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DREAMSCAPE
JAMIE MEISELMAN HAS THE WAVE OF YOUR DREAMS By Matt Walker/ Surfing Magazine
"Like
a machine..."
The
ultimate description of the ultimate surf spot. Seems silly, arrogant
even, to equate something so mysterious and fleeting as a breaking
wave to a cold piece of man-made predictability. But which of
us, especially here on the East Coast, can say we haven't dreamed
of being able to create waves at will? Isn't that what all humans
need--buried deep in the most ancient folds of our animal psyche--the
supreme power to manhandle mother nature?
Well,
two years ago, New Jersey surfer Jamie Meiselman acted upon that
carnal urge. He literally dreamed up everything he'd ever want
in a break. Then, the 34-year-old former Dartmouth English major-turned-Transworld
Snowboard
editor--this mere mortal without a lick of experience in ocean
engineering or even amusement parks--started playing God. He partnered
up with ADG, a leader in water park wave generation, and Dr. Kerry
Black of ASR, Ltd., the world's top name in artificial reef design,
to found SurfParks, LLC. The result? America's first by-surfers-for-surfers
wave pool--a 100% saltwater, foam-and-spit-breathing Frankenstein,
rife with more scary features than Michael Jackson without make-up.
Features like the ability to produce waves up to eight feet and
over 70 yards. Features like using a computer-controlled floor
called the Versa Reef, the capability of mimicking an unlimited
number of world-class breaks, such as Padang-Padang, Raglan, and
Pipeline. Add extras like limited memberships, a smaller pool
for beginners, a Wave Loch practice wave, video replay, and a
seasoned pro staff-- including confirmed partners like the Lopezes,
the Hobgoods, and Lisa Andersen--plus an assortment of tourist-trappings
courtesy of Ron Jon's Fantasy Bay location, and you've got the
makings of what could be the East Coast's most exciting surf spot
for kooks and core alike, 75 miles from the nearest ocean.
A
spitting barrel? In the middle of Orlando? This guy must be dreaming,
right? Maybe so. But there's already a one-foot scale model working
in New Zealand. And with 1200 interested parties already signed
up from 15 states, this dream is just 10 million bucks from becoming
a Florida reality, with the Ron Jon SurfPark tentatively scheduled
to open in Spring of 2005. And when that happens, a whole new
world of surfing will turn on with the flick of a switch.
ESM:
Where'd you get the inspiration to build a wave park?
JM:
Well, other than a three-year stint in California, I grew up in
New Jersey, surfing there and Long island, and I went to college
in New Hampshire. But I've always been not quite on the ocean,
and had to deal with doing the drive with ideas brewing in my
head like, "God, I wish it were more consistent."
ESM:
That's where the idea really came from? Not the need for consistent
dollar signs?
JM:
Absolutely. Every surfer has thought at one point or another,
"I wish we could build a wave pool that would always be perfect."
The only difference is I did research to see if it was realistic
from both the technology and the business sides. I found Kerry
Black on the internet, a bunch of different suppliers, and guys
who built wave equipment. Then I started some sketches, some Excel
models. Assuming I could make a good wave, did this thing make
sense financially? Then I went down to this tradeshow for the
amusement industry and met with everyone who was capable of making
the wave that I needed, which I thought was a six to eight-foot
face. The big trick at the time was intervals. Places like Typhoon
Lagoon have such long intervals. I concluded I couldn't make a
business out of it with 60 or 90 second intervals. It needed to
be more like the ocean, like four to six-wave sets every 10 seconds,
and then a lull. And it would obviously have to be a good wave
quality-wise, which is a function of the pool shape. I built this
whole model based on what the experience has to be. How much am
I willing to pay? How good does the wave have to be? How variable
does it have to be so I'll come back a lot?
ESM:
In a way, it really is a dream wave: Think of the ideal setup,
and work backwards from that.
JM:
Yeah. Think as a customer--how much would I pay? Then look at
the technology--how much will it cost to generate these waves?
Does the math work? If I pay 30 or 40 bucks, can I get 20 waves?
Those were questions we had to answer early on.
ESM:
So what's the formula? A buck a wave?
JM:
Right now, the prices we're promoting range from the minimum of
75 cents a wave for the Platinum Off Peak member, the guy who's
going twice a week during off peak hours, to 50 bucks a session,
which is $2.50 a wave.
ESM:
Which is still substantially cheaper than anything out there.
JM:
Well, I used Typhoon Lagoon as an example, which essentially is
10 to 12 dollars a wave. That's too expensive to be a regular
gig. I wanted the pricing to be almost like a health club, where
you're going on a weekly basis or more.
ESM:
It sounds like a country club for surfers: you sign up for a membership,
and go in just like you're going to golf.
