Every surfer has a story and this is the latest installment of our Surf ATL Community Spotlight series where we will feature surfers and those part of the surf culture in the Atlanta area. Check out our previous spotlights on Thomas Roginsky, Spencer Broome, Anthony Kennedy, Nick Bramwell, the Merlo Family, Mike Dobbs, Kristian Erik Bjerke, Jamie Eichler, Doug Paul, Brandon Spivia, Robert Hanson, Liam Spoon, Eric Ilustrisimo, Susan Bond, Jason Smith, Garrett Gilfillan, Silvia Saey, Scott Mennicke, Tammie Dalrymple, Wes Espinosa, Peter Gudbrandsen, Kelby Graham, Kayvon Nazarian, Abigail Pierce, Clark Campbell, Katy Harrison, Sam Burrafato, Maggie Maziarz, Erik Barron, Erin Keith, Jenny Serwitz, Adam Hunter, Joyce and Mack, Jackson Kearns, and Jessica Luna, Tyler Urrutia, and Mike Pappas.
Introduce yourself!
My name is Scott Stone — I’m originally from Utah and grew up enjoying all of the outdoor activities offered in that part of the country. Especially water skiing during the months that would allow it. As a skinny kid, cold water wasn’t my bag but the love of gliding on the water superseded the torture of lip chattering. That still applies today. My wife and I moved to Gainesville last year to be closer to the lake. For us, being on the water is soul cleansing. We love everything about it. If I’m not at work, training for another triathlon, or on the water, you’ll probably catch me on the golf course.
Do you ocean surf, wake surf, river surf, paddle surf? Any or all of the above?
Wake surfing has become a passion. Borderline addiction. As a kid, we would vacation in Southern California and I absolutely loved to boogie board. I’ve never ocean surfed, although I would love to give it a whirl because who doesn’t need something else to create humility. I’m looking forward to doing some more paddleboarding this summer now that we are on the lake.
How did you get into surfing? In Atlanta or somewhere else?
In late 2020, my sister came up from Florida with her family and we rented a house on the lake for a week. She brought her wake boat and introduced me to surfing. I honestly didn’t really know it existed but was fully hooked from the first pull. Within a couple of weeks of that vacation, we bought our first wake boat and the ski boat was retired. We’ve since met some amazing people who share the passion!
Where and how often do you surf?
Lake Lanier and not as often as I would like. I tore my ACL in May of last year playing baseball so I wasn’t able to progress the way I had envisioned. I delayed surgery until the Fall so I haven’t been in the water since late October. Needless to say, I’m dying to get back out but for now, I’m enjoying pulling others and seeing the smiles!
What is your favorite thing about surfing? What do you do to advance your surfing?
Outside of the fact that it’s something I could pick up as a 50 something, I love everything about it. Hard to describe the feeling of being in that wave but it’s something my soul craves! There is no feeling like nailing that trick you’ve failed at 100 times. I’m competitive by nature so I enjoy the progression. I would love to get to a point where I could compete! That’s definitely the goal.
What are your hopes for the Atlanta surfing community in the future?
This is an amazing community and I feel lucky to have found friends who share my passion. We’ve met so many amazing people! Looking forward to meeting many more.
Any surfers in the Atlanta or Georgia community who should be spotlighted/catch your eye?
Justin Ketterer and Alex and Jennifer Payne
