Here’s to groms having a good time

Twelve-year-old Jordan van Eek, who attends Stirling Primary and Crystal Kruger, Lilyfontein Primary, are best buddies. I had the pleasure of catching a few waves with the girls last Sunday at Yellow Sands and they were having a ripping yarn. You have never seen so much fun. They were surfing with Olly Pascoe and friends as well as an old journalist a little further down the line.

A quote from writer Robert Ruark springs to mind: “The best thing about hunting and fishing,” the old man said, “is that you don’t actually have to do it to enjoy it. You can go to bed every night thinking about how much fun you had 20 years ago, and it all comes back clear as moonlight.”

Much the same can be said about surfing and now as I am getting deeper into the back end of my years, with a busted knee, this might be what I am looking forward to.

The fortunate thing is I am able to enjoy my surfing vicariously. It puts a smile on my face to see groms having a good time and being smart in the water.

These two girls are water savvy. They have learnt to surf with dad Ivan van Eek and a barrage of custodians at Yellows and Nahoon Beach. The older surfers at Yellows have a particular heart for stewardship and always keep an eye out for all the groms.

Yellow Sands, although being a river mouth is a good, safe learning space for beginners but be sure to ask lots of questions of the elders and never paddle out alone if you are a beginner — an outgoing tide could take you a long way out to sea if you don’t know what you are doing, a spook like this could put an end to your career before it starts.

Like I say though, the girls are smart — they both crack about 86 or 87% for their school aggregates and their manners are good, ensuring they are welcome back at Yellow Sands any time. Apart from bright, Jordan and Crystal are super fit athletes.

Just the day before Jordan was on water polo treadathon training. The cheerful young lady trod water for one hour and amassed a total of 78 laps while doing it. How fit do primary school water polo athletes need to be?

None the worse for wear Jordan was in the water for hours surfing the next day after her treadathon. The waves were not big. Just the way I like it these days, and so the girls and Olly elected to ride soft top bodyboards rather than their regular surfboards in the feisty little peak exactly in the river mouth current.

Mostly they made all their late take-offs but wipeouts were taken with equal humour. Crystal’s role model is Bethany Hamilton: “I don’t need easy, I just need possible,” and also from Ms Hamilton: “Courage doesn’t mean you don’t get afraid. Courage means you don’t let fear stop you.”

Both girls are also all over the hockey field and netball court. Proud dad Ivan says, “Jordan keeps me in line, she keeps me on my toes.”

Seeing as he often has to play chaperone to the girls, it means he has to be in the water on weekends. Rather fortunate for Ivan because this keeps his fitness and health ticking over as well.

Pushing Ivan further up the popularity charts — he has built a half-pipe skateboard ramp in his back yard. When the surf is not working, the girls and their 100 best friends are at the skateboard pipe.

Skateboards are not for the faint-hearted or those with brittle bones or doubtful hamstrings. This fact is well proven in East London. But for the young, agile, flexible and with supple ability to bounce back, it is a sure fire way to develop toughness, technique and fitness.

I do hope our girls can hold on to their surfing out the back end of schooling and into varsity. Godfather of freestyle-skating and genius Rodney Mullen has a TED Talk “On getting up again” and featured in this is a clip on Danny Wills that near brings tears to my eyes. One commentator quips: “Skateboarding is just a notch up from a lot of sports in how tough you have to be,” and from motocross/supercross champion Jeremy McGrath: “In order to achieve greatness you have to go through a lot of pain.”

While the Mullen presentation is fantastic may I suggest to our young ladies — keep to the skate ramp in the back yard girls, surf anything that floats and have fun. I see you already are.