It was Saturday August 6th 2011 and Lakey Peterson had just won her biggest contest to date, the Nike US Open of Surfing women’s pro junior division. Greeted in the shoreline by her full time coach Mike Lamm, Nike team manager Frankie D’Andrea and good friend Malia Manuel where she was then hoisted onto their shoulders for the normal chair lift up the beach.

Photographer Jack English recalls the moment. The photos don’t do it justice, but there we’re thousands of people on the beach shoulder to shoulder this day. Lakey had just won and Frankie and Malia we’re carrying her up the beach in celebration of her huge win. I always compare these things to hurricanes, as when they get going with people pushing and charging forward there is no stopping them. I was just trying my best to stay on the right path where they we’re going. People pushing and shoving and all the media was in full force trying to get that winning shot. Whenever I shoot these type of photos where the winner is being lifted I occasionally focus my attention to see where other photographers (competing) are at at the split moment, just to see and compare where I am at. I noticed Jason out the corner of my eye, but the situation was like in slow motion watching two things happening at once. I watched him the whole time while as I photographing Lakey.

In image 1 you can see his face looking down towards the little girl on the beach knowing she is right in the path of the “hurricane”. Image 2 you see Jason looking up at Lakey and her crew while holding his camera with his right hand he goes in for the swoop using his left arm to grab the young girl. (keep in mind Lakey, Frankie and Malia are charging up the beach and when these things happen it’s not like there just gradually walking).

Images 4 the little girl is so clueless what is going on as she is just looking Jason right into the eyes, like “hey what are you doing lifting me up”, not realising what is behind her. Image 5 Jason pulls the girl to safety and in doing so may not have ended up with that winning shot, but more importantly may have saved this little girl from being injured. Good on you Jason!

I recall one time Kelly had just won his 10th world title in Puerto Rico and Steven (Kelly’s brother) and the Quiksilver Europe team manager “Belly” we’re carrying Kelly up the beach on there shoulders and Belly’s foot had got caught inside a bicycle spoke from a bike that was lying on the beach. So there you have Belly with his foot inside a bikes rim and people we’re pushing him up the beach and his foot is stuck dragging this bike with him.

That same carry up of Kelly was the first time I had fallen during one of these and it wasn’t fun. The beach at Middles where Kelly was being lifted had these boulders and rocks in the sand as it wasn’t just a flat beach you can run up on. I fell down and just did my best to hurry and get to my feet as a few people around me along with Kirsten (ASP photog) were nice enough to help lift me back up.

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