Montoya Teams up with Switchfoot to Stand Up for Kids

<figure id="attachment_601" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-601" style="width: 150px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a class="highslide" onclick="return vz.expand(this)" href="http://laprensa-sandiego.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/2009-bro-am-zer… loading="lazy" class="size-thumbnail wp-image-601 " title="2009-bro-am-zeros-023" src="http://laprensa-sandiego.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/2009-bro-am-zer…; alt="Carlos Montoya (r) and Brian Gallagher (l) battled the Foreman and Kotay brothers at the Bro-Am in Encinitas. Photo J.P. Wyllie " width="150" height="150"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-601" class="wp-caption-text">Carlos Montoya (r) and Brian Gallagher (l) battled the Foreman and Kotay brothers at the Bro-Am in Encinitas. Photo J.P. Wyllie </figcaption></figure>
 91X morning show producer Carlos Montoya has plenty of opportunities to get involved in a variety of charities that are supported by his community-minded radio station. When he signed up to participate in Switchfoot’s Annual Bro-Am Surfing Competition on June 27 he naturally assumed that he would be surfing. His friends in Switchfoot however, had other ideas. They entered Montoya, who describes himself as a casual surfer, in their surf jousting competition.
 “This is the first time I have ever seen surf jousting let alone competed in it. I came here thinking I was just going to surf. I didn’t realize that it was going to require a helmet, a stick and a huge foam board.”
 The object of surf jousting is to maneuver your board alongside of the other surfers and then knock them off balance and into the water with your stick while at the same time maintaining your balance atop of your board.
 “I can’t say that I am proud of my performance. In fact, I got my ass kicked,” Montoya said laughingly. “It is really hard to paddle while wearing a helmet and holding a jousting stick, but nevertheless it was a learning experience. I am hoping that next year I can come back and trump the Foreman brothers and the Kotay brothers,” Montoya said.
 Switchfoot’s Bro-Am, which is now in its fifth year, was dreamed up by the members of the band as a fun way of raising money for local charities. This year’s event raised a whopping $93,000 for Stand Up for Kids, an organization that supports at risk, underprivileged and homeless adolescents. For Montoya, the annual Switchfoot Bro-Am is a date that is always circled on his calendar.
 “I have been here the last three years and I think the station has been behind it from the beginning. We decided to back it just because of the cause. It is genuine. We have become close friends with the Switchfoot guys so it has made for an easy pairing. In the last three years it has gone from dozens of spectators to hundreds and then to thousands. It is continually getting bigger and bigger. This was the biggest one so far.”
 While his team didn’t win this year’s competition, Montoya demonstrated that he clearly knows his way around a surf board. Having fun and raising money were in any case the far more important objectives. 
 “I am really out of breath, but I had a blast,” Montoya said afterward. “I can’t wait to do this again next year. I will tell you though that the real troopers out here are (Switchfoot’s) Foreman brothers. They are going through their second heat right now and then in a few hours they are going to perform a free rock show for all of the people here.”
 Switchfoot is no ordinary rock band.
 “Generally rock stars have egos about the size of Texas, but these guys are the most modest and humble guys,” Montoya said. “Maybe you can attribute that to their surfing roots. I think it could be the brotherhood and fraternity within the surfing community that has kept them so humble.”