Reef/Sweetwater Pro/Am Wahine Re-Cap

In the middle of July, I worked the Reef/Sweetwater Pro/Am on Wrightsville Beach.  It was tons of fun.  Possibly the most fun you can have while working.  A local surfer won, which was also fun.  And, apparently, he’s an all-around-nice-guy.  Which, of course, is more endearing to me than the most gnarly airs.  But, this isn’t about the guys at the contest, it’s about the girls.  There were two events for the ladies:   Girls Open Longboard and Girls Open Shortboard.

Now, while the guys were more than happy to flex their muscles and pose for photos, the girls, not as much!    But, I managed to snap a few shots.  Here’s the Wahine Scene at the Reef/Sweetwater Pro/Am 2010.

The girl on the right was surfing in her first contest!

A local wahine!

Another local-Jo–she’s been surfing for a long time, and competed in both shortboard and longboard events.

Girls longboard finals

The Longboard winners (above)

The Shortboard winners (below)

And, more of why surfing’s so fun:

Big thanks to Tony and Jenn Butler for calling me to work!  And thanks to Abby (the usual helper for Jenn) for having an art show that weekend and being otherwise occupied.  Big thanks to Reef for my new flip-flops!  (They really ARE ridiculously comfortable.) And thanks to Sweetwater, for putting on this event and organizing it!

After Whining about Getting a Wetsuit

Well, after whining about getting a wetsuit for several weeks, I finally got one at the Wrightsville Beach Longboard Association Swaptopia.  I tried it on in Nancy’s Toyota truck-thingy.  THAT was fun.  Not.   Anyhoo, I got to take it out while my Brother in law was visiting from Idaho.  He’s a surfer, and was stationed in San Diego while in the Navy.  I borrowed one of Nancy’s board and we went out.  It was around the 15th of November, or so.  Probably my last time surfing ’till February.  I just can’t muster the enthusiasm for 40 degree days yet. Maybe if I get a hood.  Or a better wetsuit.

Here are some pics from that last, glorious day surfing in 2009.

No Surf Here

 

And now I know why there was dead silence on the other end of the line when I called a place on Sanibel Island called “Sanibel Island Surf” and asked if they rented surf boards.  Well, I’m still learning.

If I ever live in Ft. Myers full time, I would have to take up Standup Paddleboarding, with occasional road trips over to the east coast.

Board Meeting

Yesterday was a gorgeous, clear, cool fall day in Wilmington, NC.  Perfect for a surf, or at least the Chicks thought so.  For the first time since I started surfing, there were more Wahines on the beach than guys.  And, unlike the few guys who were out there, none of us were in full wetsuits.  This is the point in the year when my extra layer of flab becomes an asset, rather than a liability. I can stay out longer.

Surfing with Hot Mamas

I’ll just dispense with the burning question right away:  No, I haven’t stood up yet.  However, I feel better today because Tracy said it took her a year to get over going to her knees.  So, I’m on track for a July 2010 standup. Woot!  That didn’t help matters when all of the Wrightsville Beach Moms I was surfing with yesterday stood up one right after another all afternoon long. WHATEVER.  It is in their genes, obviously.

Even though I’m insanely jealous of their innate surfing abilities, I do wish my husband had caught it when all three of them stood up and rode the same wave.  These ladies won a surf lesson for four from a school fundraiser.  Yesterday was a perfect day to cash in.

Surfing in the Fall

This lesson was the debut of my surfing sunglasses from Silverfish.  I strapped them on tight to my head, attached the extra leash to my swimsuit, and hoped for the best.  And, it was THE BEST to be able to see everything without worrying that the glasses would fall off.

It is so different to surf in the fall.  The water is warm and the air is cool.  Everyone on the beach wears sweatshirts, fleece hats and jeans, while we wear swimsuits.  The sky is deap blue and the air smells crisp and fresh.  “Nancy!  Everything is so sharp and clear!” I yell.  “That’s because you have glasses now, Katie.”  I guess she is right, but everything just seems to be in sharper focus without the heavy humidity of summer hanging around.