JM:
That's not a bad comparison. The core user is the surfer who's
treating it as a semiprivate golf club. And because it's in Orlando,
there's a huge tourist opportunity with the whole fun attraction
side of it. But this is the first pure surfing and bodyboarding
facility. All the other pools that were built, surfing and bodyboarding
were an asterisk.
JM:
Right now we're limiting the memberships to 1200 people. If you
translate that to number of visits a year, it's about 50 percent
of the total capacity of the big pool. We capped it because we
want the members to be treated well, just like a country club.
But a lot of people may travel from far away, and we wanted to
make sure there was enough capacity so visitors can get in the
pool, too.
ESM:
Yeah, because you could be opening up a can of worms here. There
are maybe 300,000 surfers in Florida, and you've got 1200 spots
open. What happens when you get a month-long flat spell? Will
people be scalping passes?
JM: Well, the passes are definitely not going to be transferable, and you'll have your photo ID in the system. But I'd love to have those problems of undercapacity. I'd be thrilled, because we can always build more. ESM:
Even so, Orlando is smack dab between two coasts. And you're producing
a wave that might be better even when there is surf. Some guys
might say, "Fuck, why go to the Inlet and fight?" So how many
of those guys are you going to share the water with at the park?
JM:
Well, the max will be like 36, but every wave is assigned to a
certain person. And there will be up to six sets with six guys
in the water.
ESM:
Thirty six is a friggin' laughable day at the Inlet.
JM:
Especially when you don't have to compete for waves. You're going
in order. Once Orlando's open and we learn who our customers are,
I'd like to immediately build more in Florida: one in Jacksonville,
a couple down south, one on the Gulf and in the Panhandle... I
can see easily four to six parks in Florida. So if we have that
issue of overcrowding or reservation inaccessibility, that will
mean we're successful and we can roll this thing out in other
places that make sense.
ESM:
How about the scheduling issues? Once you have your pass, will
you just show up?
JM: No. You call and make a reservation. And members will have some sort of priority where slots are reserved for them up to a certain time. We plan to publish a calendar a couple months in advance, and show the waves and the time slots for each day. And the minute that two to three-month window opens, better call up and book your spot. ESM:
Is one of the reasons you're limiting memberships is that you
want people to be able to take advantage of other elements, like
having teams practice, contests, or photo shoots?
JM:
Yeah, there's so many other uses. But first it's for the general
public to use. But at the same time we want the members to feel
like they're taken care of. That's why scheduling is so important,
to satisfy a lot of people's needs. But aside from the big pool,
we've got the Flowrider, and the training pool--which is a three
to four-foot wave offering a twenty to thirty-yard ride--used
primarily for teaching. Then we have the entertainment/ restaurant
aspect, which will be enjoyed by people who aren't surfers yet.
ESM:
But if you can get a bunch of core surfers to fill this thing
up, why not make it an exclusive club?
JM:
Well, that's where I started: "Hey, I'm just gonna buy five acres
in the boonies and make a surf club." But it's impossible to sell
that model to investors
[laughs].
The fact is it has to have a little wider appeal, especially for
the first one. You have to hedge every risk. That's why this Ron
Jon partnership is great, because they're good at attracting "the
aspiring surfer and bodyboarder." And being in a mall that has
a lot of traffic already--skatepark, a cinema and other things--that's
gonna help. Negating all possible risk is what we're all about
for this first one.
ESM:
You mentioned bodyboarders. Will you be restricting their use?
JM:
Actually, hardcore bodyboarders like a specific kind of wave--really
dumpy and ledgy. So we'll say, "Wednesday at 10:00 is bodyboarding
only," and have a Waimea Shorebreak. Guys on the Gulf have contacted
me about making a shorebreak into a good skimmable wave. I turned
Kerry onto that, and we're trying to modify the end of the pool
to make a good skimming shorebreak, which should be a nice byproduct.
ESM: Speaking of Kerry, he's got something like 42 waves mapped and loaded in the computer for the Versa Reef. But he was saying you guys would start with only four: Malibu, Pipe, and a couple of in-betweens. JM:
Yeah. We'll start with a few different floor profiles in our database
and then get a couple new ones each year. But the cool thing is
even with one floor profile you can send out so many different
waves by adjusting the wave height or swell direction. With one
profile you'll be able to get a half-dozen different kinds of
waves, just by adjusting the height and firing sequence.
ESM: So will you adjust the level to the reserved member's choice. Or if enough people say, "I want Pipe," you go, "OK, it's a Pipe day."? JM: That's why we'll do it in advance. We'll publish a calendar and say, "Okay, Tuesday from 12:00 to 2:00 will be Lower Trestles' right, and 2:00 to 4:00 will be the left. And Wednesday at 8:00 it's six-foot Teahupo'o. People can basically get the wave they want. I don't know if it's realistic to change within a session. But I think most people want to get good at one wave. That's why planning is so important. ESM:
It'll be great training for travel: get your shit together ahead
of time so you don't get your ass kicked.
