I LOVE This Sport! - July 4th Weekend 2010

Today was phenomenal!  After much ado about surfing, Ted took me to the state park for my first lesson and HOLD ME BACK!  I’m in love with it!  After trying for a few waves that didn’t pan out, I caught one that took me all the way into the beach—I think I actually may have heard him yell, “Jump off! You’re going to run the fins into the sand!” 

There were some other rides that were almost as good and in between those were (what I thought were, anyway) raving successes. I was successfully popping up on the board!  That’s a success even if I did lose my balance shortly thereafter—right?

In between waves, my partner-turned-surf coach explained how sets work and what you look for when trying to spot a wave.  He told me what the shoulder is and what it means to be too deep or too shallow.  I practiced turning my board by moving my feet under water and learned the importance of really digging in as I paddle.

St. Andrew's State Park

The day was perfect and the gulf was beautiful.  With white sandy bottoms and aqua water, I could see everything from my comfortable perch atop my board.  Due to the teeny, tiny waves, there weren’t any other surfers but there were even surprisingly few swimmers, given that it was a holiday weekend.  I felt a little like the water was my own playground, even if only for that mid-summer morning.

When I reached my maximum sun exposure (while we may be the Fighting Irish, we win very few battles when it comes to skin cancer), we decided to head in for the day and go over to the local surf shop to outfit me with “real board shorts and a rash guard that fits.”  Evidently, I looked like a poser in my Columbia fishing shorts (Hey—they had built-in sunscreen!) and my borrowed rash guard.  So we drove a few miles down the beach to the local surf shop, Mr. Surf’s (www.mrsurfs.com), where I was outfitted with real board shorts and a, rash guard that fit.

Finn's Island Style Grub - Panama City Beach, Fla.

Now, what came in as my second favorite moment of the day, behind the ride of my life of course, was the ceviche and fish tacos we had at the snack trailer next door called Finn’s Island Style Grub.  We sat on a picnic table across the street from the gulf noshing on our island grub, and I have to say, that was the most phenomenal meal I’ve ever had.  The flavors of lime, cilantro, and jalapeno mixed together almost seemed to sing the words, “day at the beach” and even though the next day was a work day, I felt like I was on vacation. 

I’m sooo ready for my next surf session.