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When it comes to bodysurfing, Ted Ferris has seen it all. Well, maybe not all,
but he certainly has seen everything when it comes to the World Bodysurfing Championships, held annually at the Oceanside Pier.
 Ferris, 69, has competed in every edition of the Championships
since they began in 1975. And although Ferris has never taken home Grand Champion honors from the contest, he has his share of memories.
"Before, it was just the 'Oceanside Contest'," said Ferris, an Oceanside resident for 24 years. "(Winners) just used to get a little
cup and the rest of the contestants got ribbons. It's the best here. The support is great."
Ferris got a taste of what it's like to compete in the Grand
Championship when he won the men's 45-54 division in 1982.
"I enjoyed it," said Ferris. "It was big surf that day. Tim Casinelli won
it, and we were the only two out really far, taking lefts. Tim was so much faster as a swimmer, he would snake me. I enjoyed that more because the waves were good and the water was warm. It
had it all. I think Tim would probably remember that, too."
Ferris was back in action again at this year's Championships, held
last weekend. He won his first two heats of the competition, posting scores of 60 in both, to advance to the finals of the men's 65-and-over division.
Ferris turned it up a notch in the final, posting a personal-best 71 for the weekend, but he couldn't dethrone defending champion Bob
Burnside. Burnside, a resident of Palm Desert, received 88 points in the 12-minute final heat to win his division for the for the third consecutive year and 10th overall.
"They came sometime in four or five wave sets, but there was a good five to 10 minutes between sets, so
people didn't know whether to go inside or wait for the sets to come (outside). I just wasn't in position to do it.
"Bob's strategy is to get four inside to get his scoring waves out of the way, then he moves out. He's amazing. One time I got him (in 1982), but never again."
Not that losing in the final will stop Ferris from coming back next year.
"It's the reunion of it all, just getting together with old friends," said Ferris. "It keeps you, almost forces you to
stay in shape. When you get a good wave, it's just a blast --- nothing compares to it."
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