JM:
Yep. A lot of guys have said, "This would be a great warm-up before
my trip." And like you said, Kerry has over 40 high-quality waves
in the database. And we can mimic those. He'll continue collecting
data as time goes on for more great waves.
ESM:
So you have a good business model, as far as the memberships making
money, and Ron Jon is behind it. What's the missing link to make
sure it happens?
JM:
Just a successful raise of 10 million dollars, which began in
earnest in March. We're in the throes of it right now. If we can
get the capital, we want to start construction this summer. We
have what appears to be a very positive response from the investment
community so far--the best obviously being from guys who surf.
Because you don't have to explain all these things. They understand
it. But first they're taking off their surfer hat and putting
on their investor hat.
ESM:
What about surf companies? Have you approached Quiksilver, Billabong,
Volcom, etc.?
JM:
We've spoken to almost all of them. And they're incredibly supportive
as far as doing events and promotions and working with us on a
constant basis. They realize it's going to benefit them whether
they invest or not. They're still gonna sell more clothes or whatever,
so I can respect them taking the safe road. We like not being
affiliated directly with any one company so we don't alienate
others. I'd like the park to be a central place for any company
to do events or promotions. Especially with Surf Expo right there.
JM:
I think they see in it everything that we seen in it, a place
they can go and know they'll get good waves: "I can hit the same
section over and over again... I can work on this air so it becomes
second nature." They look at it as a great training opportunity.
We're going to involve them in teaching high-performance clinics.
We could get Cory Lopez to teach backside tuberiding. Those 20
kids are stoked just to learn from Cory Lopez, and they'll also
get perfect backside barrels to practice in. It's a great opportunity
for the up-and-coming surfers who want to get better, and it's
a great opportunity for the pros to be face-to-face with people
who worship them. They get a place to train, as well as a place
to interact with fans and help people progress.
ESM:
But aren't those guys on tour a lot to be doing much coaching?
JM:
Well, we'll call them the SurfParks Pro Team. They'll do high-performance
clinics throughout the year when their schedules make them available.
It's like a golf pro at a country club where they train and are
identified with that location. Then we'll have resident pros who
are more like really good pro surfers who aren't on the world
tour. They'll be the ones teaching high-performance stuff on a
regular basis. And they'll be trained by Lisa, CJ, Damien, Shea,
or Cory as to the curriculum. They'll be giving people feedback
on every wave. This area we call the Liquid Lounge, is a big round
gathering place, and we'll have video replay there. It's going
to accelerate the sport so fast in terms of ability levels, especially
in Central Florida where you've got a lot of ex-ASP guys and aspiring
WQS guys.
ESM:
Is that why you selected Florida?
JM:
Central Florida is the surfing capital of the East Coast. Early
on I did a demand survey, and the number one town for the whole
East Coast was Orlando. There's a pretty substantial surfing population
in Orlando because that's where the jobs are and surfers just
drive to the coast.
ESM:
No shit. Look for a few thank you notes from the New Smyrna crew.
Did you ever consider any places besides the East Coast?
JM:
Well, initially I wanted to do either New Jersey or Florida. New
Jersey because it's another hotbed and because I'm from there,
and Florida because it's even more of a hotbed and the waves are
worse than New Jersey in terms of consistency. But I think California's
going to make sense, just because of the overcrowdedness. And
can we do it in Chicago? Can we do it in Topeka? That will be
the big question mark. My gut tells me we can. It already seems
like everybody wants to look like a surfer. Now we'll give them
the opportunity to be one.
ESM:
Long-term-wise, what do you see as the ultimate benefit: beginners
have a place to learn, less crowds...?
JM:
I think all of the above. I think the most important thing is
my initial desire, which was a place for normal, regular surfers
to go to get good waves on a regular basis. Here on the East Coast,
it's so much waiting and anticipating and forecasting, and not
enough actual waveriding. So the regular surfers getting to surf
more--that's the main thing.
ESM:
So you don't see it as relieving pressure, per se, because when
the waves are good people will go to the beach instead of the
pool.
JM:
I think it will help make better surfers in the lineup, and better
etiquettes. Because when you go to the park to learn, we're going
to spoonfeed you etiquette, as well, how to get out of people's
way, all the things that might take a long time to learn. So hopefully
we'll be making less kooks
[laughs].
ESM:
So let's say this thing is a hit. All of a sudden you have 10
pools and you make millions of bucks. Do you build one in your
backyard and pull a full Kim Jong Il?
JM:
I guarantee I'll get some inquiries from people who want one in
their backyard. But if you had access to just one of these things--if
you could surf it just a couple times a week--I think you'd be
pretty damn happy.
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