Sport isn’t usually Gynosome’s cup of tea; in fact tea isn’t really Gynosome’s cup of tea either- glass of vodka? Does that work? Anyway, Sport isn’t something that tends to be reported on in this magazine because, well, it just doesn’t really interest us that often. What does interest us, however, is a passion so fervent it drives women across the country, across the world even. The University of the Arts Surf Club is a club unlike most others; the women of this association make rugby clubs look lazy and wrestling teams look weak. Now it may seem odd, a surf community based in a city astray from the sea, but that’s what makes this particular alliance so compelling; their love comes down to much more than convenience or opportunity- they don’t let their location stop them from riding waves. With it being the Mother Nature issue, also, it’s the perfect time to talk to three of their most dedicated members, Alex, Grace and Catrin, about their devotion to the ocean.
These three sportswomen are all London based arts students that spend their free time either training in three-hour yoga and cardio sessions (we’re sweating just thinking about it) or travelling and spending time in England’s beaches and once a year a foreign location. Alex, the social secretary of the one hundred-member club, says she’s ‘in love with the sea’. The thing with this sport is it’s more than just that to these women. It isn’t about winning or losing, their relationship and connection to nature is what makes this special.
‘As long as we’re in the sea it doesn’t matter’ believes Alex, being in the ocean and out of the city is all that matters to them. Grace studies theatre design and has been involved in ballet for many years but says she’s ‘more engaged in surf’. Catrin, a graphic design student, has been obsessed with surfing since she was six years old and would watch her dad surfing, ‘I remember my dad surfing and I would follow him into the sea, as soon as I could get on a board I was in there with him’.
This club has an emotional attachment to it’s recreation- ‘it sounds quite spiritual, but surfing and being in the sea is otherworldly’, Alex and the other girls clearly have a connection to nature that rivals any human love. Perhaps that is what makes this group extraordinary- their sport is between earth and mortal, rather than man and ball.
The clan has faced some confusion, and even ridicule, for their choice of pastime amidst the city. No one ever believes they’re for real, ‘they always say ‘you’re a surf club in London! What? Where?’’ laughs Alex. They face questioning on the practicality and point in their action; Grace said her friends asked if they surf The Thames and Catrin said ‘someone thought I made it up’. Sure, their club might not make immediate sense but apparently that’s one of the best parts. ‘Being in the actual ocean and out of a city- that’s all that matters. That’s why I do it’ Alex expresses. They all have their reasons as to why all the effort is worth it, too. For Grace it’s the moment when ‘you get there and you’re actually doing it’ and for Catrin it’s ‘catching a wave’.
What Gynosome understood instantly from speaking to these women was that they’re completely comfortable with one another and themselves. Throughout our discussion they complimented and supported each other; which definitely can’t be said of most sports, or most humans for that matter. Passing comments such as ‘you’re so good at it’ and describing their peer’s success as ‘amazing to watch’ is incredibly refreshing to here.
Grace describes that their choice of activity is ‘not like a football team or netball team where everyone’s really competitive, it’s quite chilled’. Grace, at just nineteen years old, actually had quite a few words of wisdom to spare on surfing; ‘no one can control the waves completely, everyone has fallen off no matter how good you are, so everyone can understand and support one another. There’s no judgement’. Whilst other athletes fight and compete, surfing offers complete support and companionship- ‘you can just go out by yourself or with your team and if you’re not having a good day and keep falling off you all just support one another’. The girls all agreed that it’s far more important to be concerned with a wave than concerning yourself with others failures- which is a mantra that can be applied to all ways of life.
Some of the club members’ commitment to nature expands further than just surfing, according to the girls; ‘we have one member that refuses to swim in a pool. It has to be natural water she swims in, unless it’s extreme circumstances, she hates the chemicals and the chlorine. The sea is a much more natural experience’. These three actually agreed with this ideology, and they believe that relying on nature so heavily has made them more aware of nature and how we treat it.
Surfing is so influential on Alex’s life that she spends her non-surfing hours helping to give back to the sea, ‘a lot of my work is involved with waste disposal, cleaning up plastic in the ocean, how plastic degrades over time and how it affects the bays and the reefs’. Catrin also shares this fervor, ‘I'm so angry at how we treat the environment. I'm very passionate about it’. They all support the organization ‘Surfer Against Sewage’ and feel it’s their duty to repay the water for what it gives to them.
The sea not only provides a hobby for UAL’s surf club, but these three women feel it has given them somewhere to call home; ‘I feel more comfortable being in the sea than on land’ confessed Alex, Catrin says its where she feels the best and Grace said she’d rather live under the water then on the moon (assuming the moon is meant to be an appealing habitat).
