1

Chase Stodden

Mr. Robert Arnold

UWRT 1101-073

September 21, 2015

Literacy Narrative

I am from the Outer Banks, North Carolina. Me being from the Outer banks, one could

assume that I like the beach and that I go all the time; they would be totally correct. Ever since I

was child, I have loved going to the beach. I mean who doesn't like the beach? Actually, there is

a surprisingly large amount of people who do not care for the beach, but that is beside the point.

Because of my many beach ventures, starting when I was a little boy, I could not help myself in

loving the ocean. So as I got older, I took upon the sport of surfing.

My interest for watersports started when I was young. Just like any other child at the

beach, I loved to ride “boogie boards” or also known as body boards; especially when the waves

would break just before the shore and the wave would carry you all the way to the dry sand. It is

a thrilling moment to ride a body board as a child and, as an adult, I can still say that I

thoroughly enjoy grabbing a body board every now and then to take to the waves. Body boards

never fail to excite and are always fun no matter what the conditions may be.

Throughout my constant beach outings, I always paid close attention to the people with

the unique fiberglass boards, surfers. I describe surfboards with the word unique because every

board is different. A quality surfboard is handmade my shaper; therefore, there is no way for a

board to be the same as another. Surfboards come in different shapes, sizes, colors, and have

different fin configurations. I like to think of surfboards as a surfer’s weapon and every surfer

chooses their preferred weapon to take on the waves based on the conditions for a particular day.

2

It was my 13th birthday when my parents decided to finally buy me my first surfboard.

My first board was nothing special nor was it manmade. The company who made it is called

Channel Islands and they manufacture boards with the use of machines on a huge scale making

them one of the largest mass producers of surfboards. While the quality of their boards is nice,

they do not compare to a board made by a professional shaper. My Dad is part of the reason why

I wanted to get into surfing and was also the first person to take notice to my interest in surfing

and him being a bit of a surfer himself, he loved the idea of me getting into the sport. My first

board was a 6’4” gun with a three fin configuration which is typically used by people who have

been into the sport for a while; With that being said, I think my first board should have been a

longboard because, compared to a short board, it is much easier to stand up on and maintain

balance.

It was early spring when my Dad and I took to the beach for our first time surfing

together one early morning. I wanted to go really early to avoid the chance of lots of surfers

being out in the water due to my fear of others watching me fail at surfing. I had checked the surf

report the day before to make sure it was even worth our time going, which it was with waves

getting up to about chest to head high. On the way there, my Dad went over some basic things

that I needed to know like how to pop up quickly on the board and where to position my feet

after I did so, but I was so excited that all the things that he told me went through one ear and out

the other. I like to blame it on the topless jeep and my hearing being deafened. When we first

arrived at the beach my first thought was, there are way more people here then I though there

would be at seven in the morning. Due to the water temperature of the ocean being so cold,

wetsuits were a must. After putting our wetsuits on, we went straight into the water. My wetsuit

was a spring suit, meaning that it only went down to my knees and it was not the thickest of

3

wetsuits, but it was the right suit for the job. The water was only numbing to my legs, feet, and

hands; fortunately, the tingling goes away and the feeling in those parts of the body fades. I was

out in the water with my Dad for a total of about two hours, but it felt like I had been out there all

day. As I was out in the water paddling around on the board some and sitting on it as well, I was

very timid to go after a wave. I would just lay there on my board watching my Dad catch wave

after wave, looking for some inspiration and motivation. He would tell me that there was nothing

to be afraid of and that I would do fine, but I wasn’t afraid of the actual surfing part. I was afraid

of failing and letting other people watch me fail scared me even more. Then as I lay on the board

I thought to myself, everybody out here in the water that is on a surfboard was a beginner at

some point in their life. Thinking this helped me tremendously. I then set out for my first wave,

looking in the distance for quality sets. When I spotted one that I wanted to take on, I started

paddling as hard as I could. Hard enough to the point where I could really feel a soreness in my

shoulders and back. I had done it, I caught my first wave! Prior to catching that wave, I did not

think about what I would do after I finally caught the wave. I realized that as soon as the wave

started to propel me forward and there was no way off of the wave. It was all happening so

quickly and I had little time to think about what I would do next. So what did I do? Absolutely

nothing. I remained in the laying down position on the surfboard and rode that wave as if I was

on a little 50” body board. I was so embarrassed after that happened and did not want to be out in

the water any longer. Along with being embarrassed, I was disappointed in myself. I promised

myself that the next time I took my surfboard out, I will catch a wave and I will stand up.

On the way home from the beach, the car ride was very quiet, minus the roaring wind

from driving in a topless vehicle, and I did not speak a word. When we got home, I went straight

4

to the computer and watched video after video, all about surfing. I devoted all of my free time to

trying to further my knowledge in surfing. I did not want another experience like my first.

The next time I ended up going to the beach, I stood up. As I caught the wave that would

eventually lead to my first time standing up, everything seemed almost as it was in slow motion.

It was nothing like my first time attempting to ride a wave. I paddled until I felt the wave drive

me forward toward the shore and then I began to try and pop up on the board. Not being strong

enough yet to immediately jump to my feet, I first went to one knee. And from that knee to both

of my feet on the board, positioning my right foot on the traction pad that was located on the tail

end of my board and my left foot at about the center of the board that was covered in wax. I had

done it. I successfully caught a wave and stood up. Although I was not standing up for long

before I fell, it was the best feeling in the world. I felt accomplished and I was proud of myself. I

did not stand up the first wave I went after, but I attempted and fell. That gave me motivation to

want to get back on the board and get it right.

It was not long after that day that I was wanting to go to the beach every chance I could.

Every time from that day forward, I was riding more and more waves and becoming more

experienced than I had ever thought I would be. It is such a thrilling feeling when I am out in the

water seeking for waves and just feeling the ocean is something special. The steps that I took to

actually being able to surf sound so easy in my mind when I think back, but it was very difficult

and I did not succeed at first. Although, not succeeding helped me in a way. It made me become

more literate in the sport of surfing and it helped me realize that failing is almost necessary to

learn.