Want to hang 10?: Seabrook surfing company will offer lessons at Sand and Sea Festival

SEABROOK — A general consensus among surfers that New England waters aren't good for catching waves is unfair.
If any of those doubtful wave-riders had the chance to talk to Michael "Zap" Paugh, the owner of Seabrook's Zapstix Surf Shop, there's no question they would leave with an altered perspective.

A legitimate surfing pioneer along the New England coast, Paugh has owned his surfing shop since 1990, has been making boards since 1986, and has been competing in surfing competitions since he was 11-years-old — a couple years after his older brother snagged a board he found in the neighbor's trash.

Paugh's desire to maintain a lasting and successful surf shop has jumped like a skipping stone. The first splash was an 11-year tenure at Hampton Beach that hopped all the way up to York, Maine, where Paugh opened a satellite store. Still carrying momentum, the Zapstix throwing rock careened its way back down the coast and found its final resting place: 190 Ocean Blvd. in Seabrook, N.H. Paugh has been there for five years now, and he has no intentions of skipping any more rocks.
And who would blame him? Paugh is home now. He's close to where it all began — surfing along Salisbury shores and Hampton's North beach — and where it will all continue.

When he's not running his shop by fixing and building boards or teaching lessons, Paugh can be seen competing. The 43-year-old competes in the ESA (Eastern Surfer Association) and Professional Longboard events and is not one to shy away from amateur competitions that begin at the local contest level, and float to regional's, east-coast championships, and then finally to the U.S. championships.

Surfing has been a well of inspiration and experience for Paugh, helping him drift nearly all around the world — from Florida and the Carolinas, to Indonesia and Puerto Rico, to Hawaii and New Zealand — Paugh has seen waves in nearly every possible manner. Surfing can lead to all types of benefits.

"It's just good healthy fun," explained Paugh, who snowboards, skateboards, and even plays a little tennis when the time allows. "It gives you a chance to meet all different kinds of people, a chance to travel, and plus it's different. It's not your everyday sport in New England."

This weekend, Paugh and his crew will be offering up their expertise at the second annual Salisbury Beach Sand and Sea Festival. Absent from the inaugural year, Paugh is excited to get involved and teach the basics to anyone curious.
"I'm pretty stoked about it," said Paugh. "I grew up around the area and it's a great cause for the beach. It shows that people are trying to make the beach relevant again, that they're trying to make something out of it.

"It's been dormant for far too long, and we're hoping to keep the crowds coming by offering lessons and rentals there every weekend during the summer," said Paugh.

But is it possible to learn how to surf in only two days?

"One or two lessons will do it," stated Paugh. "But 75 to 80 percent of surfing is being a good paddler, and understanding the waves and the conditions. That's something we can't really teach, but something that people learn over time by being out there.
"What we'll be offering are the fundamentals," said Paugh, who explains that being a safe surfer is extremely important, but can be as easy as looking both ways when you cross a street. "We're going to teach them how to stand up on the board properly, the safety aspects, and what to watch for while you're surfing. One lesson will be more then sufficient if the kids are paying attention."

Paugh's right-hand man and surf-shop expert Lars Axel Jacobson, can vouch for Paugh, saying no matter what happens, a fun time is guaranteed.

"It should be a really great time," said Jacobson. "Our goal is to get the person to stand up and hopefully fall in love with surfing. It's the best sport in the world."

And if the Discovery Channel's Shark Week or Steven Spielberg's "Jaws" are still worrisome to some, Paugh, who has seen more than his share of bull and reef sharks while surfing in Florida and the Caribbean, can attest that he has never seen a shark in all his years of surfing in New England.

Zapstix is no stranger to giving lessons, as Paugh has offered them since he first opened. The intrigue of surfing has reached inland and the surf shop has helped recreation departments from towns like Seabrook and Andover catch waves all summer long.

Seabrook's assistant recreation director Patrick Collins is aware of the surfing programs educational and physical rewards and is confident that its popularity will continue to swell.

"Learning the basics to surfing isn't exactly easy," said Collins, who helped start this program three summers ago. "But these kids are with two CPR-certified teachers who interact and teach these kids what they need to know together, so they can work their way up.

"The kids love it and the amount of kids joining has steadily risen every summer. It's just a fun and safe environment for the kids to learn the ins and outs of surfing."

The Daily News
By Evan Mugford/Staff Writer
Published: June 27, 2008