点评:Surfing at 60-Plus with Coastline Surfing School
If you want an extraordinary surfing experience your first time out, look no further. Jennifer Steffener and her team at Coastline Surfing School provide excellent teaching, a wealth of surfing experience, patience, homemade fruit salad and vegan muffins.
Our group of long-time women friends, 60 to 66 years old, signed up for a Saturday August afternoon of Women’s Yoga and Surf Camp and were in for a ride. The day was sunny and temperate and the waves choppy. Later, we found out that the waves were called, “Victory at Sea” because they were not easy surfing waves. In fact, no one else was surfing in our area of Brick Beach that day -- those Victory waves are gnarly. :)
Coastline had given us the option of paddle boarding in a gentle cove or re-scheduling. But we had traveled far to get there, so we decided to stay.
The five of us had never surfed before. We’re a collection of professionals: an epidemiologist, lawyer, mental health counselor, English Professors/Writers/Filmmakers. We all moderately exercise, practice yoga, can swim, and have watched a multitude of surfer flicks from Elvis and Gidget to Soul Surfer and The 100 Foot Wave. But none of us had ever remotely surfed.
Jennifer and her partner, Lance, and assistant teachers Stephanie—a young competitive surfer who lucky for us had flown in from VA that morning to help with our group, and Lou—a septuagenarian veteran internationally competitive surfer—met us in the parking lot with good cheer and wet-suited us up. They brought us to our private shaded spot on the otherwise crowded beach, and Jen started us out with gentle yoga stretching.
Then they each offered expertise when teaching the five W’s—like “Wind”—we learned it was about 15 knots that day— and “Warnings.” They then brought us to the shoreline and helped acquaint us with our “best friends,” the boards.
Later, each of us talked about how we had separately decided not to go into the water. Yet, with Jennifer and her crew’s skillful help, encouragement, and one on one accompaniment, we all did. In fact, we repeatedly rode waves. Again, after saying the first time out we’d only do it once, we quickly got hooked and wound up going time and time again accompanied by Stephanie, Lance, and Lou while Jennifer supervised. We rode waves until we were utterly and jubilantly exhausted like when we were kids who had been tossed by waves all day.
At the day’s end, Jennifer asked us our takeaways. We each talked about how we faced private fears of breaking waves, sharks, and falling. And how empowered we felt by barreling past those fears and riding the glorious and powerful Atlantic white caps into shore.
Albeit we fell off the boards just about every time. But closer and closer to shore each time. And we were mostly riding on our bellies or kneeling, and falling as we tried to stand. But in a wonderful moment, my sister and I—without knowing— both rode in at the same time, one knee up—The Buddha, they called it.
Jen ended with a beautiful blended tai chi and qigong lesson of “The Snake and the Crane” and sharing life stories. We were exhilarated and entirely spent. Jen and her team told us we were courageous warriors. And we felt it. We’d do it again in a heartbeat and are already making plans to surf with the spirited teachers of Coastline Surf School.
翻译:在 60 多岁时与海岸线冲浪学校一起冲浪
如果您想在第一次出海时获得非凡的冲浪体验,那就别无所求。 Jennifer Steffener 和她在海岸线冲浪学校的团队提供出色的教学、丰富的冲浪经验、耐心、自制水果沙拉和素食松饼。
我们一群 60 到 66 岁的长期女性朋友报名参加了 8 月星期六下午的女子瑜伽和冲浪营,并参加了骑行。那天阳光明媚,气候温和,海浪波涛汹涌。后来,我们才知道,之所以叫“海上胜利”,是因为它不是容易冲浪的海浪。事实上,那天没有其他人在我们的布里克海滩地区冲浪——那些胜利浪潮很粗糙。 :)
海岸线让我们可以选择在平缓的海湾划桨或重新安排时间。但是我们走了很远的路才到达那里,所以我们决定留下来。
我们五个人以前从未冲浪过。我们是一群专业人士:流行病学家、律师、心理健康顾问、英语教授/作家/电影制作人。我们都适度锻炼,练习瑜伽,会游泳,并且观看了从 Elvis 和 Gidget 到 Soul Surfer 和 The 100 Foot Wave 的大量冲浪电影。但我们都没有远程冲浪过。
Jennifer 和她的搭档 Lance,还有助理老师 Stephanie——一位对我们来说很幸运的年轻冲浪运动员,那天早上从弗吉尼亚州飞来帮助我们的团队,而 Lou——一位七十多岁的资深国际冲浪运动员——在停车场与我们会面好心情和湿适合我们。他们把我们带到了我们在拥挤的海滩上的私人阴凉处,Jen 以温和的瑜伽伸展运动开始了我们的旅程。
然后他们在教授五个 W 时各自提供了专业知识——比如“风”——我们了解到那天大约是 15 节——和“警告”。然后他们把我们带到海岸线,并帮助我们认识了我们的“最好的朋友”,即冲浪板。
后来,我们每个人都谈到了我们是如何分别决定不下水的。然而,在詹妮弗和她的工作人员的巧妙帮助、鼓励和一对一的陪伴下,我们都做到了。事实上,我们多次乘风破浪。再一次,在第一次说我们只做一次之后,我们很快就上瘾了,最后在斯蒂芬妮、兰斯和卢的陪同下一次又一次地去,詹妮弗监督。我们乘风破浪直到筋疲力尽,就像小时候被海浪颠簸了一整天的孩子一样。
一天结束时,詹妮弗问我们要点什么。我们每个人都谈到了我们如何面对对巨浪、鲨鱼和坠落的个人恐惧。通过克服这些恐惧并将光荣而强大的大西洋白帽驶入海岸,我们感受到了多么强大的力量。
尽管我们几乎每次都从板上掉下来。但每次都离海岸越来越近。我们大多是趴着或跪着,试图站起来时摔倒了。但在一个美妙的时刻,我和姐姐——不知不觉——同时骑马进来,单膝向上——他们称之为佛陀。
仁以“蛇与鹤”的太极和气功相结合的美妙课程结束,并分享了人生故事。我们兴奋不已,筋疲力尽。珍和她的团队告诉我们,我们是勇敢的战士。我们感觉到了。我们很快就会再做一次,并且已经在计划与 Coastline Surf School 充满活力的老师一起冲浪。