I took my first trip to Costa Rica when I was ten years old. When I heard we were going surfing I didn’t think I would be any good because I had never done it before. Once I actually got on the surfboard I found it was easy for me. I remember thinking, “Where did this skill come from? Maybe I’m just a natural!” We went again in 2019 I realized that my skill at surfing was directly related to my skill in skateboarding. They are similar concepts except you are on the water instead of using wheels on the concrete. I use similar practices in maneuvering, body positioning, and weight distribution. I am proficient in skateboarding so I just applied these practices to surfing. 

Surfing has many challenges that I was not ready for when I began. First, I learned that you get very few chances to actually catch a wave. With skateboarding, if you fall you can simply get back on your board and try again immediately. With surfing, if you fall at the beginning of the wave you have to swim back out and wait to catch another wave. 

Second, I learned there is more to surfing than just getting on the board. I needed to fight my way beyond the waves that were crashing in my face to get to where the waves originally form so I can catch one. I got pushed back by a wave. And then another. And another. It’s an unbearable, unstoppable force that repeatedly slammed my body backwards no matter how hard I fought to get past it. And every time the wave defeated me, I felt like all of my hard work was undone. When I was trying to catch a wave I couldn’t just float through the water, I had to focus my mind solely on getting past the wave. Solving that problem helped me discern situations where I had to stay focused. 

Third, I learned that competition brought out the best in me. When I was surfing I wasn’t just competing with myself, I was competing with other powerful forces that I did not understand, and that I could not control. When I was skateboarding I could control more of the variables - the ground was fixed, it never moved. With surfing, I was fighting against nature. I felt more pressure to reach my goal because I was fighting against the waves, not just my own mistakes, and therefore I didn’t give up as easily. I felt compelled to go out and catch another wave, to get back up on my board and fight to maintain balance. 

I have only been surfing for two years, but in those two years I have learned that I only get a few chances to make something happen, and that I have to decide when to focus and what to focus on. I will continue to improve my surfing skills and apply those lessons to life.