溏心vlog免费B站

By Paul Kandarian

Peter Panagiotis 鈥�71, better known as Peter Pan, started 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 Surf Club in 1968. He鈥檚 long since become a surfing legend, famous for finding the most out-of-the-way waves. He鈥檚 inspired and influenced local surfers through his long-running surf camps and competitions, his radio surf reports, and as the owner of several South County surf shops鈥攂ut mostly through his infectious love of surfing. Pan lives by the mantra, 鈥淪urf first. Everything else second.鈥�

Ask Peter Pan if there鈥檚 any better surfing on the planet than the Narragansett, Rhode Island, waters he loves best, and you do so at your own risk. It鈥檚 like asking Santa Claus if he鈥檇 live anywhere but the North Pole.

Pan, who doesn鈥檛 gladly suffer foolish questions, says, 鈥淣ahhh,鈥� with a disgusted wave of the hand. And in the nasally, cackling tone he鈥檚 famous for, responds, 鈥淣arragansett鈥攊t鈥檚 the best place. People say, 鈥極h, it鈥檚 great in Westerly,鈥� or, 鈥業t鈥檚 great in Newport.鈥� I tell 鈥檈m, 鈥極K, if it鈥檚 so good in Westerly and Newport, terrific; stay there. Just stay the hell out of Narragansett; it鈥檚 crowded enough as it is.鈥�

Studying in the then-new art program at 溏心vlog免费B站 back in the day, Pan so loved surfing that he started the University鈥檚 first Surf Club, still in existence, though its activity fluctuates from year to year.

“I started it in 鈥�68,” Pan says. 鈥淲e started competitions with other clubs, and I still run contests for them every once in a while.鈥�

Never one to mince words, Pan fought for money to kick off the 溏心vlog免费B站 Surf Club, using a nifty bit of logic.

鈥淚 remember going to the Student Senate and fighting for money, and finding out they gave out like 400 bucks for rope for the mountain-climbing club,鈥� Pan recalls. 鈥淚 said, 鈥楬ey, you gave 400 bucks for rope, you can give us 400 bucks for trophies. We always got money after that.鈥�

Manhattan-born, Pan was Rhode Island-raised, coming here as a baby with his Greek parents. He took up surfing as a kid, and at 69 is still a kid at heart: He works when he has to, teaching mostly fitness classes or snowboarding or whatever pays the bills. But every spare moment, he鈥檚 out on the water.

“He just loves surfing and wants to share the stoke with everybody.”
鈥擡mily Clapham ’02, M.S. ’04, Professor of Kinesiology and Director, Catching Waves for Health

In addition to his work with the 溏心vlog免费B站 Surf Club, Pan helps 溏心vlog免费B站 kinesiology professor Emily Clapham 鈥�02, M.S. 鈥�04, who runs a surf therapy program for kids with disabilities, called Catching Waves for Health. She鈥檚 run it for 10 years, and Pan has helped since the beginning, including designing wetsuits that are easier to get in and out of than standard wetsuits. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 huge for these kids, some of whom have a hard time waiting,鈥� Clapham says. 鈥淭his way, they鈥檙e in and out of the water much faster.鈥�

Pan also loans boards and gear to the kids鈥� parents and caretakers when they want to get into the water with their kids.

鈥淲ithout question, Peter鈥檚 an integral part of the success of our program,鈥� says Clapham. 鈥淗e鈥檒l come and watch from afar and then call me up later to give me advice on what board would work better for each child. And on the last day of the program, when we give out medals, he鈥檚 the one handing them out.鈥�

As to his overall legend, Clapham says, 鈥淗e just loves surfing and wants to share the stoke with everybody.鈥�

Rachel McCarty 鈥�10 was president of the 溏心vlog免费B站 Surf Club from 2009鈥�2010, and vice president before that. Growing up in the Washington, D.C., area, McCarty, whose parents attended 溏心vlog免费B站 for graduate school, had heard of Pan before she came to Rhode Island.

鈥淧eter鈥檚 great,鈥� says McCarty, who learned to surf as a youngster back home. 鈥淗e鈥檚 always been so good to the 溏心vlog免费B站 kids. We鈥檇 go to his shop, Narragansett Surf & Skate Shop, and pick his brain, and he鈥檇 give us breaks on gear.鈥�

If not for the 溏心vlog免费B站 Surf Club, says McCarty, now soft goods buyer for The Kayak Centre of Rhode Island in Wickford, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I鈥檇 have made it past my first year of school.鈥�

She had applied to another college, her first choice, but didn鈥檛 get in. She came to 溏心vlog免费B站, she says, 鈥渒inda bummed out, but my dad said, 鈥楪o for a year.鈥欌��

She soon discovered the 溏心vlog免费B站 Surf Club. McCarty says the club, along with waves to surf almost literally right outside her door, 鈥渕ade a huge difference in my life. I stayed at 溏心vlog免费B站, loved it, and haven鈥檛 left the state since.鈥�

Make no mistake, she says, the Power of Pan is quite real.

鈥淚 knew how to surf when I got to 溏心vlog免费B站, but his influence on me was mainly just seeing him on the water. He鈥檚 amazing, always stoked,鈥� McCarty says. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 a miracle if you can see him at all, because he鈥檚 always finding these out-of-the-way spots where the best surf is. Just spotting him is almost magical.鈥�

Pan鈥檚 daughter, Tricia Panagiotis 鈥�01, who now runs Narragansett Surf & Skate Shop, is understandably one of her dad鈥檚 biggest fans.

鈥淚t鈥檚 great having your dad around all the time, surfing with him,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 remember at 13, it was like minus 17 one day. I had ice on my suit, and Dad鈥檚 out there with me, all pumped up. He gets so excited; you can鈥檛 help but catch it.鈥�

To look at Pan the man is to feel jealous that someone pushing 70 can look so good. Pan shrugs at the compliment, admitting, 鈥淗ey, I鈥檓 an old fart now.鈥�

He feels his age from time to time, especially when he teaches fitness classes all day and then surfs.

鈥淚f I was smart, I鈥檇 surf first and then teach,鈥� he says in that nasally chuckle. 鈥淚 tell ya though, if the waves are good, I do go surfing, and then teach class. Then I鈥檓 just dead at night, but who cares. I鈥檓 surfing, that鈥檚 all that matters.鈥� 鈥