The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, March 21, 2005, Page 8, Image 8
New surfers hit waves
as sport gains popularity
By DESONTA HOLDER
KRT CAMPUS
MIAMI — “What’s nice about
out there on the ocean is you’re out
there with nature, you’re on your
surfboard, you’re looking back at
the beach. It’s a great feeling.”
It’s what brings Geoffrey
Schmidt back to the ocean. A surfer
for 11 years, Schmidt has crafted a
living with the wind at his back.
As director of Florida Surf
Lessons based in Jupiter, he has
been teaching from Cocoa Beach
to Miami Beach for six years. The
first time humbled this former
snowboarder from Boston.
“I figured, ‘Hey, I’m a
snowboarder so I can go out there
and do the same thing.’ Heck, no! I
could barely stay on the surfboard,”
says Schmidt, 29. “The thing was
slipping all underneath me. I’m
grabbing the thing. I couldn’t even
balance on the board. Because 1 was
young and had a lot of pride, it
took me three or six months to
finally figure it out.”
burring, which has been around
for hundreds of years, has gained
popularity thanks to movies like
“Blue Crush,” video games like
Kelly Slater’s Pro Surfer and
fashion statements like board
shorts and bikini tops.
If you’d like to give it a try,
hiring an instructor will shorten
the learning curve, Schmidt says.
Most of his students are spring
breakers and students out of school
for the summer, but people of all
ages can do it, he says. “We can
have people standing and riding
within one lesson.”
After the first lesson, everything
above your waist will be hurt —
chest, back, abs, neck. It’s definitely
a workout. To get in shape before
you give it a try, sit-ups, push-ups
and laps in the pool are ideal.
Imagine lying on a board and
paddling out to sea where the waves
are. Sounds relaxing, but you have
to work at it. You might last two
hours if you’re not in great shape.
“The more you do it, you gain
more respect for the ocean,”
JOE RIMKUS JR./KRT CAMPUS
Surfer Jeff Schmidt hits the waves at Lauderdale by the Sea. He is
one of many who have recently picked up the popular sport.
Schmidt says. “When you do
something wrong, you realize really
quickly who is in control out there.
You might think you got things
figured out, but any time that ocean
wants to knock you down, it can.”
Take hurricane season, when
powerful waves pound the beach.
This is not a time for beginners or
inexperienced surfers, Schmidt
cautions. “We don’t like to bring
students out into waves that are
over three feet.
“If you’re gonna start charging
bigger waves, you got to be a good
swimmer,” he says. “I’ve done 6-,
9-, 10-, 12-foot waves, and when
you wipe out on a wave like that, it
tends to hold you under. You gotta
have lung capacity and know how
to swim and stay calm in those
situations.
“In Hurricane Jeanne, I saw in
South Beach about 100-plus surfers,
and you had a cop bullhorning
people in. The waves were one- to
three-foot. They weren’t big, but
there was a hurricane and they think
there’s this crisis.”
Hurricanes aside, surfing is
“extremely relaxing; it’s spiritual...
You’re on your surfboard riding
some waves. What could be better
than that?”
New Music for the week of March 22
BLOC PARTY.
“Silent Alarm” ;
Bloc Party
“B-Sides & Rarities”
Nick Cave
“Lullabies to Paralyze”
/ Queens of the Stone Age
“Picaresque”
The Decemberists
“Strange & Beautiful” /
Aqualung
“Devil’s Playground’’
Billy Idol
_
■ VINYL
Continued from page 8
“My plan is to find a neat way
of framing them with mattes and
ribbon,” Wilson said. “I don’t
want to buy vinyl frames because
they are really expensive. I want
to make a border around the top
of the room with them.”
Wilson also plans to put what
episode and scene the song was
referenced in on the back of the
album once she collects more.
“When people come in from
down the hall, I have to explain
the method behind the madness,”
Wilson said.
Because “Family Guy” has
taken on new heights after its
cancellation, the Fox network has
“uncancelled” the show, so there
will be new episodes in May,
which will give Wilson new
material for her collection.
“I’m really excited about the
new season because I don’t know
if they are going to reference old
music or more ’90s music,”
Wilson said. “It would be really
cool if they referenced ’90s music
because it would parallel my pop ™
culture, and I can pull out the
vinyl and say ‘Oh, my gosh, I
remember how old I was.’”
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecockfcatures@gwm.sc.edu
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