"Win or learn, there is no losing."

June has been a busy and exciting month for me and my family. I surfed a Wahine, went to California twice, spoke at Christian Surfers St. Augustine, and learned a great deal along the way.

The first week of June was spent in Florida. We surfed Ponce Inlet and New Smyrna Beach. While I was in Florida, I was able to speak at the Christian Surfers St. Augustine chapter with my friend Nikki Viesens. I spoke about using your passion to make a kingdom impact. It was a great experience and I was able to speak in front of my friends!

After spending a week surfing Florida, my entire family was able to go up to Folly Beach, South Carolina, to compete in the annual Folly Beach Wahine Classic. The waves were so small the sets were knee high if we were lucky! I ended up getting 2nd in the Fun One, Girls Shortboard, and Girls Longboard. Unfortunately, I was knocked out of the Pro Longboard in  semifinals, but I enjoyed competing in the all-girls contest.  

Not long after that, I went to California for the Surfing America Prime National Championships. The day before the contest, my favorite longboard snapped. Luckily, I had brought a backup board. I competed well, winning my first heat, but got knocked out of quarters by less than 0.05. I enjoyed the experience and learned useful tips and tricks that can help improve my scores in other competitions such as riding the wave all the way in.

After spending a week in Tennessee, my entire family went out to California for the NSSA National Championships. During that time, I surfed Huntington Beach. My first heat was the Explorer Longboard division, where I finished second and moved onto the finals! The day before the rest of my heats in contest, I was freesurfing when my backup longboard snapped into two halves! I couldn’t believe it! I found a board I could ride after searching. The guy that let me borrow a BRAND NEW BOARD was a Christian from Clarksville, Tennessee! I went out in my Explorer Womens Longboard heat, but did not advance. I still had the Explorer Longboard final where I finished 6th in the nation. I was the only girl in the heat AND I was on a borrowed board! I definitely learned a lot from breaking my boards (like bring extra boards!). I cannot wait for all of the competitions in California next year!

June was certainly amazing and full of learning opportunities. I cannot wait to see what July brings, but until next time… save me a wave!