SHRED FOR FRED BENEFIT FOR FREDDIE GROSSKREUTZ East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame Inductee Fred Grosskreutz was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1948. Having grown up in Virginia Beach, ,Fred and early childhood friend, Bobby Chenman caught the surfing bug during the early 1960's. Both went down to the local sporting goods store and purchased Healthway's Pop Out long boards. Freddie progressed rapidly and was approached by the top surfboard manufactures of the day, Hobie, and Weber to be on their East Coast Surf Teams. In the late 60's, Fred was ranked 4A by the Eastern Surfing Association which was prior to any professional surfing organizations. Fred remembers a 3rd place prize being $25.00!! Surfing trips eventually expanded to Mexico, Puerto Rico and his first trip to Oahu and Kauai, Hawaii in 1969. On Oahu, living above Velzyland in a shack, he surfed Velzyland frequently. When the Surf Stars and cameras came out, Freddie would venture to a nearby left, which he could usually surf by himself, or with other shack dwellers, Phillip Irons (Iron's brothers Dad) and Ricky Hendrickson. After Fred departed Hawaii, Phil and Ricky named the Left "Freddieland", which the break between Sunset Point and Velzyland is called to this day. No other east coast surfer has ever had a break in Hawaii named after them. Fred returned to the mainland, in Brevard County and was approached by Sam Gornto (who heard Fred glassed a few boards while in Hawaii) to laminate for Happiness Surfboards on Manatee Lane, which also was the shop Pat O'hare, Bill Eberwein, Bob Freeman and Claude Codgen among others, worked out of. During the early 70's, boards were glassed with opaque resins, cut laps on both sides, pinlines and high gloss jobs. Other shops Fred worked with were Fox Surfboards (John Parton) of West Palm Beach, Ocean Avenue,(Lewis Graves) of Melbourne Beach and for many years, Dick Catri of Indialantic. Fred notes that Dick always put together a terrific surfboard building crew, making quality boards made for our area. For the last 20 years, Freddie has been laminating for Jim and Ed Leasure of Quiet Flight Surfboards in Cocoa Beach. Fred's favorite shapers of years gone by include Pat O'hare, John Parton, Bill Frierson and Robert Strickland. In more recent years Bruce Ragan, Richard Munson and John Parton (Fred enjoys working with John and his machine, being able to duplicate and "tweak" his shapes) have the respect of Fred. He says Munson's shapes are progressive as ever, as is his surfing. Fred enjoys working with people who listen to what he is trying to have made and do not try to put their own trip on him. Fred who is 62 yrs of age, still rides a short 5'5" fish, a shape he has pretty much stayed with for over 30 years. Besides surfing, Freddies faith and family are his backbone and strength He met his beautiful wife, Susan, after a visit to Australia in the early 80's and married in Brevard in 1984. They are very proud of their 2 children, Tamsin, a 2nd year medical student and Morgan, an aspiring artist who works at a local produce store while taking classes at Brevard Community College. In August 2010, Fred started feeling weak and losing weight. When a visit to see Tamsin at her school in Kansas City, she noticed the change in her father and ordered a series of tests which revealed several areas of concern, diagnosed as carcinoid liver cancer Since then, Fred has had 2 surgeries and is scheduled for more soon. A fund raiser is planned for Fred at the "Café Surfinista" in downtown Cocoa Beach, for Saturday, 5 March, 5-8pm. Tickets are $25.00, available through Barry Dix (321) 720-5964, stixbydix@cfl.rr.com, Tracy Dix (321) 698-9025, tracydix@cfl.rr.com, Bruce Reynolds (321) 613-3864, thesurfinistas@yahoo.com Donations can be made to: Frederic Grosskreutz Medical Fund. There will also be a raffle for a custom Stix By Dix longboard. Tickets are $50, which includes admission to the event. There will only be 50 sold. Please come and support one of our longtime surfboard builders in his time of need. Thank you and God Bless

will never forget surfing crowded days at O.A. with him, doug deal, etc. as a grom. good cause here and I hope a ton of money is raised for this event. it would seem only fitting to get a hold of one of his original fish shapes for the raffle though. my buddy has one and it's beautiful one of a kind. just an idea.

Fred lives down the street from me and Ive enjoyed surfing with him and getting to know him...great guy!  get well soon bother

"speed is truth"

Incredible time with an awesome Guy!! The Vibe was incredible with the whole atmosphere and with most of Catri's 60's surf team!

"The problems we face today exist because the People who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for their living."

Thank you everyone who showed up for the SHRED FOR FRED benefit at Cafe Surfinista.  The event was over the top!!  Great food, drinks, prizes and the sounds of the "Aquanuts" were terrific!  So many faces I have not seen for soo long, for such a great cause.  Fred was feeling good and was all smiles.  Thank you Diane and Bruce Reynolds, Rick and Todd Super for opening thier doors for the event.  Richard and Melissa Munson for the hours of work, phone calls and terrific prizes. The donations of raffle and silent auction gifts by so many in our surfing community surf shops, area artists and surf supply companies and many gift certificates from area resturants was an outstanding show of love and support for Freddie.  Also to my Sweetie Pie, Tracy, who kept me going with her help in both putting together the event, but also keeping me excited about doing a good thing for a special friend.  The caritable feeling was in the air, as winners donated their prizes to be auctioned off for more money for the benefit for Fred's medical needs.  Special thanks, to the Grand Prize winner of the Stix by Dix/Quiet Flight board (and FCS boardbag) won by Brett Lannie, who was not at the event due to being at the event of the birth of his granddaughter, but when he purchased the ticket, without skipping a breath, he said "If I win, auction the board off to the highest bidder"!!  If that is not God's hand at work.......yer missing something!!  The board alone brought $5,000. in raffle tickets (only 100 printed), and the board was auctioned off for another $1,525., total for the board alone, $6,525.!!! woo woo!!  Again, thank everone for your fantastic support of the Shred For Fred  benefit. (donations can still be made at any Bank of  America, payable to: "Frederic Grosskreutz Medical Fund"). If you did not pick up a Shred For Fred  tee shirt, contact me: STIXBYDIX@CFL.RR.COM, or call (321) 720-5964.  God Bless and thank you all!! Barry Dix