Interview with Coach Murphy

After an interview with Coach Murphy he gave me some inside on the standards and expectations ect. of Surf P.E.

Surf P.E. is in state standards for physical education
Helps channel kids with IEP's
Different activities for overall fitness besides strictly surfing
Helps with buying, less bullying seen overall
Fitness level is deduced by the swim test, which also determines your eligibility to enter the class


Most people think that surf pe is just any old class that schools offer. Wrong! Surf pe is a class that not only teaches you to have fun and enjoy yourself, but that you can do so while also getting a school credit for it. Surf pe is for adolescents that either surf, want to surf, or even thought about surfing.

(How to) Teach Children How to Surf

A how to guide was recently posted to About.com instructing coaches how to teach children the art of surfing. In order to be a successful teacher, it would be beneficial to know how to deal with teaching beginners.
The best thing you can do is be supportive, get the pupil's confidence up, make them feel like they are doing well and inspire them to keep going. If you have patience and stick with it, they will eventually learn. Just start out in whitewash and work your way up.  Source

Picking Out the Right Surfboard for a Beginner

There is a guide on the Surfing Handbook website that instructs beginners how to pick out the right surfboard. Because some kids in surf PE are completely new to surfing, I think this is a helpful website.
First off, one should get a used board. They are sold in plenty of locations around San Diego, and are much cheaper than buying a new one.
Secondly, a beginner must decide which style of surfing they want, longboarding or shortboarding. Short boards offer more maneuverability and can pick up speed easily. Long boards on the other hand are more relaxed, and are less flexible when it comes to tricks. Source

Surf Friendly Careers

Transword Surf Online recently posted an article on surf friendly careers. This relates to my topic to help future groms possibly decide which jobs would allow a good, flexible schedule for their surfing hobby. The list is as follows:
1. Firefighter
2. Flight Attendant
3. Surf Magazine Editor
4. Pizza Delivery Guy
5. Lifeguard
6. Teacher
7. Doctor
8. Criminal
9. Asp promoter
10. Surf photographer

I would agree that all of these careers offer plenty of free time for surfing, with flight attendant being my favorite because you could travel for free and go surfing on your down time. The criminal suggestion is mildly funny, perhaps they mean a drug dealer? What could you honestly expect from this  magazine though, I'm not surprised.
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Future Careers for Surfers

Not everyone will be remotely skilled at surfing, but it is possible if you have a real passon for it. The ones who do go professional do it by surfing everyday and competing in contests. If someone was to take surf PE at Point Loma and later decide that they are gifted and would like to go pro, that would be phenomenal.
Especially when you consider how much their salary is. According to Surfline.com, the top 44 male surfers in the sport make a minimum of close to 40,000 dollars a year, if they get dead last every contest. On top of that, their sponsors pay them anywhere from 40-50 thousand dollars annually.
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Legacies Instilled Upon Surf P.E. Students

Surf P.E. benefits children in many ways. It teaches new activities and skills that they will have with them for the rest of their lives.
It builds muscle and lung capacity while the students exercise in the water.
Surfing is not only a sport, but a hobby, which will give kids the drive to do something they love for years to come, inspiring good habits.
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The Possible Downside to Surf PE

According to SURFER magazine, surf pe is not where it should be. Recently, the kids of El Camino High School were out surfing amongst the locals at the beach. A few locals were getting waves and the students thought that they had more of a right to the waves than the locals did.
So they started yelling. And swearing. And lots of other foul trash talk that a 15 year old shouldn't be saying. The coaches were completely oblivious to this, and the talk did not stop until the period was over.
Local hate this, it puts a bad image on today's youth. The author recommends that PE coaches should teach beach edicate along with teaching them how to surf. Perhaps that would lessen the conflicts that arise.
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