18TH ANNUAL SURF MEMORIAL - AUGUST 16, 2008
6:30AM - 4:30PM
Online PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.

Sign up IS AVAILABLE JULY 4 2008.

Brendan Borek surfed his last wave in the spring of 1991. That summer, he spent weeks in Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia battling the final stages of Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare cancer of the bone. An avid surfer most of his life, Brendan was an integral part of the tight knit surfing community in Avalon,NJ. That summer, Brendan’s friends wanted Brendan to know he was still part of their surfing community. They wanted to help - however they could - Brendan and his family. Under the guise of a “birthday bash,” a group of his friends, along with their moms, organized a surf contest and beef and beer to celebrate what was to be his 18th and final birthday.

Brendan is no longer with us physically but each year in August, with that same feeling of community good will, Brendan and his spirit are remembered with the Brendan Borek Surf Memorial. Whether you’re a “Squirt” or in the “Crustacean” category, the surf memorial is typically filled weeks before the event. The town of Avalon comes together, volunteers drive in, fly in, and some simply walk from their home by the beach. Brendan’s friends, family, and supporters come in from around the country. Many are on the beach long before the sun comes up to start the day.

Regardless of your affiliation to Avalon - a year-round resident, just passing through or here for the summer, you’re swept into the community spirit and energy that makes this event possible. Everyone is here for the same purpose – to remember Brendan — and to help others.

Even with the changes that occur throughout the years in Avalon, new houses being built, different storefronts, new traffic circles, some things, like the surf memorial, are a constant. The Brendan Borek Surf Memorial is truly a celebration of life, a time to remember and have a great day on the beach.

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