A little help

Let us pause for a moment to commemorate my 5th anniversary of surfing (or at least surf-related behavior): July 3rd. It happened to be a nonsurfing day spent in Manhattan (though I did watch a surf video).

Besides myself, only one other person took note: C., who's been yelling at me for a while in advance of my anniversary: "Five years and you still can't surf! Blahblahblah etc.etc."

But of course, he's wrong. I can.

Though yesterday you might not have known it. I took comfort in watching others and noting that everyone, even the good surfers, was having more difficulty than usual catching and riding waves. Why this should be was a mystery, because the wind was in the right direction, the tide was not too high, the waves were not too big. There was no obvious reason. I am sure there were reasons, but they weren't obvious. It was a day when the surf report promised much and the waves looked good from shore but turned out to be no fun at all.

Today they looked the same (good) but actually were. And I did well! I stood up and rode the biggest wave I've ever ridden! OK, it wasn't that big! But it was at least three feet! (I think).

Let me back up and say I had a little help. I paddled out near this guy whose name I can't tell you because I don't know it, and who probably doesn't merit a pseudoinitial because he will likely never appear in this blog again, but who I've seen out lots of times (and who has seen me out lots of times.) In fact he seems to know all about me, including my ill-fated surf lesson in the summer of 2006 which apparently some people are still talking about. (See post about Ben Sargent, June 19, 2006--the guy who promised a refund of my money if I didn't stand up and then reneged on that promise. Ben, you still owe me a hundred bucks.)

Anyway, he was kind enough to point out that I was sitting too far outside today and, once I started going for waves from closer in, to offer his advice. It was just to tell me why what happened had happened---but that is a huge, huge help. "You were paddling too fast and getting in front of the wave" for instance. Or---something I already knew but hadn't heard anyone verify---"You're afraid of the acceleration" (translation: I don't like going too fast) and "You fell forward, try standing back when you pop up."

I definitely was popping up today and doing it much quicker than I have been. I got the timing right many times. I was on top of the wave instead of behind it and as always, it feels different.

After that, though, I would sometimes stall out---just not go anywhere---without knowing why, and if I did get going, I would try to turn but would be unable; I swear the wave wanted me to go straight. It was the only way I could keep going and balance. (Yes, I know waves never want you to go straight.) By that time no-initial guy had drifted down the line so I didn't get his take on that.

It makes so much difference to have a little help, it makes me wonder how I would have fared if I'd had it all along. It's an interesting chicken and egg question: I am hated because I can't surf...or is it that I can't surf because I am hated? If the local surf mafia hadn't closed ranks against me about a year and a half into my surfing attempts, if instead they had been friendly and helpful, would I be where I am today, or would I have learned to surf better a long time ago? I don't know, I've so rarely had the offer of help from anybody I didn't pay for it...in part because for better or worse women are always looking to men for help in this sport, and I'm old and ugly instead of young and hot. There are a few exceptions, guys who have helped me out, and I've always eagerly accepted their help and learned a lot from it (even if they think I didn't). They probably did it out of pity, but who cares, that doesn't matter. They know who they are.

So thanks, no-initial guy. I had a great day today.