

Personal life

Aurness is the son of Gunsmoke actor James Arness (who died on June 3, 2011 [4] ) and nephew of Mission Impossible actor Peter Graves (1926-2010). [1] [2]

In the decade following his World Surfing Championship win Aurness fell out of surfing due to the deaths of his wife, mother, and sister. [1] [2] His wife died in 1978 from cancer, his mother Virginia (née Chapman) died in 1977 of an accidental drug overdose, [5] and his sister Jenny Lee Aurness died of an apparently deliberate drug overdose in 1975. [6] [7] His adopted brother, Craig, founded the stock photography agency Westlight and also was a photographer for National Geographic . [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duke Kahanamoku</span> Hawaiian swimmer, surfer and actor

Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku was a Hawaiian competition swimmer who popularized the sport of surfing. A Native Hawaiian, he was born to a minor noble family less than three years before the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. He lived to see the territory's admission as a state, and became a United States citizen. He was a five-time Olympic medalist in swimming, winning medals in 1912, 1920 and 1924.

<i>The Endless Summer</i> 1966 American surf documentary film

The Endless Summer is a 1966 American surf documentary film directed, produced, edited and narrated by Bruce Brown. The film follows surfers Mike Hynson and Robert August on a surfing trip around the world. Despite the balmy mediterranean climate of their native California, cold ocean currents make local beaches inhospitable during the winter, without later, modern wetsuits. They travel to the coasts of Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Hawaii, Senegal (Dakar), Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa in a quest for new surf spots while introducing locals to the sport along the way.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dick Dale</span> American surf rock guitarist (1937–2019)

Richard Anthony Monsour, known professionally as Dick Dale, was an American rock guitarist. He was a pioneer of surf music, drawing on Middle Eastern music scales and experimenting with reverb. Dale was known as "The King of the Surf Guitar", which was also the title of his second studio album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Machado</span> American surfer (born 1973)

Robert Edward Machado is an American professional surfer. Rob competed on the World Surf League Championship Tour from 1993-2001. Since then he has become a professional free surfer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Graves</span> American actor (1926–2010)

Peter Graves was an American actor who portrayed Jim Phelps in the CBS television series Mission: Impossible from 1967 to 1973 and in its revival from 1988 to 1990. His elder brother was actor James Arness. Graves also played airline pilot Captain Clarence Oveur in the 1980 comedy film Airplane! and its 1982 sequel Airplane II: The Sequel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Arness</span> American actor (1923–2011)

James Arness was an American actor, best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon for 20 years in the CBS television series Gunsmoke. Arness has the distinction of having played the role of Dillon in five decades: 1955 to 1975 in the weekly series, then in Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge (1987) and four more made-for-television Gunsmoke films in the 1990s. In Europe, Arness reached cult status for his role as Zeb Macahan in the Western series How the West Was Won. He was the older brother of actor Peter Graves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay Adams</span> American skateboarder

Jay J. Adams was an American skateboarder who, as a teen, was the youngest member of the Zephyr Competition Skateboarding Team (Z-Boys). His spontaneous freestyle skateboarding style, inspired by ocean surfing, helped innovate and popularize modern skateboarding. His aggressive vertical tricks make him one of skateboarding's most influential stylists. Adams died of a heart attack on August 15, 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Onofre State Beach</span> State park in California, United States

San Onofre State Beach is a 3,000-acre (1,214 ha) state park in San Diego County, California. The beach is 3 miles (5 km) south of San Clemente on Interstate 5 at Basilone Road. The state park is leased to the state of California by the United States Marine Corps. Governor Ronald Reagan established San Onofre State Beach in 1971. With over 2.5 million visitors per year, it is one of the five most-visited state parks in California, hosting swimmers, campers, kayakers, birders, fishermen, bicyclists, sunbathers, surfers, and the sacred Native American site of Panhe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Brown (director)</span> American filmmaker

