Greymouth Seventh-day Adventist Church
11 Heaphy Street, Greymouth

Those Surfing Sensations

Posted on Feb 01, 2010

Signs of the Times - http://signsmag.spdwebministry.org/news_entries

Those Surfing Sensations

What a changing world we live in” is a statement applied to many aspects of our lives. But what triggered my thoughts was to see young Australian surfing star and world champion Stephanie Gilmore openly promoting National Vegetarian Week in late 2009.

“I’m not completely vegetarian but I’m a big fan of fresh vegies. I try to have a few vegetarian meals each week at home and when I’m on tour, I make sure I fill up on fresh food when I’m competing,” said Gilmore, one of the current newbreed of surfing sensations.

That set me thinking. Apart from Popeye the Sailor Man (“I’m strong in the finish ’cause I eats me spinach”), it wasn’t exactly trendy to be vegetarian and sports heroes were promoted as meat-eating towers of strength up until a few years ago.

My second wave of thoughts centred around the surfing fraternity itself— how their personal attitudes and values appear to have changed considerably over the decade or two since I was a teenager.

Surfing, which was once considered a hobby, with the beach regarded as a pleasant playground for high-school or work dropouts, has now developed into a respected professional sport.

Growing up in Brisbane, our holiday recreational sport was surfing on the nearby Gold Coast. But again, on reflection, I recall a male-dominated sport. Yes, things have changed— girls don’t feel so intimidated on their boards now! While still a domain of the male of the species, of recent times the fairer sex has surfaced as worthy world champions, commanding well-earned recognition and deserved admiration.

So for now, let’s put aside famous male surfers like Hawaii’s legendary Duke Kahanamoku (the man credited with introducing surfing to the world), nine-time World Champion American Kelly Slater and Aussie notables, including the Gold Coast’s “Cooly Kids,” Mick Fanning and Joel Parkinson. Oh, and not to forget surfing elders like Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew and the legendary Mark Richards.

Exploring the realms of our changing surfing society on the home front, Australia can proudly claim Layne Beachley, the greatest all-round female surfer in the world.

As a youngster, life wasn’t particularly easy for Beachley. She was adopted as a baby by a Manly (Sydney, NSW) couple, Neil and Valerie Beachley, who had no idea then what an appropriate name this young girl inherited. Although a bit of a tomboy, she followed the normal pattern of sports (for girls), playing tennis but also skateboarding and surfing, which were mostly a male domain. At age 16, a rather skinny Beachley set her heart on surfing, going against the tide to devote her life to becoming a professional surfer.

Read the full article here

Signs of the Times

Better Than Hyper-Reality