We stayed in the water until our lips started to turn blue and the tide flattened out the surf.  The ladies needed a photo op.  While my husband snapped pics, a woman and her son came walking up.  “Can the cub scout have his picture taken with you?” she asked.  “Sure!” we were glad to be the cool kids on the beach yesterday.

Surfing with Dinosaurs

Yesterday was THE MOST GORGEOUS day at the beach in, well, two weeks.  It was finally sunny, a little coolish, and the water was crystal clear.  Paddling out on my surfboard, I could see my nine foot leash dangling five feet down.  I took some pictures after the lesson.  (Abut 200 pictures.)  Here are some of the best.  Don’t they make you want to come visit us?

I really like the picture above, because the water looks like liquid glass or a really shiny piece of wintergreen candy, or limeade.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Not Being Able to See

When I surf, I can’t see anything very specifically.  I can tell what is a person and what is a bird.  More or less.  I can see the waves best in the morning, when they are back-lit by the sun.  I’m looking into perscription surf goggles/glasses.  An advantage of not being able to see is that I am still a little bit creeped out by things swimming around me, even though that is inevitable when you swim in the ocean, and also kind of neat.  I partially got over that fear on Saturday when the pelicans came to visit us.

I love watching the pelicans.  Normally, if you are on the shore, you don’t end up very close to them.  Yesterday, while I was in my lesson with Kim and Tracy, the water all of a sudden started to smell very fishy.  Then, Tracy started to shriek and point.  “LOOK AT THE FISH”  “CAN YOU SEE THE FISH???”   “I can’t see anything,” I said.  “RIGHT THERE, IN THE TOP OF THE WAVE.”  “I’m not sure I want to see the fish.”  Then, we were surrounded by about twenty Brown Pelicans.  They were everywhere around us, swooping and diving, scooping up fish with their beaks.

I floated on the top of my board with Tracy hanging on to me so I didn’t drift away.  “That one over there (pointing to a pelican floating about ten feet away from us) is giving you the hairy eyeball,” Tracy said.  “He’s saying ‘Don’t eat my fish.’”  “NO chance of that happening,” I thought!

Kim paddled over and said “Where there is a whole school of fish, there are probably sharks, yes?”  At that point, Tracy said “ENOUGH watching pelicans.  Time to surf again.  Plus, the sharks are probably well-fed today, so they’re not going to bother us.  They don’t want us.”  Well, if she could say that, when she was the one dangling entierly in the water, I guess I was fine.  ‘specially because they would eat her first.

This surfer is NOT me, nor is it Kim.

Because of the fish, our place in the water, and the number of birds, we were bound to get close enough to them that even I could see them. They look like giant, funny, amazing, beautiful dinosaurs. In the surf book I reviewed a couple of days ago, Louise talks about how amazing it is to see all of the wildlife while surfing. I’m still not quite ready to see SOME things with me, but the pelicans definitely welcomed me into the fold, or at least made me less leery. Being in the water, with just the three of us around and lots and lots of pelicans flying around us was magical.

I Can Haz Surfbored?

Yesterday, after two weeks out of the water, I left whiny voice mail messages on Tracy’s phone, and just called Nancy about three times, without leaving a message.  (I figured that she would be able to tell what I wanted–to know if she could predict the future enough to know if I could go out for a lesson today.  She called me back about two minutes after my last call.)  While out of town for family issues, and waiting out Hurricane Bill, I’ve been reading surf books–reviews to come soon!–and I had the itch, BAD, to get out in the water.

The TEENSY little problem was that Hurricane Bill had been churning offshore for two days, and the waves were “double-overhead,” or approximately 10-12 feet tall.  NOT so great for a beginner.  My husband and I went out to watch the surfers on Saturday night.

