Grandmas Gone Surfing
Trial and error...the error
Today was a crap session. I had a hard time catching waves and when I did, couldn't get up. Only once did I get up and then didn't have much of a ride.
Two hours of this. Then I got a talking to from my "surf coach" (unofficial) and made myself go back in to see if that had helped. I didn't do any better.
I can only believe that (at least in my case) it is a grave error to talk about "learning" to surf. That is not happening. If it were possible, it would have happened about two years ago. What is happening is trial and error, over which I have no control. When I get things right, it's a happy accident; when I don't, it is also just an accident. It's nothing I did or can do, or not do.
Statistics can tell you that a certain part of the time, things happen simply by chance. By themselves. Like winning the lottery. I don't know how you'd figure out the statistical probability of riding a wave in a certain number of attempts. I've got about a one in ten success rate. Can anyone calculate this? It seems like riding a wave would happen by chance alone that proportion of the time. That, I think, is what's going on. I'm just out there waiting for a happy chance.
posted by Grandma @ 8/08/2007 07:19:00 PM
10 comments
10 Comments:
Hi "Grandma"
I'm not technically a grandma either, but definitely old enough to be one, and I do surf -- I love it, in fact. I did the math – I’m about four years older than you are. I started out riding waves on inflatable rubber rafts when I was about 7 or 8 at Surfside beach in California, watching Corky Carroll as a young surfer. Then we (my sister and I) graduated to styrofoam boards, probably about 4-5 feet long – kind of like a boogie board. In 1960 my family took our first trip to Hawaii, where I probably first learned to surf on a board at Waikiki. I probably got my first board at age 12 or 13. It was probably about 10’ long and it was an Ole.
In 1965 my family moved to Hawaii. We lived in Kailua, on the windward side of Hawaii and I began to surf just about every day in the shorebreak. My next board was an Inter-Island 9’2” board. I surfed with that over the next three years or so. Besides Kailua shorebreak, we took occasional trips to other beaches, such as various breaks near Ala Moana (Tennis Courts, Kewalo Basin) and Haleiwa and Chun’s Reef on the North Shore. In 1968 I moved to Santa Barbara, California to go to School – choosing that university because of close proximity to a beach and surfing – you can see I had my priorities straight. However, I didn’t really make the transition to cold-water surfing and wetsuits, so I really didn’t surf much on the mainland.
In 1972 I returned to Hawaii and lived up on the North Shore mostly. By then short boards were in, and I had a Gerry Lopez 6’ 10” swallow-tail Lightning Bolt. I also had a 7’ 2” board of undetermined origin. I also started using a leash – what a difference! I surfed a lot then, mostly at Haleiwa and Ala Moana, over the next three years. Then I returned to the mainland, this time to Washington state, where I never surfed. I returned to Hawaii on visits from time-to-time and would surf at Waikiki on a rented board.
Then in 2005 I returned to Hawaii for four months, bought a board and got back into surfing. I was amazed at how it all comes back, like riding a bike. The hardest part then was the paddling and finding the right board. I am currently dividing my time between Seattle and San Diego – mostly the latter. I bought a board about two months ago. It’s a 9’ 2” Bruce Jones EPS board and I absolutely love it!! I think it’s the best board I’ve ever owned. I’ve mostly been surfing at Tourmaline Beach in San Diego, which has a gentle wave and pretty mellow surfers. I do get a lot of strange looks and sometimes comments, but I’m having a blast surfing. So that’s about it for my surfing history.
I found your site by doing a Google search on “older women surfers,” wondering if there would be any other older women surfers out there. I’m glad to see that you are surfing and hope there are more of us. I am glad to see all the younger women surfers these days. When I was surfing in the 60s and 70s, there were so few girls or women at all. I guess I was an oddity then and am still an oddity now. Keep surfing, Grandma!
Wow,that's a great story. I only wish I had lived near water and had parents who put me on a board as a child! What a different surfer I would be now. You're really lucky but you know that.
After I read your comment I did that google search. I'm the only one there! Where is everybody else? There have got to be more. We should start a club. I love it when I hear from women like you. I just wish you were in New York!
Hi there
Your an inspiration
I'm 43, and just starting to get fit after too much studying, mothering etc. I love the sea, and am a strong swimmer. How do I start to learn to surf. How long before I can stand up on a board?
Thanks
Celine
Celine, Grandma may not be aware that you posted this question so I will answer. How long til you stand up on a board depends on you. I stood up the second wave I caught, but it took me a long time to be able to stand up regularly. It takes a lot of practice. Never give up. Once you master the art of surfing, or at least move in that direction, your life will change forever.
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