A New Jersey native, Sam is good at surfing hollow beach breaks because that is what he grew up surfing. He has also spent a lot of time surfing in Puerto so he has good wave knowledge there. He is a huge fan of fellow New Jersey surfer, Dean Randazzo. quot;He's one of the greatest surfers ever from the East Coast and to guys from NJ he is the greatest surfer ever.quot; Sam did well in amateur contests when he was younger, but is not really a contest surfer anymore, spends more time traveling for photo shoots. In high school, Sam was a four-year varsity starter in wrestling at Point Pleasant Beach High School. He plans on competing in the NSL's new East Coast league in the fall of 2006. XG 2006 is Sam's first and it is a big deal for him. In Oct. 2005, tore left hamstring off the bone and couldn't surf for two months.