When reality hit that my son Enzo was officially addicted to surfing, I have to say I was pretty thrilled. Surfing has been in my life since my Santa Cruz college days, when I first got on a surfboard, inspired by my dear friend Ty. I remember my first board being a 7'2" and I was quite proud of it. I learned at Cowells Beach and then attempted several dozen sessions at Manresa Beach with my college boyfriend, Roger. I eventually moved up to a 9'0" and the gracefulness of a longboard has held me captivated since. I have never had the surf addiction to the extent where I drop everything to get into the newly arrived swell, but I do crave it and try my best to surf once a week. Having a kid that surfs keeps it alive in my world, and encourages me to get out there with him.
My brother Marc is also a surfer. Tio Marc gifted Enzo with his first surfboard when we were visiting in California. It was a wide short board, great for learning on and we finagled a way to fly it back to Mexico for free. Enzo practiced on that board, and that is where his love for surfing sprouted.
Visiting some friends in San Diego a summer later, their young son, Levi, who had previously surfed with Enzo in Sayulita, gifted him his next board. This was a mini board, a 3'10" and it resembled a skim board in size. Enzo soared on that board, taking his surfing to a next level.
As his surfing improved, Enzo began to gain attention from the local surfer boys and from tourists alike. The local guys were (and still are) so awesome with him, towing him into the lineup and giving him preference to catch waves. When he got out from a session, tourists couldn't believe how small he was and with his mini board, he was like a road-side attraction. The cameras and i-phones came out, how many pictures he is in, I will never know. I can't help to get a little giggle every time I see him throwing a shaka when he is getting his picture taken. He is a little surfing sensation.
A guy in our town, Alex, one day approached me and Enzo and said he had a board-shaper friend who was interested in sponsoring younger kids in Sayulita. Nef of Mainland Surfboards chose kids that he saw promise in, with the intention of keeping them focused and active and encouraging them to stay out of the bad scene that can pop up in beach life. After a Skype conference, Enzo had his first board sponsor, with promise of two surfboards a year. From there, Nef introduced us to Nick of Peligro clothing and within a few months, Enzo had his second sponsor- this time for clothing and hats.
This past June, Enzo qualified for Junior Nationals in the 10 and under division. The competition was held in Los Cabos, Baja California. His dad and I thought about it for all of 5 minutes, and decided this was a great opportunity for him to experience a bigger surf competition with a wider arena of competitors. We arrived to San Jose del Cabo and the waves were massive. The event surf spot, Zippers, was double overhead, with a pounding right hand barreling wave. The first few days of the competition as the older categories surfed, Enzo practiced on a smaller wave down the beach. As the day finally arrived for his category, the wave had dropped to a more manageable size for these little groms. Out he paddled, excited and nervous. And he did it. He caught wave after wave, until finally the announcer had to tell him his wave count was maxed and he couldn't catch any more. He won his category and presently is Junior Nationals Champion for Sub 10 category in Mexico.
I don't know where this will all lead to. There are other families in our town that have kids that have made surfing a career, even in their young teen years. I don't want to limit Enzo's potential, but I also don't want to push him into a world of severe competition that requires tons of money to finance. I want him to love surfing for the sport, the joy of being in the ocean. My biggest wish is that we will continue to have lots of opportunities to ride waves together. Nothing has given me more joy than when I see him in front of me on the same, pumping down the line. The life of a surf mom!
