Courtesy Mary-Beth Thompson
Scott Thompson was recently inducted into the New Jersey Surfing Hall of Fame. Scott, center, posed with his wife Mary-Beth and sons, from left, Tyler, Brett and Mark at the ceremony Sept. 12. Leis were donated by representatives of Guaranteed Plants & Florist, Rumson.
By Allison Perrine
RED BANK – Whether it’s 18 or 80 degrees outside, Red Bank resident Scott Thompson gets up, checks the weather and, if conditions allow, heads to the water.
That type of routine – along with his activism keeping oceans clean – is what landed this avid surfer at the Flanders Hotel and Business Center in Ocean City Sunday, Sept. 12, to be inducted into the New Jersey Surfing Hall of Fame (NJSHOF).
“I’m very humbled. I think that it’s a very special recognition and something that I don’t take lightly,” said Thompson. “I’m grateful to be recognized by my peers and the community for contributing to the sport that I love and hope that others will as well.”
The Fair Haven native first picked up a surfboard in 1965 at 9 years old. At the time, he and his brother Todd, 12, were hooked on the California-based TV show “Surf’s Up” which their father would put on for them in their childhood home after football games aired.
COURTESY MARY-BETH THOMPSON
Brett, Mark, Tyler and Scott Thompson posed with professional surfer Shane Beschen of California, his father Michael, also a 2021 inductee, and sons Koda and Noah Beschen.
“That got us going. As a family and as a group we just got the bug,” said Thompson.
Thompson has been surfing since then and continues to do so. Some of his favorite spots to frequent are Sandy Hook and Bradley Beach, especially in September when the water and air are still warm. He often surfs with friends and family and has passed that same “bug” on to his children and grandchildren. Thompson said he finds these experiences with his family to be a huge part of the fun at this point in his surfing life.
“To me, that’s the greatest joy,” he said.
When it came time to head to the induction ceremony, Thompson found a bus to drive about 50 family members and friends. It was a moving party, his wife Mary-Beth joked. A surprise to Thompson, whose family and friends refer to him as “the general”: several of the attendees wore matching camouflage T-shirts in his honor. When asked about the meaning behind the nick- name, Mary Beth said, “Well, because he runs things,” with a laugh. “He takes charge of any situation. He’s always quick to go into action to make things happen, whether regarding surfing, environmental advocacy, helping friends and family, and just about every aspect of life.”
Inductees to the NJSHOF are nominated by their peers and selected by an independent committee. Eligible candidates include surfers, photographers, videographers and more. Nominations must include a biography about the candidate which is carefully reviewed with specific criteria that determine the individual’s “sphere of influence, time of dominance, media presence and or lifetime achievement” in the sport, the NJSHOF website states.
COURTESY SCOTT THOMPSON COLLECTION
Scott Thompson has been surfing for decades. He continues to do so in various areas along the Jersey Shore but especially at Sandy Hook and sometimes Bradley Beach.
Some of the criteria include the scale of the individual’s media presence, competition records, lifetime or special achievements, contributions to the surfing community and any inductions to other surfing halls of fame. Candidates must also be age 40 or older to be eligible. There were 12 individuals selected as inductees this year. And Thompson believes he was one of them partly due to his work in the local surfing community. Not only does he ride the waves, but he does his part to keep waters clean. He is an active volunteer with Clean Ocean Action (COA) and has organized various amateur surfing competitions to raise funds for the nonprofit. He’s also a former member of the Rumson zoning and recreation boards and is currently a member of the Monmouth County Environmental Council.
Mary-Beth noted that Scott is “one of the few surfers who actually does do environmental work, as surprising as it is.”
“A lot of surfers just don’t understand the significance or the connection between
clean water and having clean waves to surf in, and actually having stewardship for it,” she said. “And we’ve raised our kids to do the same.”
The duo has three sons, two of whom – Brett and Mark – are Beach Sweep captains during COA’s biannual cleanup events. Their third son, Tyler, is the contest director of COA’s annual surf contest, scheduled for this weekend, Sept. 25
or 26 depending on weather conditions. Scott assured that he will be participating at the competition, which will be held at Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park in Long Branch.
For more information about the nonprofit NJSHOF, visit njshof.com. To learn more about COA and its upcoming surf competition, visit clean oceanaction.org/surf.
The article originally appeared in the September 23-29, 2021 print edition of The Two River Times.
