Swurfer Art Contest Winner
Earlier this spring, we teamed up with students at Charleston Collegiate School to host an art contest. Students got to paint raw Swurfer boards, which were then displayed and auctioned off with the winning prize money donated to a local children's charity.
Fortunately for Leroy Drayton, the winner of the art contest, the people who bought his board gave it back to him so he could keep his masterpiece! Of course, we gave Leroy his very own original Swurfer board so he can Swurf in his backyard, and proudly display his board art on his refrigerator with a really large magnet instead.
We had a chance to hang out and congratulate Leroy the other day and asked him a few questions to learn more about him.
What is your favorite tree?
My backyard is full of pine and oak trees. So both of those kinds.
If you could go Swurfing anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Anywhere? Hmmm. It has to be somewhere crazy then. Like the Golden Gate Bridge or Eiffel Tower!
If your Swurfer had a super power, what would it be?
I’m really interested in biological/medical engineering, so it would be cool if wounded solders could hop on board and instantly be healed. That, or it leaves a money trail behind it when it moves.
Tell us about your design. How did you come up with it?
It all was an accident really. At first I wanted to go with an Andy Warhol theme. I started with just a red board, but then I started to add some paint splatter to it. Then I thought I could add in some space elements. So one thing just led to another and I ended up with a galaxy theme!
If you could give your masterpiece to anyone famous, dead or alive, who would it be?
Albert Einstein. He would think it’s genius.
Since you’re interested in becoming an engineer, what do you think would be cool to add to the Swurfer?
I think it would be cool to have a mobile app that uses your camera, and you wear motion detectors on your body. Then when you’re filming, it can show you your moves and motion when you’re Swurfing.
You are born and raised here in Charleston. What do you love most about living here?
The peace and quiet. I love that I can walk outside my back door and be surrounded by trees. I’ve traveled and been to cities, but the vibe here is so much nicer and laid back.
How excited are you to Swurf?
Very! I can’t wait to hang it in my backyard. I’m very daring, so I plan to try all sorts of tricks with it.
What do you like to do for fun?
Just being outside! I love to play basketball and baseball with my friends, and go kayaking. When I was younger, I used to pretend I was a nature guide like Steve Irwin.