You're going to have people who like you and people who don't like you, but all you can do really is be confident in yourself.
Carissa Moore ~ 16-year-old Champion and wise well beyond her years

Scott Goold posts surfing tip to Surfline.com
05/25/2009 11:19 AM
Brendan, I travel frequently from my island home to work in a desert climate so paddle time on a board is impossible. I've created a functional workaround: I swim a fast mile+ in sets (150-200m); then I lay on an elevated massage table and simulate paddling using surgical tubes connected to a machine across the room. The swimming gives me stamina in general and the table allows me to train with a wider shoulder position and body elevation used on a board. On my recent surf trip, conditioning wasn't an issue - just my lack of skill. : )

editor reply:
Scott, Thanks for the advice on paddle fitness. Endless pools is another worthy (but expensive at $15-20K) suggestion. Also, re your very creative table top exercise ... Add a slightly unstable surface underneath your chest "dyna disc" that INDOBOARD sells or a something like a mostly deflated ball or even a semi firm pillow. This will really make you engage your core because it will challenge your balance while you are working your paddle muscles! Also check out the VASA Paddle Ergometer. G luck!

Jay DiMartino describes the passion a true surfer has in his/her heart for the kai and the sport. It's not the clothes, slang phrases, or latest fashion trend:

Those clothes rife with logos and images may represent surfers, but they don't embody the spirit of wave riding. The proof is in the pudding (to coin a phrase) in that someone who has never skipped school or work to catch a swell or spent his last dollars to buy a ticket for a surf trip or driven hundreds of miles up coast to catch the waves a few feet bigger can never be a surfer. Clothes can only cover the rash and sunburn, and sunglasses simply hide the red eyes, but nothing can dull the resonant sparkle in a surfer's smile after getting a great day of waves.

You know if you possess that style when you commit yourself to the life. Perfect surf is not the only thing that draws you to the beach. You understand that it is the experience that keeps you alive and vital. The drive to the beach, the shock of cold water, the smell of sunscreen, and the meaningless conversation in the lineup all collectively make up the experience.

A surfer lives his/her life like the waves themselves. Although battered by cross winds and cross chop and bent by reefs and sandbars, they always stay true to their source and direction. And a surfer, no matter how heavy the responsibilities of life may become, will always make it to the beach. This experience goes far beyond the thrill of a good ride. The sun rising over the ocean, a good wipeout, the view of a perfect unridden wave, or even a joke made among friends in between sets all serve as food for the surfer's soul.

So even when it's hard to make time for a session and life's pressure is weighing heavy, just remember that just a little nibble on the surfing experience will make you whole again, and even though you may not look like a "surfer" or talk like a "surfer," your commitment and passion for wave riding give you all the style you need. source

Follow Your Instincts
Live in the moment in order to take every opportunity and believe in yourself -- confidence is key.

Spread the Aloha
When you're generous and welcoming, harmony will follow you.

Free for All
Nature is a gift. It heals, shelters and feeds you, supplying you with everything you need to survive. Keep the human and earth connection alive.

Dream
It only takes one person to be a huge influence on many.

Treat Others ...
As You Wish To Be Treated. Always remember to forgive and let go.

Never Give Up
Where the mind goes, the body follows. Practice makes perfect.

Be Grateful
Respect yourself, our land, others and everything that came before us.

Train Hard
But keep the spirit balanced. Move, educate and aspire but don't burn the candle at both ends. Recuperation is vital.

Be Aware
And prepare for any conditions: Flood, mud or shine.

Peace Rules
And love conquers all. Enjoy your ocean and surf time.
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Follow organic principles, reuse, reduce, recycle. Treat others as you would treat your mother. Respect the earth we live upon. Enjoy life.
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