Like a true New Jersey native, Kevin Cahn doesn’t go to the beach. He goes down the shore.

The freshman broadcast journalism major has lived in the Garden State his entire life, and although his parents are divorced, he spends a majority of his time by the ocean because both live there.

His summers are spent entirely on the beach because he works as a waiter at The Avon Pavilion, a restaurant located right on the boardwalk.

‘Pretty much from Memorial Day through Labor Day I work six or seven days a week at the restaurant,’ Cahn said. ‘My summer pretty much revolves around working there and spending time at the beach.’

Having the ocean right outside the restaurant’s doors provides an incentive for Cahn to cool off after a long day of work.

‘Almost on a daily basis, as soon as I got off from work, I would jump into the ocean in my work clothes,’ Cahn said. ‘I love the beach; it’s very relaxing.’

Cahn, who has been a soccer player for as long as he can remember, said he would often join his teammates for some fun after work.

‘All the kids from my soccer team would hang out at the beach,’ Cahn said. ‘So when I was done with work, I’d go visit them and see what’s going on.’

Vinny Cozzetta and Tim Uirg, both freshmen at Monmouth University in New Jersey, have been friends with Cahn since grammar school and say the trio enjoys a competitive rivalry.

They often play sports together, and last summer started a miniature golf tournament, traveling around to various golf courses to see which of the three was the best.

‘Kevin is passionate about whatever he does,’ Uirg said. ‘He just won’t quit.’

Cahn played on the varsity soccer team in his junior and senior years of high school, was on the golf team and enjoys going to Vermont to snowboard.

At Syracuse University, he has played for intramural football and basketball teams, but decided to take his freshman year off from soccer because he didn’t want to overload himself, said his mother, Eva Cahn.

‘We encouraged him to play soccer, but he said it would be too demanding,’ Eva Cahn said.

However, Cahn also has a wild side. During his senior year, he entered his high school’s mock beauty pageant, which was only for male students. The pageant included a costume and dance competition, and Cahn won the crown.

‘It was off the wall,’ Eva Cahn said. ‘He’s quite proud of it. He put a lot of effort into it.’

Eva Cahn said she appreciates her son’s thoughtfulness and his constant dedication to stay connected to his family, even during his first year at SU.

‘He is a great kid. I’m very lucky,’ Eva Cahn said. ‘My mother gets a kick out of the fact that he calls her from college. She is always bragging to her girlfriends about him.’

Published on February 15, 2006 at 12:00 pm