So, you want to be a contest surfer. You've been
surfing a couple years now and think you're pretty good. You can surf better than your friends can. You can surf better
than everyone in Santa Monica can.
If you really believe you're
good, take a drive to a local hot spot like El Porto in Manhattan Beach or the Huntington Beach Pier. Try to get there early
to watch the locals surf before they head off to school and work. Gauge how you would do against a few of them. Don't
compare yourself to the surfers at Trestles, you may quit surfing when you see how good those guys are.
Ok you've convinced yourself you are good enough to compete. Start off by surfing
in a few local contests. If you're not beating the local competition you probably wont have much of a chance in the NSSA (National Scholastic Surfing Association) contests. But if you have $50 to throw away a couple times a month and enjoy competition, why not? These contests are very
well organized and can be a lot of fun.
Understand that judging
a contest is very subjective and it is not easy to come to town and beat the surfers that have established reputations. At
first you'll notice that the established surfers get a higher score than you do for an identical ride. Don't take
it too hard, it's part of contest surfing, contestants go through this from the beginning up through the Pro ranks. In
boxing it is said that to beat the champ, you have to really beat him bad. So it is with surfing.
If you're any good and you stick with it you'll make some finals and maybe walk away with
some hardware. You may even win once in awhile, and the new guys will complain about your scores.
Contests are traditionally held at beaches that are known to have good and consistent waves. How
often do you get to ride great waves with just 3 other guys in the water? This may be the best reason to compete and the more
heats you win the more you get to surf.
Another plus is you'll
meet good guys with the same interest as you. You will probably do some travelling together and make lifelong friends.
Go for it!