I don’t know if you can tell from the above picture, but the waves were LARGE.  Nancy called and said I could probably have a lesson at nine the next morning.  I said I hoped things calmed down by then.

I thought the surfers lined up on the beach looked like seagulls, all standing in the same direction, their boards like wings, facing into the wind, sizing up the situation.

The Chicks of Chicks on Sticks

I went out this morning to watch Nancy and Tracy surf.  They were out in the big waves, ripping it up!

Tracy surfing

Nancy Surfing

Nancy's board has a mind of its own

It was great to stand on the shore, watching them, trying to figure out when the “magic moment” of standing up is.

A Marvelous Day for a Beginner Lesson

My friend Susan’s mom Loretta has been looking forward to a surfing lesson for several weeks.  She was crushed when we couldn’t go out on Friday morning.  By this morning, things had calmed down enough to try it.  Loretta is a YOGA INSTRUCTOR, so she is awfully strong and fearless!

Molly, another student, went out with Loretta, Tracy, Nancy and me.  Molly was standing up and looking great!  It was too bad that today there were hurricane swells, because she was ready to paddle out to the lineup.  Additionally, she’s moving to Colorado, so she really wanted out.  However, the Chicks are VERY safety conscious, so we stayed on the inside and rode the whitewater, practicing our popups, or, in my case, kneeups.

Nancy (left) teaching Loretta how to pop up and stand on the board

Loretta looking good during her first lesson!

But I Want my OWN Board

Tracy told me that she was going to allow me to BREAK HER CARDINAL RULE OF SURFING by going to my knees first and then putting a foot up.  She wants me to stand up.  Well, so do I, and that sounded good.  However, I enjoy riding the waves however I can, so I have been unconcerned with my progress.   Tracy followed her demonstration of my new approach by saying “BUT if you are still going to your knees in six months, I’m going to have to BREAK YOUR KNEECAPS.”  Sweet, no?  I said I would do my very best not to make it a habit.

For my lesson today, I tried her husband’s new board.  (THANK YOU TRACY’S HUSBAND!)  He had only had it for a week, so that was MIGHTY generous of him.  The goal of this was to see if I liked the board and wanted to buy one for myself.  After five minutes in the water, I LOVED the board and started asking “Should I get myself one?”  “When can I get one?”  “I really want my own!!!” like a really annoying two year old.  I wore them down, and Tracy and I stopped at the surf shop after the lesson.

I CAN Haz Surfboard

Ta-Da:  Behold “Fatboard” (as I’ve named it), a 9’4″ fiberglass longboard that is my very own.

FATBOARD, my new surfboard!

Tracy says it is “floaty” because it has a thick middle.  (As do I, and I do float well.)  I think it is wonderful.  I got some bubblegum wax and have been waxing the crap out of the deck.  I can’t wait to take it for its maiden voyage!  If you see a lone surfer covered in Bubblegum wax,  paddling in Banks Channel, it might be me, practicing my technique and getting stronger.  There’s no turning back now. . . only more waves to catch.

P.S. In case you did not get the title reference, and you like cats, check out the real Cheeseburger website here:  I Can Has Cheezeburger?

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Katie Elzer-Peters is a freelance writer living in Wilmington, NC. Her writing and PR business, The Garden of Words, L.L.C. serves clients all over the world. She’s learning to surf this summer, and blogging about her experiences for Chicks on Sticks.

Moving Pictures

This weekend, my parents are in town visiting.  They haven’t been here for a couple of years, and definitely not since I started learning to surf.  My Dad came with me to watch and photograph the session.  I can’t believe I’m going to VOLUNTARILY put pictures of myself  in a SWIMSUIT on the internet.  (I will probably live to regret this, later when they are cached and I can’t ever get rid of them.)   But.  Whatever.  From these pictures, you will see that if I can learn to surf, ANYONE can learn to surf.

