G ScottConsidering all its been through this summer, there are still a few gifts left in the Gulf.

Ask anyone who attended the 5th annual Ashlyn Would Go (AWG) Memorial Grom Roundup, Sunday August 22 in Galveston, Tx., and they will all pretty much tell you this was the greatest day to be a surfer ... with the exception of the year Ike came through, of course. This event goes off rain or shine, and this year the weather was absolutely perfect as stoked adults converged on the beach at 47th St. with smiling groms in tow.

Ashlyn Shoemaker, who tragically passed away on April 21, 2005, learned to surf in Galveston and through her life would go out anytime she could, despite the conditions. For five years running now, competitors as young as two years old came out to celebrate her life and to help bring attention to Hypertropic Cardiomyopathy (HCM), the genetic heart condition that took the vibrant soul of 14-year-old Shoemaker from the Texas surfing family way too soon. And now, in her honor, we have this event that carries her name and features three divisions, totaling 36 kids. Each competitor receives a medal and plenty of schwag, as well as all the water time.

"Down on the beach while the kids are out surfing parents receive information on symptoms of HCM. It's the leading cause of sudden death in children, and the condition that took Ashlyn from us," says Joel Helmke, Ashlyn's father. "This event brings together the youngest of future surf competitors, with many of the groms moving on to compete in regular TGSA events as they mature."

G ScottA herd of stoked groms gathered in Galveston in memory of fallen friend Ashlyn Shoemaker.

When Shoemaker passed away it devastated the local community around her, and eventually drove her parents, Joel and Crissy, to create a foundation to help young people reach their full potential in life by supporting reasearch and raising awareness of the disease. John Werner, a newcomer to the Texas surf scene, commented "how cool and tight knit the surf community around here is. You could see families growing closer and groms taking that next step."

Renowned Texas lensman G Scott has fond memories of young Ashlyn, and although being in her presence merely half a dozen times, he vividly recalls that "she was one of those captivating and charming people that made everyone smile just being around her. She had an aura of genuine joy and kindness and was very special to many."

From set up to tear down the AWG Memorial Grom Roundup is a family affair. It's what a proper day at the beach should be all about. In the tight-knit Galveston surf scene it's like a family reunion that gets bigger and more fun each time. And as they say around these parts, "Ashlyn would go."