Athletes - Bruce Gabrielson

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	Athletes - Bruce Gabrielson

Bruce "Snake" Gabrielson was an athlete, wrestler, scholar, successful contest surfer and leader in the surfing world during Surfing's dynamic 1960s and 1970s. As a competitor, he started entering USSA contests in 1964, received a 3A ranking in 1967, and soon after placed as high as 3rd at the U.S. Championships. That same year he finished 3rd in the final US Rankings. Snake actively contest surfed through the 1970s and then afterward he moved to the East Coast in the early 1980s, competing regularly until he retired in the early 1990s.

Besides a competitive surfer, Snake was also a strong surfing organizer and leader. He was one of the founders of the first inter-collegiate surfing association while at California State University, Long Beach. Then, while in graduate school, he founded the first official high school surfing league and first varsity surfing team in the US at Huntington Beach High School. He also founded Edison High School's surf program, plus published a book on surf team coaching.

Taught to shape by the legendary Dale Velzy during his tenure at Soul Surfboards, Snake opened his Wave Trek Surfboards shop URL: http://wavetreksurf.com in 1969, and continued making boards in Huntington Beach until 1978. Wave Trek was a leading innovator in board design, plus a strong contender in the Southern California manufacturer's team competitions during those years.

Snake was the president of the South Sea Surf Club in Huntington Beach in 1965 and 1966. Then, as president of the Huntington Beach Surfing Association from 1967 to 1977, Snake successfully built the HBSA into a leading force in the surfing world at all levels from competitions to political influence. Additionally, as both the Western Association Director, and as a Director of the US Surfboard Championships, he was able to give the competition surfing world its "Surfing Declaration of Independence" from sponsor control and traditional community influence.

In the 80s, 90s, and 2000s, Dr. Gabrielson, a successful engineer in the field of computer security, took on a number of "give back" roles in the surfing world. He has been an active speaker for many surf organizations, clubs and schools since the mid-70s, has been a strong supporter and spokesperson for the Surfrider Foundation for several years, has become one of the world's leading mentors for numerous high school and college students doing serious research into various surfing related areas, has joined and supported surf clubs and museums throughout the US, personally led the development of Internet use for surfing sites, and has worked rigurously to help gain surfing's recognition as an Olympic sport. Among his notable sport firsts, in 1993 he put the first surfing oriented web page on the Internet and in 2002, he completed the USOC application for surfing to become an official Olympic sport. In 2005 he founded the National Surf Schools and Instructors Association for professionally accrediting schools and instructors working in the industry. For surfing, Bruce is a member of the Ironman Hall-of-Fame and the Huntington Beach Longboard Crew Hall-of-Fame.

Dr. Bruce Gabrielson is also a noted scholar in the fields of computer security and TEMPEST. He has three US patents in the telecommunications industry, has published three technical books and over 100 technical papers, and is a regular presenter at technical conferences throughout the world.

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