The Lion's Pride vol. 3 (Feb. 2015) | Page 17

are in groups or sets of 7; some say 13; the truth is, you just get a feel for them, and know the first few waves in the set are the biggest and best. It certainly taught me to respect the power of water. I bought my first surf board off a neighbor. It was six foot seven inch Aquanetics surf board, with a girl standing on the beach next to a palm tree airbrushed on top. I started going to the beach with friends attempting to surf. Truth is surfing came kind of natural, if you know what led up to it. Soon I was surfing a lot, maybe too much. My wet suit wore circular scab around my neck, my hair got sun bleach blonde on top, and I was kicked out of my first year of high school (for not showing up enough). The waves were exceptionally good that year and I was hooked on surfing. Once I got my driver’s license, things got back on track. I didn’t have to depend on getting a ride to the beach anymore. I could surf in the morning and still get to school on time. I have a funny memory of my mother saying “you can’t go surfing, it’s raining out.” I would assure her that the water would get no wetter than it is now. All the things that went with surfing are great memories, and I feel like I could go on telling stories of all the good times forever. Standing on the