Balaram Stack, Then and Now

A few years ago, New York magazine profiled Balaram Stack, a then-15-year-old surfing prodigy from Long Beach, New York dubbed the next big thing in urban surfing, whatever the hell that means. 

Born in Florida, Strack moved to New York with his mother when he was five. He started surfing immediately, and, within seven years, captured Long Beach's King of the Beach tournament. Strack celebrated his victory at Burger King, in a paper crown. Later, Stack won the Volcom Jellyfish tournament, a regional competition, two years in a row, the juniors division of the 2006 Unsound Pro and, that same year, the Northeast Regional Surfing Championships. Red Bull, Oakley, Sector 9, WRV, Vestal, Freak and other companies lined up to sponsor him. He was famous, even if he wasn't exactly faring well against the world's top surfers. 


That all changed, though, after a trip around the world, according to the New York Times, who sat down with the 17-year-old for today's dead tree edition. Stacked surfed the North Shore (Oahu, not Long Island), Banzai, Tahiti and Australia, under the tutelage of coach Mick Cain. Stack's hard work paid off. In April, he qualified in four divisions for the national scholastic East Coast regional championships in Florida, winning the Air Show and Explorer Juniors divisions. He scored three perfect 10s. This weekend, the kid from Long Beach has a legitimate shot at winning the Open Men’s division, a launching pad to the professional surfing ranks. Amazing, considering he plies his trade within earshot of the Long Island Expressway.