Laura Lee Ching
{{short description|American surfer|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{Infobox surfer
| name = Laura Lee Ching
| image =
| birth_name = Laura Blears
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1950|12|25}}
| birth_place = Buffalo, New York, U.S.
| residence = Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
| height =
| weight =
| years_active = 1970s–1980s
| best_year =
| career_earnings =
| sponsors =
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| stance =
| shapers =
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| website =
}}
Laura Lee Ching, also known as Laura Blears, Laura Blears Ching and Laura Blears Cody (born December 25, 1950) is an American surfer.
Early life
On December 25, 1950, Laura was born. Her father was Lord James Blears (died 2016), a professional wrestler and amateur surfer. Her mother was Leonora "Lee" Adelaina (died 2007). Laura had three siblings, Jimmy (also a champion surfer; died 2011), Clinton, and Carol.
Career
Laura won the 1972 Makaha Invitational and became the first woman to compete in the Smirnoff World Pro-Am Surfing Championships in 1973.{{cite web|url=http://www.thesuperstars.org/athletes/ching.html |title=Laura Ching |publisher=Thesuperstars.org |date=1950-12-25 |access-date=2015-06-18}}{{cite news |date=December 20, 1974 |title='Superstar' Laura Ching Posed Nude For Magazine |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1798&dat=19741219&id=nvgeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=T40EAAAAIBAJ&pg=7234,4919821&hl=en |newspaper=Sarasota Journal |location=Sarasota |access-date=June 18, 2015 }} She was the world number one female surfer in 1973. She also appeared on What's My Line? and ABC's Wide World of Sports' Challenge of the Sexes.{{cite news|last1=Bezane|first1=Norm|title=Legendary Laura now Lahaina's own|url=http://www.lahainanews.com/page/content.detail/id/502078/Legendary-Laura-now-Lahaina-s-own.html?nav=11|work=Lahaina News|date=May 19, 2011}}
Recognition
Laura appeared in a six page pictorial for Playboy magazine in its July, 1975 issue. Her pictorial, titled, "Super Surfer", was shot at Keawaʻula Beach (popularly known as Yokohama Beach) in Hawaii, while surfing nude on a Lightning Bolt surfboard and walking on the beach carrying her surfboard, as well as photos of Laura indoors, lying naked in a bed.
Additional photos not featured in the issue were published in January, 1978, in the Playboy Brazil version, published at the time as " A Revista do Homem". More pictures of her nude surfing were featured than in the USA issue, but did not feature full frontal photos (omitting the pubic hair area), which in the USA issue featured one on her lying full frontal on the surfboard. Playboy would reissue the opening two page spread of Laura on her surfboard in a yoga position, with one of her surfing, in the 1983 special newsstand edition, "Girls of Summer '83", then featured her once more in the special 1987 newsstand issue, "Wet and Wild Women", this time in a two page spread with Laura on her surfboard, featuring a closeup of her naked buttocks, with two more photos of her nude surfing on each side.
In 1979, the Supersisters trading card set was produced and distributed; one of the cards featured Laura's name and picture.{{cite web|last=Wulf |first=Steve |url=https://www.espn.com/espnw/news-commentary/story/_/id/12535055/original-roster |title=Supersisters: Original Roster |publisher=Espn.go.com |date=2015-03-23 |access-date=2015-06-04}}
In 2022 she received the restaurant Kimo's Maui's first Pioneers of Surfing Award.{{Cite web|url=https://mauinow.com/2022/12/10/kimos-inaugural-pioneers-of-surfing-award-issued-to-former-professional-surfer/|title=Kimo's inaugural Pioneers of Surfing Award issued to former professional surfer | Maui Now}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.honolulumagazine.com/Honolulu-Magazine/December-2011/Legendary-Surfers-of-Hawaiis-North-Shore/ Hawaii Surfers Surfing Past 60]
- [https://soundcloud.com/surf-stories/laura-blears-on-surf-stories/ Laura Blears on Surf Stories (Soundcloud)]
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGXC6ePXK4U/ Aging Well: Former pro-surfer still good for body, soul (You Tube)]
- [http://eos.surf/entries/blears-laura/ Encyclopedia of Surfing - Laura Blears]
- [https://eos.surf/entries/blears-laura/ World Surfing Championships 1972]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ching, Laura Lee}}
Category:Female models from New York (state)
Category:Sportspeople from Buffalo, New York
Category:21st-century American women