Over the winter, even with my spring suit and rubber leggings, I don’t get much time to grab my 7 ft. fun board, and hit up the small surf in Jacksonville. If we’re lucky, we get some five to six foot sets, but such a treat generally only occurs when a hurricane is forming offshore.
Most of the time, we get two and three foot sets of baby waves.
I’ve been surfing since the eighth grade, just for the fun of it. I don’t keep up with the media aspect, but it always has been brought to my attention that I don’t fit the “surfer type.”
You know the types, the "beach bums, drop outs, and stoners" or so I’ve heard.
However, surfing is much more than that, and I’m glad that the media has been presenting it in a positive light.
In an event called “Surf with the Stars,” kids travel up to 13 hours for a rare chance to go surfing with their heroes. Even if the water is freezing, it’s not a deterrent to anyone participating in the event; the event is equivalent to a fan of Tiger Woods being able to golf with him for a day.
A 15 year old, Keanu Asing, won a Quicksilver ISA World Championship in Ecuador yesterday in the 16 and under age division.
It used to be that surfing wasn’t a serious sport, and it’s nice that it’s being taken more seriously by the media these days.
Surfing works out just about every muscle in your body, and it’s great to just kick back and catch a few waves.
Everything bad falls apart.
High-Definition surf cameras for premium members were released by Surfline today, as well.
For nearly 15 years, this website has been delivering live beach and wave imagery through their extensive camera network that has reached beaches from Hawaii to California.
Premium users will now be able to check local conditions and breaks through HD feed, but regular users will still be able to access over 100 working cameras.
It’s great that the internet has made it possible for people to catch many good swells, and it’s even better that surfing has become a sport for people looking for competition, and for those that just want to have fun.
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I felt a bit nostalgic reading your blog because I remember when ESPN would regularly broadcast surf championships around the world--they were great! I had a way to see what the monster waves on Hawaii's North Shore were like without spending the money to get there. I haven't seen a broadcast like that for years, and the only surfing articles I see now are in our community paper, "The Beaches Leader." Sisters of the Sea is a community-minded group of women who surf and hold contests, and they are sometimes mentioned in the "Times Union." At least there's the Internet for keeping track of our local surf conditions and contest footage. I'd love to see the media report on all the excitement of a great sport instead of the articles like, "Surfers Fight with Pier FIshermen Again."
ReplyDeleteWell, I am a beach bum at heart so I undersatnd the stereotyping. I love the beach and actually just started surfing last summer. I got my first longboard. I love it...it is an rush. But, growing up at the beach I definitley understood the stereotype for the locals. Everyone thought they were stoner drop-outs. Actually, though most of my friends that are successful are surfers so I am pleased to hear that maybe the bad wrap is diminishing...;)
ReplyDeleteI was completely raised in the whole "surf culture" way of life. All my cousins are surfer boys and I graduated from Fletcher High School where some of the teachers wouldnt even show up if the surf was good. As for the media aspect of surfer, well I always thought it was portrayed positively and moderately within the media. Maybe since I grew up around it it caused me to notice it more or be available to more outlets. As for the sterotype? I know more functioning, less beach bumish surfers rather than not. Surfers are usually pretty driven.
ReplyDeleteI think surfing is very cool even though I don't do it myself. I don't do it becuase I don't know how to swim. But I think that you have to be a great athlete in order to surf. The only thing that confuses me about surfers is when they try to go surfing while a hurricane may be on the way.
ReplyDeleteI think that is cool that you surf, that is kind of like a sport to me in a more risky typr of way. At first I thought this was a guy's blog page but I had to look twice! It's people like you that make it okay for others to try new things, keep it up surfer girl...
ReplyDeletei also love to surf, but i ont love to call the surf report on the phone, becuase the surf report will chaneg every few hours or so, and they are never definitly on. the cameras that have been placed into the beaches gives and better outlook on the size and form of the waves so each surfer, before they get up early (before noon), will be able to see exactly what the waves are instead of the surf reporter giving a broad statement about their size and form.
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