Rising tide
By Jason Petersen
Sept. 30, 2004 9:00 p.m.
After waking up to a 6 a.m. alarm, sophomores Steve Manee and
Tom McMahon take a long drive out to the ocean, where these two
members of the UCLA surf team embark on their morning ritual.
It doesn’t matter that their friends and classmates will
still be asleep for the next few hours. Or that outsiders consider
their passion to be a simple hobby.
On a team dominated by Southern California residents, McMahon
and Manee, who both hail from Laguna Beach, shrug off the cynicism
of those unfamiliar with the sport’s competitiveness.
“Nobody really understands competitive surfing,”
Manee said. “Most people think it is just like “˜Point
Break’ or the T & C surfing video games they used to play
as a kid. There is a little bit more to it.”
McMahon and the rest of the team remain relatively anonymous on
campus because of competitive surfing’s current place outside
the realm of mainstream sports. This is one reason why only 30 to
40 people try out for the team every year.
“I am sure there are a lot of other really good surfers at
UCLA who just don’t try out for the team for one reason or
another,” Manee said. “I wish more guys would come out,
but the only way we can change that is by continuing to improve and
take down some of the top schools this year.”
The UCLA surf team is comprised of eight members; one
longboarder, one body boarder and six other members on short
boards. During each 15-minute heat, six contestants battle for each
set of waves for their best two rides. The top three scores
advance.
UCLA is one of over 30 California colleges and junior colleges
competing as members of the National Scholastic Surfing Association
(NSSA). Each competition has nearly 200 participants, most of whom
have some level of competitive surfing background.
“Surfing doesn’t get much credit as a strategic
sport, but each heat is ultra competitive and forces you to be very
strategic,” McMahon said. “You have to choose the right
waves to score well and advance. You have to know what scores you
need and which waves will get you there.”
Competitive surfing is given little credit as a strategic sport
due to the fact that most people have never tried the sport or seen
it in action.
“There is a strategy to everything you do during a
heat,” McMahon said.
“You have to know which waves to protect, how to match
yourself up against the other surfers’ strengths and be able
to compete in five or six heats at each meet. You only learn these
tricks through years of experience.”
The UCLA surf team is coming off a strong performance in 2004,
qualifying for the finals of the Western Championships for the
first time in team history and taking 10th place in the NSSA.
“We are really stoked about our finish last year and
expect to do better next year,” Manee said. “Our entire
team is back and we all have improved since last year over the
summer. We should be a lot more competitive.”
The NSSA is typically dominated by the University of San Diego,
UC San Diego and many community colleges that boast former
professional surfers. Most programs are also located much closer to
quality surf.
Members of the UCLA team usually travel to El Porto or Zuma
Beach for decent waves, two destinations that are over 20 minutes
away.
“It is a lot of fun competing against guys we have grown
up with and competing against since we were in middle
school,” Manee said. “It forces you to perform at a
higher level when you can only get out a couple times a week with
school and everything else.”
Every member of the team is able to balance academics with their
team responsibilities; foremost among them is team captain and
fundraiser Kelsey Folgner, who is the team’s primary female
competitor.
“Kelsey is definitely someone who doesn’t fit the
stereotype of a typical surfer,” McMahon said.
“She is majoring in engineering and takes care of all the
team’s fund-raising. She is very motivated and also won a few
meets last year in the women’s division.”
Regardless of the sport’s popularity on campus, Manee,
McMahon and Folgner continue to love the sport they grew up with
and have been competing in since middle school.
“Surfing just becomes part of who you are,” McMahon
said. “The competitive side of surfing is another way to
enjoy the sport. But when it comes down to it, if there is
something to surf, I will be there.”
