Surf critic

(Note: this is the one and only post where events did not actually happen on the date of the post. I've forgotten what day this was, and as you'll see, in this case it doesn't matter. Anyway, it was a while ago.)

Surfing is just as much a spectator as participant sport at our beach, and everyone's a critic.

As I was sitting copyediting my book, with pencil and paper easily to hand, I decided to keep score.

My motivation was partly boredom (do you know what copyediting's like?), but mostly, to try to bolster my hope that I am not the worst surfer at this beach with some hard facts.

My subject was a woman I know and like, who hasn't been surfing long, and who I have judged to be at the same level as me, approximately, at least on most days. She didn't see me as she was surfing way down the beach and I wanted to keep out of sight of the crowd.

So here's how this woman (about 30 years old, I'd say) did. I tallied each wave.

1. Too early.

2. Too early.

3. Too early.

4. Got it, got up a little bit late, hands up, got a good ride of about three seconds.

5. Too late. Wipeout.

6. Too early.

7. Too early.

8. Too early.

9. Borderline: either too late or slightly unbalanced, wipeout.

All this, I would say, took quite a bit less than an hour.

And then I was surprised to see that she got out of the water and sat down on the beach for a long time.

I don't know if she was getting tired, or discouraged, or giving herself a pep talk, or what. I kept hoping she'd go back in but she didn't. About 45 minutes went by. I never take breaks when I'm surfing. Occasionally a quick drink of water, but that's it. I go two hours straight.

Occasionally other surfers stopped to talk to her. Maybe she just wanted to do some schomoozing? Nothing wrong with that, especially on the first really nice hot day when you're seeing people you haven't seen since last summer. I am a big fan of schmoozing myself (but not in the middle of a session, only at the beginning and end).

At the point where I had finished my work, her board was still there, but she was nowhere to be seen. So I went in.

All in all, I think she surfed like me, which made me feel better.