Jenny Scott shares her love of surfing at Newport Beach, discusses the mental and physical benefits of surfing, and recalls catching her first big wave. Recorded at Tustin Library, Tustin, California.
Transcript
My name is Jenny, I got into surfing in elementary school. I took a surf class with my sister. What appealed to me was, there's so much, it's kind of like a camaraderie thing. Just the simple act of standing on the board and feeling the wave underneath you, floating you know. It's indescribable, it's a pretty cool feeling.
Text: “Surf competitions“
It's exciting, it's kind of like watching any other sports game. People are hanging out. It's usually a very chill environment, you're just watching people having fun. It's not that competitive, so it's a nice vibe.
Text: “How is Orange County regarded by the surf community?“
It's pretty well known I would say. I don't remember what decade surfing became really big in California, but I know Huntington Beach is kind of like the surf capital kind of place. Or one of them in the world and it kind of blossomed from there. Well I prefer Newport of course, surfing in Newport but I know the history, it, from what I know, it was way bigger back then in Huntington then.
Text: “Where do you like to surf?”
That's a good question, I haven't surfed that much in Huntington. I would say it seems the times I've gone it's less crowded. I know Newport is really popular among all kinds of surfers. Really young, really old. Newport seems to be more sparse from what I’ve seen. But I think as a female surfer it's a little bit different. So, we don’t get the kind of localized aggression.
Text: “Surf life“
I wouldn’t say I've been like a big part of it, I am definitely more of a seasonal surfer. But from the people that I know who have, who are, I would consider to be in the surf culture, it's their life. Every day you're thinking about surfing, everyday you are checking the charts and you know, seeing where the waves are at and what's coming. So it's kind of consuming for a lot of people.
Text: “What surf legends did you follow?“
Kelly Slater, no doubt. Grew up watching him so, he’s awesome.
Text: “What accomplishment are you most proud of?”
Accomplishments surfing wise, was probably catching my first really big wave. It's terrifying and exciting at the same time. I remember my heart just stopped and catching that wave with my friend watching, you know makes it all the more better. But it just, it's indescribable because you get this rush of adrenaline and it's yeah, it's hard to beat that kind of feeling when you're out in the water and you experience that in the mornings, it makes you wonder why you're not in the water every single day, you know.
Text: “Does surfing improve your life?“
Definitely. 100%, it's hard to surf in the mornings with my job. But on my days off when I do go, it's kind of, it's therapy. It melts away your stress, it just brings this completely different vibe to your day. Yeah, it's therapeutic. Because it's such a stress release and also really good for your heart. Your body, it reduces blood pressure, it tones your muscle, it clears your mind. It's also, I would say one of the best sports to pick up, because it's a lifelong thing or it can be a lifelong thing. You can be 80 years old and still catch waves. Get that benefit out of surfing without any kind of toll on your body.
Text: “What advice do you have for new surfers?“
Advice for people getting started into surfing. Just keep at it, the more you get out there the easier it gets. Usually the more consistent you are with pretty much anything, the quicker you pick it up. Surfing isn't actually that difficult once you're at it regularly. You don't really need that much strength. Yeah just keep at it. Have a good board, a good size board.
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