Even now, more than 50 years and thousands of surfboards later, Randy Rarick vividly recalls his first wide-eyed steps into a Kakaako surf shop.

"I was 11 years old and walking into that shop I was intoxicated by the smell of resin and the sight of all those surfboards on racks," Rarick said.

By the time he floated out of it with newfound ambition, the budding surfer decided that he wanted to do more than just ride boards, he also wanted to shape them and immerse himself in the sport.

At age 12 he was fixing dings for kids in East Oahu. By 14 he was working in a board shop. At 19 he was traveling — and surfing — the world designing and repairing boards to pay his way.

What Rarick really shaped this past half-century-plus has been a remarkable career that touched all facets of the sport in a way that has earned him an honored place in the Surfing Walk of Fame.

Thursday in Huntington Beach, Calif., a plaque paying homage to Rarick’s status as a pioneer, will be placed in the sidewalk where surfing’s elite are recognized much like the stars in Hollywood’s sidewalks.

The surprise isn’t that he will be enshrined, but that it has taken this long.

"Randy Rarick is best known for his promotion of the Triple Crown of Surfing on the North Shore, but his impact on the surfing world goes far beyond the annual contests," said City Council Chairman Ernie Martin, whose second district takes in the North Shore. "More than a professional surfer, Randy also possessed a keen business sense that helped him to succeed as a pioneer in building the sport of surfing into an industry. Always looking for ways to give back to his surfing community, I consider Randy and his remarkable career to be an extraordinary benefit to Hawaii and to the rest of the surfing world."

Rarick, 64, learned to surf from the legendary Rabbit Kekai, gained an appreciation of the philosophy from the iconic Duke Kahanamoku, was taught to shape boards by George Downing and worked at Fred Hemmings’ elbow in promotion. His life in the sport has paralleled its development and aided its growth.

"Part of what Duke Kahanamoku told me was that you get out of surfing what you put into it," said Rarick, who has invested his life and passion. He has made it his mission to share what he has gleaned not only here but in the more than 60 countries in which he has surfed and spread its gospel.

 "Surfing is a gift from Hawaii to the world," Rarick said, "And it is touching places all over the globe, even Norway."

But most of his work has been done from Sunset Beach, which he has called both his home and office for 40 years. He went from surfing there, posting leaflets on telephone poles, shaping boards and showing surf movies to producing and promoting contests.

Initially he and Hemmings operated the Hawaiian Triple Crown out of the back of a pickup truck with little more than a vision, some scaffolding and a card table. Then came the creation of the International Professional Surfers circuit, the predecessor of today’s Association of Surfing Professionals. 

Rarick is so tied to the surf on the North Shore that it is said he can stand on the beach in the morning and, by virtue of his uncanny feel and a quick inspection, accurately predict the conditions for the day, an ability that served him well as a contest director.

Today in semi-retirement he is a historian and consultant. As he prepared for Saturday’s Vintage Surf Happening at Hawaiian South Shore, Rarick said, "My goal is to continue to surf every day for as long as I can. My benchmark is to surf until I’m at least 77, because that’s what Ricky Grigg, one of my heroes, did. If I can do that, I’ll be so stoked."

The Surfing Walk of Fame is in its 21st year and for most of that time Rarick’s mother in-law, Pat Thies, a Huntington Beach resident, has asked him when his time would come. 

"So, this year, finally I was able to call her up and tell her, ‘I got picked!’" Rarick said.

Her reaction? 

"It’s about time!"

Indeed.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.