From surfing to skateboarding to golf to auto racing to music and many elements in between, the North Florida area has played a major role in the national and international scene of sports, industry and celebrity for many, many decades. Beginning with surfing, as far back as the 1960’s, guys like Joseph Roland, Bruce Clelland, Larry Miniard, Dick Rosborough and others were recognized around the country and the world as leading figures and competitors in the surfing industry. They also inspired more than just the next generation of surfers to excel in the surfing world and guys like Mitch Kaufmann, Jason Motes and Sean Mattison made an impact, again, both nationally and internationally.
The same is true with skateboarding. When skating boomed in the 1970’s, North Florida locals Jimmy Plumer and George Wilson were accepted into the national forefront of the skateboarding world and were followed by guys like Mike Kaufmann, Buck Smith, Neal Mims, Donny Griffin and Mike Peterson, and that’s not even mentioning guys like Marty Ramos, whose father Martin bought the condemned KONA skateboard park in Jacksonville and turned it into the longest running, most successful skate park on the planet, which is still open and operating to this day!
In auto racing, the legendary Brumos Racing team, with Peter Gregg at the helm, was based in Jacksonville and led the road racing world in the late 1960’s and 1970’s to seven world championships in ten years. After years of winless racing, NASCAR heir apparent, JC France, led Brumos to another Rolex 24 victory in 2008, once again putting Jacksonville in the forefront of the road racing world.
And we can’t forget that The Allman Brothers Band had Jacksonville roots, leading the way for Lynyrd Skynyrd, .38 Special, Molly Hatchet and later Yellow Card and Limp Bizkit to solidify North Florida as a major powerhouse location in the international music scene. Now Jacksonville Beach boasts one of the coolest seaside festival venues at Seawalk Pavilion, hosting events like Springing The Blues that showcase local, regional, national and international Blues artists, keeping our beach community a continuously sought after destination for music fans worldwide.
Finally, but not least, the PGA TOUR moved to Ponte Vedra in 1979 after relocating its flagship golf tournament, The PLAYERS Championship to Sawgrass in 1977. Once again, our seaside home became the epicenter of an international sport, this time golf, and has grown exponentially ever since.
All in all, North Florida is a place that locals and natives are proud to call home, a place where it’s easy to get into a special vibe like Live Love Laugh Dance, and so….. Now we have an online publication dedicated to bringing you you all of the special stories of people, events and places that make our community such a special place. Live Love Laugh Dance.Please like our Facebook page, and bookmark our site, www.livelovelaughdance.com and join us as we celebrate Jacksonville and its beaches, its people and its wonderful way of life!
