VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Come Saturday morning, 1st street at the Oceanfront will more closely resemble a carnival than the laid back stylings of a typical Rudee's inlet day. The Coastal Edge East Coast Surfing Championships bring crowds, brands, vendors and of course a surf competition. The classic Virginia Beach surfing hotspot transforms into a money making, music performing full scale summer event.
It was on those other summer days, however, that Michael Dunphy learned to surf. Born and raised in Virginia Beach, Dunphy spent a couple years at Cox High School before home schooling took over to aid a burgeoning surf career.
For Dunphy, coming home offers the chance to compete in front of friends and family, on the shores where he grew up. There's also the VB surf community that Dunphy considers himself a part of, even as he travels the globe.
No time does that community come together more fully that on this weekend, and they'll be watching one of their own compete for another championship.