Last week, just as I was about to get in the water with my board, a woman and her young daughter stopped me. They wanted to know if there was someone who could help the young girl learn to surf. I was meeting Brian and Robin, who were already in the water, so I called them in. Brian spoke to the "mom" and had asked if I had time to teach a lesson, but decided against having me teach it right after asking. He asked the "mom" and young girl to come back at 11:30, and then had one of the guys (V.) teach her. I jokingly gave him a hard time about it, asking if he didn't think I was good enough to teach a young gal how to surf. Although I was teasing, I think he took it to heart and, wham, lo and behold, the young girl (Jenna) came back today, and I taught her. At first, Jenna said she was supposed to have a lesson with L and I questioned Brian who said that he wasn't sure why L hadn't shown up. He seemed legitimately upset by it, and asked if I could help with the lesson. So, I did it and HAD A BALL! Basically, Jenna just wanted to surf. After her lesson last week and despite her wariness of the water, more specifically the animals in the water, she decided that she loved surfing. She is adorable! Jenna didn't actually do the pop-up as it is often taught. She got to one knee first, and, although that is not the way it is typically taught, some people...especially youngsters...need the extra help with the pop-up. One of the gals at the beach said that is actually how she was taught during a lesson in Hawaii; to get to one knee and then bring both legs underneath. I actually think that, while the most effective pop-up is the one traditionally taught at C-Sick, any way a person may adjust to get up, will work when it comes to riding waves. I noticed lately that I need to work on my pop-ups. I'm getting up rather sloppily...although it is working for me. Even though I'm a goofy-footer, as of late, I bring my left foot slightly up on the board before bringing my right foot all the way forward. Not sure how important it is, since I seem to be getting good enough rides on the small, sloppy waves that are available in G-town during August. I will continue to practice on an imaginary line in my living room. Despite, the waves breaking close to shore, the small wave size and my odd pop-up, I had a ball.
After a fun day at the beach, I met my family for lunch, and a stroll down the Strand. I came across a Buddha quote (at least, the attribution was to Buddha) on a refrigerator magnet. I loved the quote, and I have been thinking about it all day. "If words are both true and kind, they can change the world." Ummm...I hope my words on this blog are always true and, especially, kind. But, I'm not so sure they will change the world. And, that's okay! I just love writing about my surfing experiences.
*The picture is from the seawall near the 43rd Street jetty.
