‘BANANA MAN’ eager to try surfing

By Cheryl Bartoszek

For FLORIDA TODAY, Friday, March 27, 1998

Octogenarian athlete "Banana" George Blair, an internationally renown barefoot water skier, slipped into Cocoa Beach for private surf lessons Thursday at Cocoa Beach Surf School.

Most recognize Blair from his stints as the barefoot skier clad in yellow, totally hamming it up for Armor-All TV ads.

Thursday’s wet rehearsal prepared him for today’s media blitz at Desperados Restaurant on North Third Street in Cocoa Beach.

"The photo editor of Men’s Health Magazine wanted to work with me, and when I told her I was going to learn to surf, she decided to send the photographer and six female models over here," Blair said while he kicked back on Desperados’ oceanfront deck.

Wearing a bright yellow jumpsuit, yellow glasses, sandals and a million-dollar smile, the Winter Haven resident gave bananas – the perfect food and color – to everyone.

"I give out about 3 tons of bananas yearly, all over the world, courtesy of Chiquita," he said.

He was shown how to knee paddle by instructor Craig Carroll. Instead of transitioning from prone to feet, Blair hopped from knees to feet to avoid shoulder stress. In the water, instinct took over. First, he tried to crouch to a perfect stance on a banana-yellow longboard. He stood up on his first wave.

"That didn’t really count; I only stayed up 1 second," Blair said.

Carroll begged to differ.

"Not many people get up on their first try, and Banana got up on the first and every consecutive wave, plus he stood up a second longer each time," Carroll said.

"I love life, always have, I work hard and play hard. I love to go fast," the 83-year old said.

Blair is the only person to barefoot ski in the Arctic and Antarctic Circle; he was honored in the 1988-89 Guinness Book of World Records and loves to ice boat and holds the 1984-1991 record for barefoot jumping. He touts a passion for snowboarding equal to his passion for the color yellow.

Not a mellow yellow. The retired Cypress Gardens ski star was 40 when he learned to ski and by his 46^th birthday was barefooting.

"I’m really obsessed with snow- boarding, have been since I was 75," he said, adding, "back then, there were no instructors, so I hung out with the 13 and 14-year –old kids – they taught me."

"Surfing was a natural progression, I’m an Aquarius, attracted to the water," he said.

This morning, photographers from several magazines will shoot Banana peeling off local waves in his custom banana-yellow wetsuit (with extra flotation because he "sinks like a rock").

"I don’t know if I’ll peel, but I’ll have fun," Blair said.