Editing Laird Hamilton (section)

==Early life==
Laird was born '''Laird John Zerfas''' in [[San Francisco]] on March 2, 1964, in an experimental salt-water sphere at [[University of California, San Francisco|UCSF Medical Center]] designed to ease the mother's [[Childbirth|labor]].<ref name=":0">{{cite web
  | author= Miki Turner
  | work = Page 3
  | title = 10 Burning Questions: Laird Hamilton
  | publisher = [[ESPN.com]]
  | date = July 9, 2004
  | url = http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page3/story?page=10bqs/hamilton
   | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130102213102/http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page3/story?page=10bqs/hamilton
   | url-status = dead
   | archive-date = January 2, 2013
   |access-date = December 2, 2010 }}</ref> His biological father, L. G. Zerfas, immigrated from Greece to California and left the family before his first birthday.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=6 things you didn't know about Laird Hamilton|url=https://www.mensjournal.com/adventure/6-things-didnt-know-laird-hamilton|date=December 5, 2019|access-date=March 11, 2024|magazine=[[Men's Health]]|quote=He is half Greek. Laird Hamilton was born Laird John Zerfas. His father was born in Greece before moving to California, but left the family before Hamilton was 1.}}</ref>  While he was an infant, Laird and his mother, Joann (née Zyirek), moved to Hawaii.  In 1967, while still a young boy living on [[Oahu]], Laird met with 1960s surfer William Stuart "Bill" Hamilton, a bachelor at the time, on [[Pūpūkea, Hawaii|Pūpūkea]] beach on the [[North Shore (Oahu)|North Shore]]. Bill Hamilton was a surfboard shaper and glasser on Oahu in the 1960s and 1970s and owned a small business handmaking custom, high-performance surfboards for the Oahu North Shore big wave riders of the era. The two became immediate companions. The young Laird invited Bill Hamilton home to meet his mother.  Bill Hamilton married Laird's then-single mother, becoming Laird's adoptive father.<ref name="stahl"/>

The family later moved to a remote valley on [[Kauai|Kaua{{okina}}i]] island. Joann and Bill had a second son, Lyon, Laird's half-brother, who also became a surfer. Laird's mother died of a brain aneurysm in 1997.<ref name="deadmens">{{cite news |first=Daniel |last=Duane |title=Last Man Standing - Surfer Laird Hamilton |work=[[Men's Journal]] |date=July 2004 |url= http://www.mensjournal.com/feature/0407/lairdHamilton.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080703165631/http://www.mensjournal.com/feature/0407/lairdHamilton.html |archive-date=2008-07-03 |url-status=dead |access-date=2013-02-09}}</ref>

Hamilton had a reputation for an aggressive demeanor around others of his age. The role of the outsider profoundly affected Laird through to his teen years and early adult life.  He became used to this role and was uncomfortable being in the center of anything. He was also known for his physical and mental toughness.<ref name="giants">''[[Riding Giants]]'' motion picture, directed and produced by [[Stacey Peralta]], distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, 2004.</ref>

===Modeling===
When he was 16, Hamilton left the eleventh grade at [[Kapaa High School]] to pursue a modeling career and work in construction.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://juicemagazine.com/home/laird-hamilton/ | title=Laird Hamilton | date=February 2004 }}</ref> At 17,  Hamilton was discovered on a beach in Kaua{{okina}}i by a photographer from the Italian ''[[Men's Vogue]]'' magazine ''[[L'Uomo Vogue]]'' which landed him a modeling contract and later a 1983 photo shoot with the actress [[Brooke Shields]].<ref name="stahl">{{Cite news |author= [[Lesley Stahl]], Rebecca Leung |title = Surf's Up!: Lesley Stahl Talks To Big-Wave Surfer Laird Hamilton |work = [[60 Minutes]] |publisher = [[CBS News]] |date = July 25, 2004  |url = https://www.cbsnews.com/news/surfs-up-26-02-2004/ |access-date = December 2, 2010 }}</ref><ref name="mahalo.com">[http://www.mahalo.com/laird-hamilton Laird Hamilton Profiles and Biographies Mahalo.com]</ref>  Hamilton continued to do occasional men's action sportswear print modeling.

In 2008 Hamilton announced his own "Wonderwall" line of affordable clothing, sold through [[Steve & Barry's]]<ref>{{cite news |title= Surfing star Hamilton makes cool gear affordable |newspaper= [[USA Today]] |date= May 15, 2008 |url= https://www.usatoday.com/sports/2008-05-15-hamilton-line_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip |access-date= December 1, 2010 |first=Sal |last=Ruibal}}</ref> until that retailer shut down at the end of January 2009.
He has had long-time sponsorship from the French beachwear company [[Oxbow (surfwear)|Oxbow]] surfwear.<ref>{{cite web |title= Riders |publisher= [[Oxbow (surfwear)|Oxbow]] surfwear |url= http://www.oxboworld.com/riders/en |access-date= December 1, 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090722143753/http://www.oxboworld.com/riders/en |archive-date= July 22, 2009 |url-status= dead }}</ref>