A girl, a board & a dream

I can trace my passion for riding boards back to my youth.  As a young girl, my Dad would fill my head with stories of his childhood spent learning to surf the beautiful beaches of Hawaii.  He would tell me that in those days, surfers mostly rode long, heavy boards made from solid balsa wood. 

See vintage boards at: http://files.surfingheritage.org/flash/shf-collection-viewer/

My dad (pictured top right) grew up inspired by legendary “Beach Boys” of Waikiki, a clan of mostly Hawaiian natives who would go on to shape the future of surfing & in turn, SUP.  

I daydreamed about surfing for years before deciding to pick up a board of my own.  When I did, I was one of a handful of young women surfing some of the best breaks in Santa Cruz, California & loving it.  I grew up with some of the most famous surfers in the world, sharing waves with guys like the late Jay Moriarty.  Guys like Jay (& my dad) inspired me to remember to live life fully & never lose sight of what I love. My adventurous spirit took me across the country 13 years ago, but I never stopped surfing. 

It was on a trip back to California in the summer of 2011 when my dad introduced me to SUP & SUP surfing.  As I glided over Pacific kelp beds on his 12’ Stand Up Paddleboard, a whole new world opened up before me.  It occurred to me that all of my training in yoga & surfing could come together in this one sport & that I could do it anywhere there was water – with or without waves.  Next thing I knew, I had my own SUP & a dream was born.  

As Andre Gide said, "We cannot discover new oceans unless we have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”  Losing sight of the shore brought me to SUP and eventually to create LYFSUP right here in Chapel Hill, NC.  No matter how far from shore we drift, we must never lose sight of what makes us happy.  If we live to be true to ourselves & find out what matters to our hearts, we’ll find a way to do it.