Eight o’Clock in the Morning

It is quite lovely at the beach in the early morning.  In order to be coordinated, though, I have to try to shake the cobwebs out of my head.  Getting doused with a big wave assists with that.

Walking out with Surfboard

Nancy asks me “Did you practice this week?” (As in, did I practice my popups?) “Ummm. . . no. . ” I say, sheepishly.” Even if I HAD lied, it would have become painfully evident in about ten minutes that I had not practiced, so I decided to just come clean.

Break in the waves. Practicing relaxing.

Right after I kicked Nancy in the stomach climbing onto the board she said “KATIE. YOU NEED TO RELAX.” Now, Nancy is EXTREMELY chill. Like, nothing fazes her. However, my death grip on the board, combined with lack of practice, combined with kind of big waves (for our neck of the woods), must have gotten to her because she did speak in ALL CAPS. I went limp. I floated. “That’s better,” she said. “Just yell at me to relax,” I told her. “It might seem counter intuitive, but my yoga teacher always has to remind me to relax and it does work. Eventually, I’ll do it on my own.” Plus, it is kind of hard to hear over the waves. Yelling is OK.  Something clicked because I rode a nice little one in on my tummy.

On the surfboard, riding a wave on my tummy

For a while (and this is DIRECTLY RELATED to my lack of practice), I was putting my arms too far out front of myself. I scooted them back, and IMMEDIATELY had much more success in ALMOST getting up.  You can see my arms coming straight down from my shoulders, instead of at an angle.

Almost up on the surfboard. I finally got my arms back where they needed to be so that I can get my right foot up front.

Nancy is saying ALMOST!!!!

Or she is saying “WHY did TRACY get the tiny, waif-like, professional dancer first-time surfers?” (Maybe Nancy lost the coin toss?) No, actually, the tiny dancer surfers are the nieces of this guy who lives next to Tracy.  The girl in red is one of the new surfers. (Side note-if I want to be a “Cool surfer chick” I should ditch my ponytail.  I don’t have enough hair for that.  But I digress.)

The "NEW" surfer in red. (Her first lesson-my fourth. She got up.) But, you can tell that I am happy. I have a HUGE grin on my face in this picture. That's the important part.

So, in addition to my proud Papa taking pictures, my friend Marla came out to watch. Marla said my blogs had just about pushed her over the edge to learn to surf. She did say that, after watching my lesson, she thinks she is ready to learn. It was a little freaky to have an audience actually paying attention to me, rather than casual observers from New Jersey that I will never see again. (Even though I can’t see without glasses. Neither can Marla. In a fit of profundity not to be repeated today, I told Marla “It isn’t about seeing as much as it is about feeling.)

We got out of the water and talked to the tiny surfers and Tracy. Tiny surfers live in Chicago, and this was their first time out.  Marla asked them “Do you feel tired, like at all?”  Wisely, Tracy said to them “Say yes.  Just say yes.”

Going to get another wave

Well, I know that they weren’t tired, but I was, and took a little break on the beach before going out and swimming some more. Nancy’s got her eye on Craigslist to help me find a board. Note to surfers: If you have a longboard you’re trying to sell, leave us a comment, ’cause we’re looking.

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Katie Elzer-Peters is a freelance writer living in Wilmington, NC. Her writing and PR business, The Garden of Words, L.L.C. serves clients all over the world. She’s learning to surf this summer, and blogging about her experiences for Chicks on Sticks.

Take your Surfboard to Work Day!!!

Great minds think alike. . .

Photos from lessons last summer

While it’s still cold out I wanted to post some photos of our star student Jacob. Jacob had never surfed before, much less stood on a surfboard, but after a few lessons he was up and riding waves! Kids like Jacob bring so much joy to us because they are so enthusiastic and really illustrates to us sheer exhilaration of surfing. 

Come join us this summer! You don’t have to be as young as Jacob, you just need to bring a positive attitude and we’ll do the rest!