Gear
Gear manufacturers have realised that lots of women like the outdoors and they're different shapes from men. Here's what's out there, and where you can buy it.
Surf Ache
Surf ache - according to Gerry Bobsien, this is “a state of being where all one can think of is getting back onto the waves”. Surf Ache is also the name of Gerry’s new book, all about - you guessed it - surfing! The book is also about how young people cope with change and how the process of getting out there, being active and becoming immersed in a passion can help with this. There are also some interesting facts about the ups and downs of professional surfing, and about how hard the early women pro-surfers had to fight to keep themselves in the competitive circuit.Surf Ache is about Ella, a 15 year old who is dragged away from her life and friends in Melbourne to the coastal town of Newcastle. “Melbourne-Ella” is a ballet dancer with a bass-playing boyfriend, but “Newcastle-Ella” quickly discovers surfing when she arrives in the surf-obsessed town. She soon becomes surf-obsessed herself, utterly succumbing to the surf ache, and then has to make decisions about which direction her life will lead.
Gerry is a keen surfer herself, and has obviously put a lot of her own passion into Surf Ache. The sport of surfing has changed in the past few years and there are a growing number of girls surfing and Gerry, who used to write a surf blog, realised that this would be a great topic for a book. Gerry lives in Newcastle and she admits that her two daughters influenced the characters in Surf Ache. She also says that Ella’s Mum, a former pro-surfer with a mysterious history, is loosely based on the great Australian surfer Pam Burridge, who worked extremely hard to establish her place in the then male-dominated world of professional surfing.
Surf Ache is an easy, enjoyable read. There are some delightful characters, in particular Ella’s little sister Creaky who is cheeky, funny, vibrant and truly lives life to the full. The infectious nature of surfing is well portrayed, as is the hard work that is involved in excelling in an activity like dancing or surfing. There is enough mystery to keep you reading through to the end (you want to find out what happened to Ella’s Mum on the pro-surfing circuit), and even a bit of romance to spice things up.
The only thing I found a little disconcerting about the book was how blessed Ella is as a person. Not only is she beautiful, talented, popular and from a loving and happy family, she also turns out to be an incredibly good surfer. She gets headhunted for a prestigious dance academy even though she spends all her time surfing, and then she does really well in a surfing competition and gets invited to a special surf camp overseas. She meets her new best friend on the first day she attends her new school, and her only “enemy” is rarely around. She leaves behind a loving boyfriend in Melbourne and almost immediately befriends a gorgeous surfer in Newcastle. Perhaps I’m old and bitter, but I couldn’t quite relate to Ella, she was a little bit too perfect.
Nevertheless, I do recommend the book to girls who are interested in surfing or dancing or any activity that involves hard work, commitment and some healthy competition. I liked the fact that Ella didn’t face any setbacks because she was a girl in a boys’ sport, and that she could approach her surfing in exactly the same way she approached her ballet dancing. Surf Ache shows what girls can be capable of when they put their minds to it and discover their potential. So if you’re a teenager or you know a teenager who is looking for an easy, entertaining read, go to your local bookshop and pick up a copy of Surf Ache. If you think your potential is surfing, there are even some surf tips in the back!
You can check out the Surf Ache website and find the Surf Ache page on Facebook.
You can read the Surf Ache Surfing Tips by clicking this link: Surf Ache Surfing Tips.pdf
If you'd like a preview of the book, download a copy of the Chapter Sampler by clicking this link: SURFACHE CHAPTER SAMPLER.pdf
If you would like to win a copy of Surf Ache and you're based in Australia or New Zealand, send me a 25 word statement about how outdoor activities influenced you as a teenager, via the forum, email, Twitter (@GirlsOutdoors) or Facebook. I have three copies to give away and the best responses will be posted as a blog entry. Entries close on the 15th of December. Good luck!!