It’s ‘activities week’ at the local schools which means that the beaches are packed with hundreds of frothing teenagers and the lucky ‘work experience’ kids who realised that a week with a surf school means at least 4 hours in the water a day talking about surfing.
When I was their age I was sweeping the local surfboard factory and making flagons of tea for the shaper but I still managed a cheeky surf here and there. Best week of my life!
We’ve got three of them with us this year and they are doing pretty well so far. The wetsuits are cleaned and put away in good time and the back room has had it’s first decent clean of the year.
They’re rubbish at making tea though. If they don’t buck their ideas up they’ll have to make do with a proper career!
Tips & Info
Cornwall School Games
Once again we have been tasked with running the surfing event of the Cornwall School Games. Over 3000 pupils will be competing in this years games with over 150 in the surfing alone. If you know anything about surfing comps then you’ll instantly realise that getting 150 kids into their heats on time, keeping them hydrated and stopping the whole day becoming a free-for-all is a harrowing experience.
Having to get it completed in under 5 hours even more so!
This years event, sponsored in part by Blackout Bingo reviews, is taking place at Lusty Glaze beach in Newquay so it’ll be great to work on a different beach for a change even if there are 100 punishing steps to get down to it. It’ll be a great day, just very busy. If you’re in the area check it out. Maybe even buy the judges a coffee, they’ll be needing it!
Meanwhile the weather. I know, I don’t want to go on about the weather – it shows a real lack of imagination. But it has been bonkers lately and it’s doing some real weird things to the surf.
There’s a saying: If you don’t like the weather in Cornwall, just wait.
This has never been truer than this week. Blistering sun in the mornings, gales in the afternoons and the longest spell of flat surf that most people can remember. Some of the salty sea-dogs reckon it hasn’t been this small since 1976. And we know how good the weather was that year.
Well I don’t, I was two. But you know what I’m getting at. Fingers crossed for a long barmy summer this year.
Volunteerism
Every now and then we take a booking that we know is going to be interesting and even more rewarding than usual. Over the next few weeks we will be working with some autistic youngsters and helping them into their first few waves as part of the Wave Project. This group was set up in 2010 to help disadvantaged young adults and children experience the joy of surfing and is going from strength to strength.
We have worked with autistic children in the past and while it can be challenging the vast majority enjoy themselves and get a lot from the experience. Autism, from what I have seen, is certainly no barrier to a full and rewarding life in and out of the water. In fact one of my favourite surfers, Clay Marzo, has Aspergers Syndrome, a form of autism and you could argue that it has made him the surfer he is today. Certainly his trait of laser intense focus is one I wish were my own. And boy can he surf.
Without wanting to delve into the mawkish depths of hippy mumbo-jumbo the sea can be a healing environment that can bring the best out of anyone.
It’s one of the reasons we love surfing isn’t it?
But back to the Wave Project. Obviously to do these lessons in a safe manner takes more man-power than usual so if you would like to get involved you can volunteer your time and help out. You’ll even get some money for your travel expenses.
You can get in touch with them at [email protected]
We Came, We Saw etc….
The first of this summers inter-club surf-offs began with the oldest surf club in Britain hosting our Junior Surf Club at Sennen for a cracking day of surfing. Saturday 26th of May was probably the hottest day so far in Cornwall and while the surf itself was a little on the small side the surfing was blistering.
Mark ‘TinTin’ Eley, a super keen surf coach who works for GAS as well as volunteering with Sennen Surf Club, suggested that we get the groms together for regular surfing days with an informal competition followed by a beach bbq to round the day off. If they all go like this one we’ll be delighted.
Over thirty young surfers took part from both of our clubs and there were plenty of smiles as they took to the gorgeous blue waters at Sennen.
There is nothing quite like surfing with your peers at a different surf break for improving your surfing and I reckon you could watch them improve in front of your eyes. A great day out and all finished off with some chargrilled burgers lovingly prepared by Sennen Surf Club supremo, Pete “PT” Urquhart.
We will be hosting the return fixture some time in early July. Can we top that?
Can’t wait to find out.
Surf Club on Tour
Our Junior Surf Club has had an excellent year. This is the first year that we have gone right through the winter with it and this commitment is really beginning to pay dividends. The hardest thing for the British surfer is the long cold winter but if you have a few keen mates to surf with then it makes it all a little easier.
We are now regularly getting 30+ kids every Saturday morning which is really pleasing to see. This coming Saturday we will be spreading our wings and heading over to Sennen Surf Club (the oldest surf club in Britain) for a day of waves, competition and bbq’s.
Its easy to overlook but surfing different waves is what really accelerates the learning curve in surfing. Just being in a different line-up dealing with waves that break a little bit harder or softer than the ones you are used to teaches you more than a surf coach ever could no matter how hard you are listening.
In September we will be returning the favour and hosting Sennen Surf Club when they come over to us for the rematch. I’ll let you know how it goes.
By the way the photo above isn’t Sennen but a beach very close by. It doesn’t break like that too often but when it does I reckon I need to make the effort, get over there and get working on my own surfing!
