Am I the best you've ever seen?

My surfing guru/friend Brian double-booked himself this weekend for lessons. He was bringing in a couple of the instructors from his on-call staff, but he contacted me to see if I could help him. While I'm not quite ready to give a lesson, I can step in after the first hour of instruction and help people get into waves. He had a family of four and a nine-year-old boy scheduled for 9 a.m. He is allowed by the the beach powers-that-be to have one instructor per four people, which is why he had called in his staff instructors. However, because he is meticulous about the way he gives lessons, he wants to keep a close eye on everyone. So, he sent me an e-mail to explain that he needed me to help with the surf "portion," of the lesson with the nine-year-old so that I could help him get a true "surfing" experience. I was actually excited about doing it.

On Saturday, I went down early. Saturdays are usually my cycling days, so this was different for me. I arrived at the beach around 7:45 a.m. to find small, but consistent waves. I spent about an hour-and-a-half having a ton of fun. I caught wave after wave and continued my practice of trying to turn the board. My problem, though, is that it takes me too long to make the turn; so I'm always too close to shore when I finally make it. That, of course, makes me look like the amateur that I really am.

At around 9:30 or 9:45, Brian waved me in. I walked over and introduced myself to Hadyn. His parents and sister were there also. (I asked his sister, who looked like she was 12ish, why she didn't want to surf, and she said that she originally thought it would be boring, but now she wished she had signed up for a lesson.) Hadyn was apprehensive, but I took him out and told him I would help him catch a wave. The day was perfect for this. Brian walked out with us and explained to Hadyn how surfers paddle out. Hadyn did everything as instructed and was fabulous. He was standing by the fourth or fifth try, and seemed to have a blast. Of course, so did I, and I cheered every time he stood, which made everyone around us notice how much fun we were having. At one point, Hadyn asked, "Am I the best nine-year-old you've ever seen?" The question made me smile. Little boys can be so competitive, as can I, but I've never thought to ask anyone if I was the best 47-year-old surfer they'd ever seen...possibly 'cause I knew I wasn't. But, Hadyn wanted to be the best, and he was pretty darn good. I told him "yes"; partially 'cause that's what he needed to hear, but also because he definitely had potential. Although he had been so tentative at the beginning, by the end of the lesson he told me that he was ready to save his money and buy a board. I suggested that he pool his money with his sister and go in halves for a surfboard. He frowned. "I don't want to share with her," he said. Again, I smiled. His parents seemed thrilled to find something Hadyn was interested in. Everyone seemed happy. I know I was.

Exciting weekend!

Surf's up...well kind of. That's the report I received on Friday. It was music to my ears since Memorial Day weekend had been a bust. Rob and I, as well as several of our friends including my surfing buddy Robin, stayed at the Tremont House, which put us much closer to the beach. I shouldn't say it was all bad. We had some surf early on Sunday, and a little on Monday early, but the waves were very small. So, when I heard things were better on Friday, I couldn't wait to head down. I finished work and stopped by the house for Petal. It was definitely the right conditions for Petal, rather than Lil' Sis. Since I can't leave Petal in the car all morning because of the heat, I had to leave her at home. I loaded her up as I usually do, packed my things and headed down. I took my usual course, which means I drove down FM1266 to 517 to Hwy 3 before turning on 2004 to make my way to I45. Just after I turned on to 2004 and built my speed back up to about 50 mph, I heard a loud bump. Just as I was thinking, "Wow, I wonder what that was," I noticed my surf board in the rearview mirror bouncing down the road. This was my custom-made Senator board. I pulled over. A truck was behind me, but it was a little ways back and didn't seem to notice the board, which, thankfully, was lying in the other lane. I u-turned and made my way back to the board. I parked on the shoulder and ran to my board. I pulled it over to the shoulder before running to the lane I had been driving in to retrieve the strap. I felt the board through the bag, but decided I WOULD NOT look at it until I got to the beach. I put down the seats of my car, stuck the board inside, and I drove with a heavy heart the rest of the way.

However, imagine my surprise when I pulled the board out of the bag and I didn't see a scratch! The fin had been razored from dragging on the road, but even that is fixable. Psheww! That was a relief. I just knew it had broken in to three big fiberglass pieces. Brian thinks the board bag saved it. At the time, I almost didn't buy the bag, but I sure am glad that I did.

I had a great day surfing, especially once I realized the board was okay. The waves weren't big, but they were enough to play around on and to practice. And, gosh, do I need practice! Brian, Robin and I eventually moved to 25th/Flagship, but the waves were dying as the day progressed. I didn't make it down on Saturday, but I did on Sunday. I made it down early and got in a couple of good hours surfing before I stopped to help Brian with a lesson. Yep, that's right. Brian asked me to help. I mostly just listened and pushed one of the two men taking the lesson into waves, but I still had fun. I need to study up, though, 'cause there's still a lot more to learn. Brian said he would type up some notes for me. That would be good. I know I'm a long way from being able to give a lesson on my own, but acting as an assistant might just be possible. HOW ABOUT THAT??? A part-time surfing instructor assistant? Who would have ever thought?