Midwestern Waves
Surfers and artists give thanks to the third coast

By Isaac Mell

On Sat 11/26 from 6 to 10PM, Breakneck Gallery in Lakewood opens “Defending Erie,” a multimedia salute to our overlooked lake and the surfers who love her.

While working at bela dubby (“Coffee, Beer and Wi-Fi All Day”), photographer Kristen Burns became acquainted with a group of surfers who would meet there to work on their documentary, Out of Place: The Unlikely Story of Surfing in Cleveland, Ohio, a demonstration of their devotion to Lake Erie’s waves and to each other.

“For an outsider discovering these inland seas, it’s quite an experience,” Scott Ditzenberger, the film’s producer and co-director, says. “Even today I have a friend who is visiting from California; he couldn’t wait to get out there in the snow. He caught some waves this morning and is ecstatic! Also, surfing here is still an underground thing, like you’re part of some secret society. That sort of feeling supports a welcoming culture that persists throughout the Great Lakes. We were proud to capture the origin of this culture with our film, Out of Place. It shows how a shared passion can really bring people together.”

The film would ultimately arrive at the New York Surf Film Festival, winning the Viewer’s Choice for Best Movie and landing on page one of The New York Times. The film has also been shown in Long Beach, Santa Barbara, Honolulu and its birthplace, Cleveland.

When Kristen Burns and her husband, artist Sean Burns, began brainstorming ideas for their newly launched Breakneck Gallery, they recalled Out of Place and realized the creative potential for a celebration of surfing and Lake Erie.

“I felt the interesting aspect of the show would be the juxtaposition of the colorful and sunny surf culture with the grey and industrial Cleveland aesthetic,” Sean Burns says.

They enlisted Ditzenberger as co-curator and together they amassed paintings, photographs and surfboards from area surfers and artists.

“At the ‘Defending Erie’ show you’ll see most of the surfers here are artists or musicians,” Ditzenberger says. “It’s positive to channel your inspiration in that way. Some shape surfboards, which is a true art form. Some watch every surf film they can get. If you can’t be in the water, you try to stay connected, or ‘in the lifestyle.’”

The opening reception will feature live music from surf guitarist Mike Trem and a screening of Out of Place. Patrons can enjoy food and drinks, as well as a 21-and-over after-party next door at Mullens on Madison.

Burns hopes “to raise awareness for the surfers and of our gallery, to generate conversation about Lake Erie and what it could be, to create an interesting and unique art exhibition that really couldn’t take place anywhere but here.”

Nor could Cleveland’s own surf culture, with its unique challenges and triumphs, take place anywhere but here.

“For the most part, surfing here is a cold weather endeavor,” Ditzenberger says. “Our best waves come with those harsh winds coming across the lake in fall and winter. When the wind stops, the waves die. So you often have a very small window for surfing. We just don’t get waves all that often. It hardly ever happens here. But when it does, that’s when you cannot tell the difference between Lake Erie and the ocean.”

Still, as Ditzenberger puts it, “nobody moves here for the waves.”

“We have a lot of transplanted surfers from the ocean states, but they are here because of attachments to work or family,” Ditzenberger says. “The truth is, our great surfing days are few and far between. You can get better quality waves in warmer conditions almost everywhere else. The thing that’s special here is the culture. I talk to friends who have moved on or back to Hawaii, California, Florida, etc. What they miss most are the unique friends and experiences they’ve shared here in Ohio.”

Ohioan surfers enjoy the warmth of their community, though they still depend upon wetsuits to protect against bitter winter temperatures.

“Thank God for neoprene,” Ditzenberger says. “Add in the gloves and hoods and winter on the lake is an open door.”

Wintertime surfing, however, has its advantages.

“The best part is having the beach all to yourself,” Ditzenberger says. “When you are out in the water there is a very real solitude that comes with being out in the elements. It’s the kind of feeling that helps you put things into perspective. You look back toward the city skyline and it’s beautiful and surreal. Cleveland is a beautiful city. Maybe not in a traditional, postcard sense of the word. But seeing the weather patterns reflected in the lake and across the city, it’s striking.”

Burns applauds Cleveland’s surfing devotees for their resilience.

“They are willing to work hard, risk all and go for it in spite of all that Cleveland, and Cleveland weather, throws at them,” Burns says. “They are not looking to escape from Cleveland like so many others are. Instead, they embrace what Cleveland has to offer and use it to do what they want to do, whether it makes sense or not.”

Yet whether surfing in winter is a non sequitur or not is a matter of opinion.

“I always thought it was kind of cool existing outside of what is considered normal, even if it is, in actuality, a pretty normal thing,” Ditzenberger says. “So many people here don’t see the special value and potential of our shoreline; there’s that historical disconnect from the water.”

Burns also regrets the lack of attention the city pays to its coast.

“I think Cleveland should do all it can to capitalize on the huge freshwater coastline we have at our front door,” Burns says. “I think it is a shame that even the areas that are open for the public to use are so dirty and in such disrepair as to render them unusable. If Cleveland ever wants to become a vibrant, growing city again it needs to take full advantage of all the unique resources available to it such as Lake Erie.”

To that end, anyone who purchases a catalog of the “Defending Erie” show will be helping the Surfrider Foundation—an international grassroots organization that protects oceans, waves and beaches—to fund a Lake Erie organizing chapter.

“The coastline here has been in the state of neglect for so long,” Ditzenberger says. “There needs to be a lot of investment. It won’t be easy, but we’re working for the next generation. It will be worth it. It is how we want to give back.”

In supporting the surfer’s environmental and recreational cause, Ditzenberger’s day job comes in handy, too: He’s a lawyer, and he approaches the issues at the finest level of legal detail.

“The Ohio Revised Code is very, very confusing with regard to surfing and surfboards,” Ditzenberger says. “It appears to suggest that you need a life jacket to go surfing, which is completely dangerous since surfers often need to be able to swim underwater to avoid big waves, called ‘duckdiving.’ With these statutes you have police who are justifiably confused, so I see our goal as a two-pronged effort to A) educate law enforcement and lifeguards that surfing is a beneficial activity and B) try to clear up that language so it’s better understood.”

With no sign of stopping his commitment to surfing, Ditzenberger continues to draw inspiration from Lake Erie’s uniqueness.

“When I moved here from New Jersey, I really had no idea you could surf here,” Ditzenberger says. “That first day I saw Lake Erie and some perfectly good empty waves I was in complete shock. It’s been twenty years since, and I still have that unbelievable feeling of finding water in the desert.”

To purchase an eco-friendly DVD package of Out of Place, visit http://OutOfPlaceMovie.com. For more information on Breakneck Gallery, visit http://BreakneckGallery.com. To get involved with the Surfrider Foundation, email GreatLakesSurfrideroc@gmail.com.

Isaac Mell grew up in South Euclid, OH and attended American Jewish University in Los Angeles. He welcomes conversations with potential employers, collaborators and friends.

WIN $500 by using the free Cool Cleveland app now available for your iPhone, iPad & iPod Touch by clicking here, and for your Android smartphone or tablet by clicking here.

[Click here to return to the current issue of Cool Cleveland]