“We never expected it to be a 15th annual.”
That's what Tom Tant said Friday morning, as State Road A1A was being transformed into surf central for the weekend.
Normally, Tant is the chief financial officer for Flagler County Public Schools. But this time each year, he helps organize the Tommy Tant Memorial Surf Classic.
The event began as a few of Tommy's friends getting together to remember a guy who loved the surf. Tommy died in his sleep from an aortic aneurysm in 1998. He was just 24 years old.
For the past 10 years, this surf classic has been run by the Tant family and it has been no small feat. They've done it for this community, funneling all the proceeds from this weekend-long event to scholarships and a local food bank.
“This is an estimate," said Tant, "but last year we were up to $120,000. This year we're going to pass $150,000.”
No event can go on forever. Unfortunately, that is the case with the Tommy Tant. On Thursday, the Tant family announced that next year's classic would be their last.
Tom Tant did not want to talk on camera about the decision, clearly a tough one to make.
But in the statement released on the Tommy Tant website, the Tant family said this allows them to have "an honest conversation with those who care about it the most."
"When we reflect on these past years, we are forced to pause. It is not easy to articulate an event that comes from a place of difficulty but now firmly rests in a place of hope. When our family took on the responsibility of directing this event ten years ago, the scope was narrow and restricted, but God’s scope is always broader and better than our own. We never envisioned the longevity of the event, the community it has fostered, or that it would help bring healing and life to our family, both physically and spiritually, but it truly has changed all of our lives for the better."
Tant does not rule out letting someone else taking over the event, but it would have to be the right fit.
For those who come to help and compete in the event, friends of the Tants, they understand why the family feels the need to step back.
Paul Hyers is one such person. When asked what keeps him and his friends coming down each year from St. Augustine, he said, “we just really believe in what they're doing here, why they're doing it and just the love they have for their community here.”
One thing Tom Tant does promise, these last two Tommy Tants will be the best they have to offer.
Brighthouse Networks, the parent company of News 13 is a sponsor of the Tommy Tant Memorial Surf Classic.