is the way I heard it.

Long before he was awarded the gold medal, the manly man stood in the sand at the tip of

Balboa Peninsula, smoking a cigarette and staring at the biggest waves he'd ever seen.

God Almighty, he said, this is a really big sea.

Next to him, the Olympic champion smiled and nodded.

monstrous breakers blown to towering heights by an offshore breeze were being forced

together at the last possible moment by a series of jetties that guarded the Newport

Harbor.

Local surfers called it the wedge, sensible people called it a death trap.

Wally O'Connor called it a challenge.

Your right said Wally, this is a very big sea.

Is it fantastic?

The manly man who had yet to win a gold medal felt the adrenaline coursing through

his body.

This was the way he felt every week on the gridiron, moments before the bone jarring impact

at the line of scrimmage would determine who remained standing and who got knocked

down to the ground.

He was addicted to this feeling, which is why he was drawn to a dangerous new fad called

body surfing.

I'll take the first pass, said Wally.

You watch and learn.

The manly man who had yet to win a gold medal stepped back into the crowd, lit another

...