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Expectations of a weekend surfer...

2/11/2018

2 Comments

 
It was a stunning day...
4-5 foot crumbling right hand waves with a light offshore breeze. 
There was hardly anyone out and I was riding my brand new board. I saw a decent set roll in and then the perfect opportunity presented itself, I turned my board to face the shore, paddled and popped up effortlessly on a perfect wave. I bottom turned with perfection then quickly made my way back to the lip, another snap turn and then I charged down the rolling wave into what can only be described as the perfect barrel. I was nailing it. Then my alarm went off and I woke up!

…..I’m never gonna be a pro surfer, but I can dream. I visualise myself on a wave like a pro and I can barrel ride vicariously through Carissa Moore but often I ask myself the question -
‘Am I expecting too much...?’ 
​Should I just get back to enjoying surfing for what it is and the surfer I am?
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Hi my name is Linda. Surfing is, in my opinion, one of the hardest sports to learn, do I mean hard or frustrating? hummm? I’m still undecided on that one. A good surf relies heavily on so many variables, most of which are hopelessly out of my control and mother nature often seems to be against me.

Why am I not a great surfer? How long have you got?
So I am at that stage where I feel like I have plateaued. One week I’ll have a great surf and come away so stoked that I nailed that turn but then the next week it can feel like I’m a beginner all over again.

When you have a good surf your expectation goes up for your next surf and when it’s not achieved it can be a little soul destroying and very frustrating. I feel like a wave pool would be a really great tool right now. To get the same wave over and over again and be able to practice and build muscle memory would be AWESOME, after all, they say 'Repetition is the mother of learning'.

It’s also said that learning to surf is more like learning how to fail. It’s true there are so many more fails than wins in this sport, thank god it’s normally a soft landing.

I am trying to change my mindset and be consciously aware of what I need to do, trying to catch more waves, go for bigger waves, watch the waves I miss and see how they break and where.

I used to paddle out with friends for fun and if I caught a good wave bonus but I never thought much about what I was doing and to be honest I wasn’t trying to achieve anything at that point but now it’s become almost an obsession to progress and get better at surfing. Maybe this is why I feel like I am failing more and enjoying it less?

Practice, practice , practice
As a weekend surfer I am seriously lacking on the 10,000 hour rule. Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 hour rule goes like this: you have to put 10,000 hours in order to become an expert or master of a subject, job, trade. (I’m applying the same theory to sport.) 10k hrs equates to an old fashioned extended apprenticeship, 5 days a week for 5 years. This is where it starts going to shit for me. If i’m lucky and the conditions are on my side I might get 3-4 hours practise at a weekend and a few sneaky morning surfs in the summer months before work.
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Beaches
Now factor in some of the most hectically overcrowded surf breaks in NSW if not Australia and you can see how quickly the odds stack up against you. At times in Manly, if you get one wave an hour you are doing really well… so yeah a few obstacles on my journey to surfing greatness.

​My age 

I realise i’m now in my 40’s and there are a number of things against me but hey i’m still fit, active and willing to learn new skills but at this rate it’ll take me until i’m 91 to reach the level of mastery I desire... you see my problem right?
Natural ability
I’m keen, i’m sporty but not sure if i was born with that natural surfing ability.

​
So i’m now going to focus less on achieving the unattainable ‘surfing greatness’ and focus on the very achievable state of ‘surfing enlightenment’. The realisation that “the best surfer out there is the one having the most fun”.

I hope this makes me a better surfer and to once again allow myself to engage in a sport I love and gain happiness for small achievements on the never ending road of learning to surf.
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​I’d love to hear your thoughts and stories as I know my frustration is felt by many.
2 Comments
Sally
6/11/2018 08:12:37 pm

Love this and relate to it all. Surfing has a weird hold on me like a sickness...it’s also the most frustrating thing I’ve ever done. I am a small wave surfer most comfortable on a log I can shuffle up and down then gently paddle out again and repeat. Currently in dry dock with a shoulder injury I’m visualising the next time I can paddle out on a crisp morning with only the waves and sky for company.

Reply
Linda
7/11/2018 02:47:07 pm

Hey Sally, I hear you and thanks for the comment!!! Good luck with the shoulder and enjoy the waves x

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  • HOME
  • ABOUT US
  • MERCHANDISE
  • EVENTS
    • DOITINADRESS 2019
    • PAST EVENTS
  • GALLERY
    • Saltlocker EOY Party
    • 2018 CHRISTMAS SURF
    • MOLLYMOOK CLASSIC 2018
    • SOLDIERS BEACH SURF DAY
    • BIRTHDAY SNORKEL
    • 2017 FLURO SURF
    • DOITINADRESS
    • Bonny Hills 2017
  • SGA Blog
  • CONTACT