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Arts & Entertainment

Switchfoot Stands Up for Kids

The band's annual Bro-Am surf contest and concert aids charity that helps homeless children.

Thousands of fans of the Encinitas alternative-rock band Switchfoot gathered at on Saturday for the band’s annual daylong surf contest and rock concert to raise money for homeless kids in North County.

The Switchfoot Bro-Am has been held each year since 2005 to benefit the Oceanside chapter of Stand Up for Kids, a non-profit charity that provides after-school programs, counseling, meals and other services for homeless and at-risk kids. Over the years, organizers say the annual Bro-Am, charity auction and other events have raised more than $500,000 for Stand Up for Kids.

For the members of Switchfoot, who all either grew up or live in North County, the cause of homeless kids is personal.

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“This isn’t an abstract thing for us,” said guitarist Drew Shirley. “This is very real. These are the kids we see when we are driving to Starbucks.”

While for many the cause of helping raise money for homeless kids was the draw of the event, for others it was more about a chance to rub elbows with their musical idols. In addition to meeting the band members, fans were able to visit a listening station at the event and hear a track from the band’s upcoming new album, Vice Verses, which is set for a Sept. 27 release.

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“What other band does this?” asked 19-year-old San Bernardino resident Sarah Campbell, who woke up at 3 a.m. on Saturday and drove to Encinitas with two friends to attend the Bro-Am. “It’s awesome to be able to meet Switchfoot, hear them play a concert, watch them surf, all while helping raise money for homeless kids. It’s an awesome event.”

Switchfoot fans came to Encinitas from all over the United States and as far away as France and Mexico to meet the Grammy-award-winning band. They were treated to a concert on the beach, where the band tore through an energetic set of Dare You to Move, Meant to Live and other hits. The band won a Grammy this year for their latest release, Hello Hurricane.

Singer Jon Foreman, his brother and bassist Tim Foreman and drummer Chad Butler participated in the surf-contest portion of the Bro-Am. True to the band’s name, the contest requires surfers to ride at least one wave “switchfoot,” meaning the opposite of their natural stance on the board. Surfing legend Tom Curren, a frequent Bro-Am participant, handled the challenge with little difficulty, but others struggled.

“Surfing in a contest where you are forced to use the other stance is a very humbling experience,” said Jeremy Schluntz, the associate publisher of Surfer and Surfing magazines who surfed on his publication’s team in the Bro-Am.

For many, the highlight of the day was the surf Jousting competition, where participants riding surfboards try to knock others off their boards using long, padded jousting poles. Jon Foreman wore a furry gorilla costume and was knocked out in the early rounds. Encinitas resident Shey Yates, 23, was declared the winner.

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