“Surfing is a way to be free.” ~ LISA ANDERSEN
Dear Readers, Community, Friends,
Learning is a fundamental activity, almost always done with intention, but sometimes brought about accidentally – results are not usually what we plan. Below, enjoy an excerpt from “Phil Edwards, the Early Years,” where one of these “happy accidents” occurred that would shift the modern-day sport of surfing.
{Use your Spotify app to scan the QR code and enjoy a surfing playlist as you read on!}
“A momentous day came when Phil Edwards discovered the curl of a wave. ‘One day – by accident – I got caught in a curl,’ Edwards wrote. ‘There should be a certain amount of tympani and crashing background music here because, in a way, this is what surfing is all about ... I was scared to death. Here, the whole object of surfing was to stand nicely erect and make it all the way into the beach. And here I was, crouched in some crazy, unconventional posture on this rebuilt board, flying along while the wave broke across my back and shoulders, in a sort of delicate, hanging balance between two worlds.’
‘Understand, we knew nothing of trimming boards. That is, you stood on the board where you got up, or occasionally moved to the fantail to get the nose up. Anything else was nonsense. Still, in the curl, I had automatically trimmed the board into the wave until it was zinging along on the rail – and dropped into a crouch, not in any premonition of style but to keep on top of the thing as long as I could.’
‘Surfing history had just come full circle. That is, the Hawaiians had discovered and done this sort of thing more than a thousand years ago; they had done it better and in bigger surf. But none of the Hawaiians had left written instructions on how all this was to be done. We had just rediscovered it ourselves.’
The event changed Edwards’ life and was soon to elevate him in surfing circles as a young surf stylist to watch. ‘A couple of minutes in the curl changed my life,’ agreed Edwards. ‘I spent the next few days trying to beat the break.’
Feeling inspired to learn? Here’s an invitation to fully immerse yourself in something that keeps tapping you on your shoulder. It won’t leave you alone. Go ahead. Go for it. You never know what you might learn!
