JOE ROPER SURFED CRYSTAL PIER LIKE PIPELINE
Joe Roper was the standout surfer among a group of kids who hung around and mostly surfed the Pacific Beach (PB) side of Crystal Pier. By kids, I mean younger than I was when Trish and I got married in November of 1971, moved to a one bedroom apartment within easy walking distance. I was twenty, Trish barely nineteen. Two months later we moved to a two bedroom up Mission Boulevard, easy biking or skateboarding distance.
The stretch of beach from PB Point and Tourmaline Canyon to the pier was my new locale, I was a local; sometimes venturing to the reefs of Sunset Cliffs, sometimes the breaks of La Jolla.
A Local. It didn’t mean a lot to Trish; meant a whole lot to me.
Joe and his cronies were in the early years of high school. Rather small…
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Doc Turbo Kneeboarder 
Thanks for again reblogging. Kind of the point, having people read what we write. I e-mailed the surfboard repair shop Joe Roper owns (east of I-5) He wrote back, said he does remember me. Didn’t I ride a twin fin with the fins offset? Had to think a moment. Yes, I did, farther forward for going right, farther back for lefts. I was honored. Your spreading the word is a further honor. I just read a comment you wrote on the last piece. If you surfed Big Rock, good on you. Scary when it’s working. I don’t know what whatever initials you used and thought I might belong to whatever group that represents means, so, do I belong? I guess not. Did a little kneeboarding/bellyboarding Friday while a friend borrowed my bigger board. Side-slippin’.
I was never a real big rock guy, mostly Hospitals and The Shoe.
Now a weekend warrior in Java.