If Blue Crush is your all-time favorite movie, Kelly Slater is your all-time favorite crush, you don’t mind severely chapped lips, and you consider yourself adventurous then it may be time to try your skills at surfing. But let’s face it girls, times are tight, and the probability of some talented surfer offering up his expertise cost-free is slim. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Step 1: SLEEP TIGHT Getting a good night’s sleep will do wonders for your energy and determination the next day- don’t underestimate it. Eat a light, but filling breakfast, like a bowl of oatmeal or some eggs and whole wheat toast. Don’t forget to grab some bottled water for hydration.
Step 2: GEAR UP Find appropriate gear. Along the coast, there’s bound to be a handful of rental stores you can choose from. You need a wet suit, rash guard, and a surfboard with a leash. A foamy long board is the equivalent of training wheels, and will give you the best chance to catch a wave.
Step 3: WARM UP If you are alone, make sure your gear is stashed in a safe place so you can go for a short 10 minute run. Afterwards it’s time to get down and dirty in the sand for a good stretching session. Cramping up when you finally get past the break is kryptonite.
Step 4: DRY RUN Lay your board in soft sand so as not to tweak the fins. Then position yourself on your board slightly edged towards the front. Practice some paddling strokes by digging out the sand directly to your side, keep fingers closed together with an open palm to create a sort of cup. Getting out there when the waves are fighting you is often the hardest part.
Step 5: POP UP Brace yourself by grabbing the rails (sides) of the board just behind your shoulders. After you’ve found your balance, do a quick push-up into standing position with one foot in front. Don’t worry about which foot should be your lead, whichever is most natural for you is the way to go. It must be a quick motion, otherwise you’ll lose energy quicker and just end up on your knees.
Step 6: FINAL WORDS When you feel comfortable popping up, it’s time to go for the real thing. Don your wetsuit, attach your leash, and head out. The only difference between practice and the real thing is, well … the water! But remember: it’s a crazy variable that must be respected.
QUICK TIPS:
• Always know your water before you surf. Go in for a swim first and familiarize yourself with the depth and any rocks or coral that could be dangerous.
• Don’t turn your back to a wave unless you’ve committed to catching it. Otherwise you’re in for nice tumble.
• Use your common sense when it comes to getting past the break. If a wave is already starting to curl, use a “turtle roll” and flip onto your back holding your surfboard tightly to your body. Essentially diving under the wave. If you can make it, paddle as quickly as you can to get over the wave.
• If you have difficulty popping up, try arching your back first with your hands gripping the rails, chest off the board-which gets you halfway there and helps to center your balance.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Media: The Two-Headed Monster
Between YouTube, reality shows and the paparazzi, it seems that anyone can become an overnight celebrity. With global media “shrinking” the size of the world and opening more doors than once thought possible, is privacy a thing of the past?
While some willingly offer themselves up as a sacrifice to the reality TV gods (also known as producers), some are inadvertently thrust into the limelight due to public curiosity. It’s actually unnerving to think that because of some odd thing may have occurred in your life, complete strangers feel as if they have the RIGHT to know what’s going on.
However, the line is becoming increasingly blurred between innocent victim of media infringement and profiteer. Although it has only been 17 years since the premiere of the first reality TV show, MTV’s The Real World, people have gotten wise to the lucrative act of exposing the most intimate moments of life to the entire world (www.reality-tv-online.com). Some stop at nothing to get their 15 minutes, and accordingly, a large paycheck.
Along with every other topic that we, as the public, feel is necessary to cast judgment, we are also charged with determine the individuals’ intent. Was this just a scheme to sell the pictures at outrageous cost to the local rag? Was this a coincidence that this happened within a week of their new business opening? I suppose the general public has elected itself judge and jury in these matters.
Whatever the speculations, the investigative media serves a dual role. Initially the individual is exposed for whatever golden ticket they might possess; then the media proceeds to scavenge for any information that would insight the public’s adoration or hatred.
Of course the most recent example of this frenzy would be the woman dubbed “Octo-Mom.” It was amazing to me how quickly the public opinion shifted from amazement to outrage. When the first details were released about the rare birth of octuplets, there was a minimal amount of hype involved. After all, there are plenty of reality shows that covered this particular curiosity.
Attitudes certainly changed when further inspection of the mother’s situation uncovered some disturbing details. Attempting this kind of multiple birth is a difficult undertaking for any couple, let alone a single mother. When her lack of income and reliance on government assistance was revealed, it was opposed with the sort of passion that only those in extreme financial crisis could emit. Why should someone so blatantly irresponsible and so obviously taking advantage of the system be supported?
For me, the final nail in the coffin of Octo-Mom’s credibility was the attack by her own mother. Already overwhelmed with the burdens her daughter was laying on her shoulders, Angela Suleman related that she’d “never understand” her daughter’s decision in the matter ( www.news.aol.com). This may have been discounted as a bitter mother- daughter relationship, but when Nadya’s father asserted that his daughter is “absolutely irresponsible” and questioned her mental health, the cat was out of the bag (www.news.aol.com).
While some willingly offer themselves up as a sacrifice to the reality TV gods (also known as producers), some are inadvertently thrust into the limelight due to public curiosity. It’s actually unnerving to think that because of some odd thing may have occurred in your life, complete strangers feel as if they have the RIGHT to know what’s going on.
However, the line is becoming increasingly blurred between innocent victim of media infringement and profiteer. Although it has only been 17 years since the premiere of the first reality TV show, MTV’s The Real World, people have gotten wise to the lucrative act of exposing the most intimate moments of life to the entire world (www.reality-tv-online.com). Some stop at nothing to get their 15 minutes, and accordingly, a large paycheck.
Along with every other topic that we, as the public, feel is necessary to cast judgment, we are also charged with determine the individuals’ intent. Was this just a scheme to sell the pictures at outrageous cost to the local rag? Was this a coincidence that this happened within a week of their new business opening? I suppose the general public has elected itself judge and jury in these matters.
Whatever the speculations, the investigative media serves a dual role. Initially the individual is exposed for whatever golden ticket they might possess; then the media proceeds to scavenge for any information that would insight the public’s adoration or hatred.
Of course the most recent example of this frenzy would be the woman dubbed “Octo-Mom.” It was amazing to me how quickly the public opinion shifted from amazement to outrage. When the first details were released about the rare birth of octuplets, there was a minimal amount of hype involved. After all, there are plenty of reality shows that covered this particular curiosity.
Attitudes certainly changed when further inspection of the mother’s situation uncovered some disturbing details. Attempting this kind of multiple birth is a difficult undertaking for any couple, let alone a single mother. When her lack of income and reliance on government assistance was revealed, it was opposed with the sort of passion that only those in extreme financial crisis could emit. Why should someone so blatantly irresponsible and so obviously taking advantage of the system be supported?
For me, the final nail in the coffin of Octo-Mom’s credibility was the attack by her own mother. Already overwhelmed with the burdens her daughter was laying on her shoulders, Angela Suleman related that she’d “never understand” her daughter’s decision in the matter ( www.news.aol.com). This may have been discounted as a bitter mother- daughter relationship, but when Nadya’s father asserted that his daughter is “absolutely irresponsible” and questioned her mental health, the cat was out of the bag (www.news.aol.com).
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