Yes, I surfed yesterday. I mean kind of, its probably more accurate to say I tried surfing yesterday. Our itinerary said “Surfing lesson-St. Clair Beach at 2:30 p.m.”, but I do not feel we received much instruction. There were a ton of us to take out and “teach” so it really was no surprise that they split us into groups and told us how we should get up on the board and when while on the sandy beach. It was way easier to do what they were telling us to do while on solid ground. There was no wave coming in behind us we had to time up with and paddle out in front of and a lot less balance required to actually stand up on the board. I know I am kind of complaining right now, but that is really not what I am trying to do. In fact, about halfway through their instruction I ignorantly just wanted to get out there and try it for myself. What I am trying to do is explain how damn hard it is to actually get up and ride a wave straight forward for a couple of seconds. I consider myself a rather athletic person who generally adapts well to new challenges that require any aspect of athleticism. Surfing beat the hell out of me and was for sure a new obstacle I eagerly wanted to prove myself worthy of overcoming.
The current was strong. I mean just getting out into position to ride a wave might have been the most physically straining part of the whole thing. After my first encounter with that struggle, I paddled forward as a wave pushed in behind me. As I felt it start to move me towards the shore I hoisted myself up as quickly and as controlled as possible. My front foot landed solidly, but I could only kneel on the board with my back leg before I was thrown off balance and tumbled beneath the wave. I was feeling fine until I got to the surface and felt the chug of salt water I had just inhaled settle in my stomach. I could not go in yet, that was my first try and I felt like maybe I was close. I tried again and again with less promising outcomes each time. Finally, I laid on my board, rode a wave in, found some rocks for cover, and yes, I let the devil out of me. My lunch was now on the beach and I was ready to get back to it. Running out in that water, I was reminded of the resilience learning a new sport takes. I had this mixed emotion of excitement, eagerness, and disdain for what I was about to do. Thankfully, the repeated blunderings that the ocean dealt to me resulted in me getting up and riding about 6 or 7 waves in. I was proud of that and again was reminded of the practice it takes to really get good at anything. I finally hit the beach after feeling like I had accomplished something and all I could think of was learning the sport of lacrosse for the first time. For that I had a brother pushing me to keep trying until I was standing in front of a wall on my own for hours at a time using my frustration of failure to just keep going. No, maybe sport does not build character, but it sure can teach you something about developing a work ethic. Unfortunately for me, my biggest struggle with a lack of that development is the level of interest I have in something at that moment in time. And that is why I look back to sport to remind me of what it is like to put your head down and grind when it’s time to do so.
Personal Post_2: Blog Entry 6
Foreign Adventures-New Zealand 