a surfing legend

Even though my surfing instructor and friend Brian called last night and said he thought the waves would be good today, by this morning he was calling to say that they hadn't picked up. The waves were flat just as they had been for most of the week. I questioned him about this and found out that every summer at some point, the waves in Galveston are nonexistent (not that they're ever real big). I asked him how long it could last, and he said that this flat "session" has been known to last two months. TWO MONTHS????? He said he didn't think it would last that long this year. I told him that I was planning to come down anyway because I need the practice swimming on my board (in particular, arching my back) and spinning the board for when a wave was coming. Before I went down, I went to my favorite surfcam page and saw just how flat it really was. While on the page -- my favorite surfcam page (www.g-townsurf.com) --, I texted my friend Robin. She wrote back and asked if I had noticed that Robert August (the '60s surfing star from "The Endless Summer") was going to be in Galveston today. I hadn't read that far down. Once I read the portion of the page that talked about how flat the waves were, I stopped reading. But, sure enough, when I revisited the page I noticed the posting. So, Robin and I made Ohana Surf and Skate our first stop. When we arrived, we found him standing in the middle of the store signing autographs. We immediately made our way to him and introduced ourselves. He graciously agreed to a photo with us. He even asked if we minded if he groped us a little. "Absolutely not...he could grab us all he wanted." He laughed and grabbed our butts all in good fun! We met his young daughter (she was nine) who had been out surfing with one of the Ohana employees. She was adorable. Robin explained we were really old surfers and the little one just smiled. When we left the store, we went to the 43rd street pier and swam around on the boards. Every little bit will help, I'm sure. We may not ever be as good as Robert August, but we're determined to have just as much fun!

Three steps forward, two steps back?

I checked today's waves online first thing this morning. The Gulf was flat. The only waves visible were those breaking really close to shore. I was going surfing when I got off of work at noon no matter what. Brian called last night to see if Robin and I were coming down, and I answered with a "definitely." He offered to call this morning to let me know how the waves were, but I said it really didn't matter because I basically needed the practice of swimming out on the board anyway. He seemed to like that answer and said that he would meet us at our usual spot at the 43rd street pier. He also mentioned he had a board he wanted to show me. (He keeps insisting my board is too narrow for a tall girl like me surfing on the small surf in Galveston. I believe it's an optical illusion. Because the trim is purple, I think it makes the board look narrower than it actually is.) He said this board had been made especially for him. He wanted me to see it because it was 24 inches wide, therefore making it easier to use in Galveston because it had hips. Mine is actually 23 1/2 inches, and I can't believe an extra half inch would give me that much support. But, who knows? His board was a great looking board. And he has surfed a lot longer than me.

Once we made it down to the waves, Brian started lecturing us. He insisted the only reason he cares about how we are doing is because he likes us "dudes." It's actually kind of nice to know that he wants us to succeed. He initially claimed that I had slipped into some bad habits and was not doing the pop up correctly. He said I was dragging my left foot forward before I was putting my right foot forward. As a goofy-footer, I should definitely be moving the right foot first. He suggested I practice on the shore, and I did it perfectly. However, the next time I went out, I noticed that I was doing exactly as he said I was. My left foot was sliding up part way first. I apologized for telling him that I wasn't doing what he said I was doing. He said, "I know what I'm talking about." And he does. I just need to keep practicing. I decided that I would also rehearse the pop up some more in my living room just as I had done several months ago. I can't slip back into sloppy habits! No way, "dude."

Swimming out past the break

Yesterday's surfing was phenomenal! Brian decided that he wanted to come surf with Robin and me. When he called on Thursday night to see if we were coming down, I was unsure whether he meant he wanted to give us a lesson or if he just wanted to surf with us. It turns out it was the latter. He always tells us, "I like you gals." He brought his friend Bryan (same name, different spelling) too. He told me he wanted to take me out past the breaks, and the other Bryan would work with Robin on swimming out. So, we swam out in the rip of the rock piling pier, which can be hard work when reaching the end because of the rushing waves breaking. We had to swim through it. The important thing about swimming through it is not getting caught in the wave 'cause it will push you and the board back toward the shore and you'll have to swim back out to the rip and make it back out. I swam through the breaks though and looked for the bubbles...the bubbles can tell a surfer when the wave is about to break. We swam for what seemed like forever, but made it out. The cool thing about the waves out past the break is that they will carry you a long way, and they will get much bigger. This isn't always the case, but it was yesterday. Waves were 3-5 feet, which doesn't sound like much, but by summer Galveston standards, these waves are fantastic! I rode several all the way in, but never mastered the sharp curve back to the rock pilings so that I wouldn't have to walk along the beach. I maneuvered a little, but haven't quite gotten the hang of the big turn. It was phenomenal and, unlike the small waves closer to shore that I have been catching, these bigger waves gave me time to play with "foot" placement. It's hard to get these waves in the summer, but not impossible. I look forward to doing it again, possibly tomorrow. Robin had a good day too catching the waves past the break.

Today, I went on my usual Space City Cycling Club ride. I also had a great ride on the bike. The group went to Wee-Mart in Liverpool, which is our typical summer 60-mile ride. I rode with my 21 mph+ group. I managed to stay with the breakaways on the way back, not willing to let any of them get away no matter how fast they were going (26 mph+ in some areas). Cycling uses completely different muscles, but requires the same mental toughness that surfing does. The only difference is that surfing is a singular sport, while cycling can definitely be a "team" sport/competition. What a blast!