{"id":1866,"date":"2019-07-17T15:34:13","date_gmt":"2019-07-17T19:34:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/?p=1866"},"modified":"2019-07-22T09:46:01","modified_gmt":"2019-07-22T13:46:01","slug":"surf-first","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/issues\/summer-2019\/surf-first\/","title":{"rendered":"Surf First"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n
Pan catches a perfect ride at one of his favorite spots in Narragansett, Rhode Island.<\/p>\n
Photo: Joshua Araujo<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

By Paul Kandarian<\/p>\n

Peter Panagiotis \u201971, better known as Peter Pan, started 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Surf Club in 1968. He\u2019s long since become a surfing legend, famous for finding the most out-of-the-way waves. He\u2019s 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\u2014but mostly through his infectious love of surfing. Pan lives by the mantra, \u201cSurf first. Everything else second.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ask Peter Pan if there\u2019s any better surfing on the planet than the Narragansett, Rhode Island, waters he loves best, and you do so at your own risk. It\u2019s like asking Santa Claus if he\u2019d live anywhere but the North Pole.<\/p>\n

\"Peter
Peter Panagiotis ’71, better known as Peter Pan
Photo: Nora Lewis<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n

Pan, who doesn\u2019t gladly suffer foolish questions, says, \u201cNahhh,\u201d with a disgusted wave of the hand. And in the nasally, cackling tone he\u2019s famous for, responds, \u201cNarragansett\u2014it\u2019s the best place. People say, \u2018Oh, it\u2019s great in Westerly,\u2019 or, \u2018It\u2019s great in Newport.\u2019 I tell \u2019em, \u2018OK, if it\u2019s so good in Westerly and Newport, terrific; stay there. Just stay the hell out of Narragansett; it\u2019s crowded enough as it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019s first Surf Club, still in existence, though its activity fluctuates from year to year.<\/p>\n

“I started it in \u201968,” Pan says. \u201cWe started competitions with other clubs, and I still run contests for them every once in a while.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI 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,\u201d Pan recalls. \u201cI said, \u2018Hey, you gave 400 bucks for rope, you can give us 400 bucks for trophies. We always got money after that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019s out on the water.<\/p>\n

“He just loves surfing and wants to share the stoke with everybody.”
\n\u2014Emily Clapham ’02, M.S. ’04, Professor of Kinesiology and Director, Catching Waves for Health<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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 \u201902, M.S. \u201904, who runs a surf therapy program for kids with disabilities, called Catching Waves for Health. She\u2019s 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. \u201cThat\u2019s huge for these kids, some of whom have a hard time waiting,\u201d Clapham says. \u201cThis way, they\u2019re in and out of the water much faster.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pan also loans boards and gear to the kids\u2019 parents and caretakers when they want to get into the water with their kids.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout question, Peter\u2019s an integral part of the success of our program,\u201d says Clapham. \u201cHe\u2019ll 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\u2019s the one handing them out.\u201d<\/p>\n

As to his overall legend, Clapham says, \u201cHe just loves surfing and wants to share the stoke with everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rachel McCarty \u201910 was president of the 溏心vlog免费B站 Surf Club from 2009\u20132010, 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.<\/p>\n

\"Pan
Pan and friend, Mario Frade, at the 1971 溏心vlog免费B站 Winter Surf Contest.
Photo: Courtesy Peter Panagiotis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cPeter\u2019s great,\u201d says McCarty, who learned to surf as a youngster back home. \u201cHe\u2019s always been so good to the 溏心vlog免费B站 kids. We\u2019d go to his shop, Narragansett Surf & Skate Shop, and pick his brain, and he\u2019d give us breaks on gear.\u201d<\/p>\n

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, \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019d have made it past my first year of school.\u201d<\/p>\n

She had applied to another college, her first choice, but didn\u2019t get in. She came to 溏心vlog免费B站, she says, \u201ckinda bummed out, but my dad said, \u2018Go for a year.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

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, \u201cmade a huge difference in my life. I stayed at 溏心vlog免费B站, loved it, and haven\u2019t left the state since.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Pan's
Pan’s Volkswagen Beetle\u2014which doubled as a board caddy\u2014at Monahan’s dock. That’s Pan out there on the waves.
Photo: Courtesy Peter Panagiotis<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n

Make no mistake, she says, the Power of Pan is quite real.<\/p>\n

\u201cI 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\u2019s amazing, always stoked,\u201d McCarty says. \u201cAnd it\u2019s a miracle if you can see him at all, because he\u2019s always finding these out-of-the-way spots where the best surf is. Just spotting him is almost magical.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pan\u2019s daughter, Tricia Panagiotis \u201901, who now runs Narragansett Surf & Skate Shop, is understandably one of her dad\u2019s biggest fans.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great having your dad around all the time, surfing with him,\u201d she says. \u201cI remember at 13, it was like minus 17 one day. I had ice on my suit, and Dad\u2019s out there with me, all pumped up. He gets so excited; you can\u2019t help but catch it.\u201d<\/p>\n

To look at Pan the man is to feel jealous that someone pushing 70 can look so good. Pan shrugs at the compliment, admitting, \u201cHey, I\u2019m an old fart now.\u201d<\/p>\n

He feels his age from time to time, especially when he teaches fitness classes all day and then surfs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I was smart, I\u2019d surf first and then teach,\u201d he says in that nasally chuckle. \u201cI tell ya though, if the waves are good, I do go surfing, and then teach class. Then I\u2019m just dead at night, but who cares. I\u2019m surfing, that\u2019s all that matters.\u201d \u2022<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pan catches a perfect ride at one of his favorite spots in Narragansett, Rhode Island. Photo: Joshua Araujo By Paul Kandarian Peter Panagiotis \u201971, better known as Peter Pan, started 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Surf Club in 1968. He\u2019s long since become a surfing legend, famous for finding the most out-of-the-way waves. He\u2019s inspired and influenced local surfers […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[92,91,90,89,41],"class_list":["post-1866","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-summer-2019","tag-alumni-profile","tag-paul-kandarian","tag-peter-pan","tag-peter-panagiotis","tag-surfing","architecture-features"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1866","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1866"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1866\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2080,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1866\/revisions\/2080"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1866"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1866"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1866"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}