Bruce Alan Brown was an American documentary film director, known as an early pioneer of the surf film. He was the father of filmmaker Dana Brown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isabel Letham</span> Australian pioneer surfboard rider and swimming instructor

Isabel Ramsay Letham was an Australian pioneer surfboard rider and swimming instructor, renowned as 'the first Australian to ride a surfboard'. A probably erroneous story has been repeated for years that on 10 January 1915 at Freshwater Beach, Sydney she experimented riding a board in the Hawaiian tradition in tandem with Duke Kahanamoku. This story has been disputed by researchers who have investigated its roots and provenance, and the reality is probably that she did not do so until shortly after, at Dee Why beach in Sydney, on 6 February 1915.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skip Frye</span> American surfer

Skip Frye is an American surfer, surfboard designer and shaper, and environmental activist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huntington Beach High School</span> Public high school in California

Huntington Beach High School (HBHS) is a public high school in Huntington Beach, California. Built in 1906, it is part of the Huntington Beach Union High School District. HBHS is a California Distinguished School. Huntington Beach High School is also the home of the Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts.

Robert August is an American surfer and surfboard shaper. He is best known as one of the subjects of Bruce Brown's 1966 surf documentary The Endless Summer, along with his friend Mike Hynson.

Corky Carroll is a professional American surfer and is considered a pioneer in the sport by becoming the first real professional surfer as well as being the first to make paid endorsements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Jon Surf Shop</span> Surfer-style retail store chain

Ron Jon Surf Shop is a surfer-style retail store chain founded in 1959 in Ship Bottom, New Jersey by Ron DiMenna. The store specializes in surfing and bodyboarding equipment, and their Cocoa Beach, Florida, store is currently the largest surf shop in the world. Michele Goodwin is the current president.

The U.S. Open of Surfing is a week-long surfing competition held annually during the summer in Huntington Beach, California. Generally held on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier, the U.S. Open is part of the qualification process for the World Surf League and is a WSL QS 10,000 event. It is the largest surfing competition in the world. It has been owned by IMG since 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kolohe Andino</span> American surfer

Kolohe Andino is an American surfer. Andino began surfing at a young age and holds the record for winning the most National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) titles of any male competitor, becoming the youngest to win one at age 15 in 2009. His breakthrough happened in 2011 after he won the Vans Pier Classic and the ASP 6-Star Quiksilver Brazil Open of Surfing. In 2019, Andino qualified to represent the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics in surfing.

Bunker Spreckels was an American surfer and an early pioneer of a surfboard design.

Barton Lynch is an Australian former professional surfer known for his competitive prowess and style. In 1988, he was crowned ASP World Tour Champion. He also won the 1991 Rip Curl Pro. In 1998, he was inducted into the Australian Surfing Hall of Fame, and in 2000, he was inducted into the Australian Sporting Hall of Fame.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Kampion, Drew (December 2000) "Rolf Aurness Biography". Surf Line . Accessed June 5, 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 "Rolf Aurness Biography" Archived 2012-03-20 at the Wayback Machine . www.worldchampionsofsurfing.com Profile], worldchampionsofsurfing.com. Accessed June 5, 2011
  3. 1 2 Carroll, Corky (August 21, 2013) [June 11, 2011]. "'Gunsmoke' star never met a wave he didn't like". Orange County Register. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  4. "'Gunsmoke' star James Arness dies at 88". today.msnbc.com. June 3, 2011. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved June 5, 2011.
  5. "Actor's ex-wife overdoses". The Pocono Record. August 1, 1977. p. 2.
  6. "Remembering James Arness, 1923–2011". Orange County Register. June 3, 2011. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  7. "Jenny Lee Aurness". findagrave , Accessed March 15, 2010
  8. Walker, David (December 16, 2004) "In Memoriam: Craig Aurness, 58". Photo District News . Accessed June 5, 2011.
Achievements
Preceded by ISF World Surfing Champion (men's)
1970
Succeeded by