Former Pro Reveals He Was Molested by Surf Team Manager | Surfers join #MeToo
The world is exploding right now with #MeToo moments of past sexual harassment and molestations. Powerful people are losing their careers and going to jail. Just yesterday the ex-USA Gymnastics doctor was sentenced for up to 175-years for molesting over 150 young gymnasts over the years including many Olympians. He can rot there as can any dirty child toucher.
Surfing, and no doubt snowboarding and skateboarding are also not immune. Surfing though with its groms being put through more coaching programs and strange travel schedules at a younger age are probably the most at risk. Former Santa Cruz pro Adam Replogle just revealed that he was molested by a team manager when he was just 12. Is this the tip of the iceberg? Our Harvey Weinstein moment???
Sample:
“I was molested as a 12-year-old kid,” Replogle said. “By a surf team manager in San Diego.”
Thiermann, for his part, was understandably floored, and the two talked through the story. We were also floored, and called Adam yesterday.
It was 1983. Replogle was flown down to San Diego for a surf contest, and was being hosted by a local surf team manager. “He was a former pro from Imperial Beach,” Replogle told Surfline. “I went down to stay at his house. I was 12 years old, but he bought beers and gave me a beer.”
By this point, Replogle had already traveled a bit as a young pro. “It wasn’t uncommon to sleep in the same bed as other men on the road, that’s just the way it is,” he said. “And we were gonna share a bed at his house. I went to lay down and sure enough, over the night he started touching me, f++king weird stuff. I freaked out. My heart was beating. I was a hip little kid at that point and I came up with an excuse that I needed to call my mom. As soon as he opened the door, I just ran.”
Click to SURFLINE for the story of former pro surfer Adam Replogle opening up about being molested by a sponsors team manager
Click to KYLE.SURF for Kyle Thiermann’s podcast where Adam originally makes the reveal
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