Category: What she said

Advice for Beginners

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I asked an Amiga – Tiffany Joh, who happens to be a second year pro on the LPGA tour, and our newest fastest learner ever – if she had any advice for others. She didn’t have an answer on the spot, but sent us an email after she got home and had a chance to think about it a bit. I love advice and think she nailed it with these suggestions…

sj volcano

Holly– the last night you asked me if I had any “beginner awesomeness” advice, and I was kind of caught off-guard; no one’s really asked me a question like that before.  I mean, let’s face it, If I get up in the morning and remember to put on underwear, it’s a pretty good day for me.

But on the flight back home, I was reflecting on my week and I DID realize one thing I learned over the course of the retreat: How to truly relish the experience of being a beginner.

If most people are like me, they like to stick to their strengths.  It’s a lot easier on the ego and no one really enjoys being the “kook” in any situation, especially as you get older;  I feel like I’ve always been in a rush to grow out of the novice stage, but honestly, isn’t being a beginner the coolest part?  And even as we get better at something, isn’t it beneficial to still have that beginner mindset?

sj gallop

This week was a week of firsts for me.  Not just with the surfing, but horseback riding, doing a headstand, volcano boarding, and (cough) Mojitos…and every day I felt like I was learning something new and climbing a steep learning curve.  If we went into every experience with the humility and “froth” of a beginner, imagine how much less critical of ourselves we’d be and how much more fun we’d have.

So that’s my revised answer to the question.   Leave your ego at the airport, lean into your weaknesses, and savor the process of getting better.

Dale Pues!

xx Sloppy Joh (aka Tiffany)

sj bomb right

 

Thank You and Testimonial from Amiga Kathy

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We love getting thank yous from Amigas. It helps reinforce our feeling that what we’re doing not only provides a ton of fun and surfing knowledge but that it can also be more than that. We often get Amigas coming down who just really need to get away. Whether it’s a recent relationship breakup, job change, family heartache, or just re-evaluating life choices, sometimes it’s more than a vacation that people are looking for. Getting an email like this makes us smile to realize that we were able to help someone beyond just improving their pop-up. See below for Kathy’s message. Thanks Kathy!

I was definitely missing Nicaragua already when I got out of the airport to rain and 5 degrees the other night. Although I did get a pretty excited welcome from this girl (aka best snuggler ever), which mostly made me forget hammocks for a moment.

doggy

While I know you can’t take total credit for how awesome the other people in our group were ;), you guys totally set the tone for a supportive, joyful, trusting place. The fact that it’s paradise with a tropical bird chorus every morning doesn’t hurt either, nor do the great teaching skills both surf and yoga-wise.

kathy relax

Oversharing time, but it’s relevant. My dad passed away (cancer) in October, and while that was sad more than painful (if that makes any sense), it definitely ranks up there as one of life’s more stressful events. I was looking to get away, to turn off responsibilities and cares for a little bit and reset my happy meter, and what I found far exceeded my expectations. Don’t get me wrong!! – I’m not conflating surfing camp with Tara’s wilderness therapy (that sounds like a BAD IDEA for both you guys and anyone expecting something like that), but I found the week to be really healing. Having an ear to ear grin for most of the day, doing something like catching a wave, which just like dancing or riding fresh powder or watching my dog wriggle around on her back fills me with pure joy (oh wait, there WAS also dancing and watching dogs be their goofy wonderful selves!), being around people who are fun, engaged in the world and interesting and also are open and compassionate, and beautiful surroundings, good food, getting exercise, being outside all day…..those are my personal ingredients for some serious recharging and self-care. Which is what I MEANT to try to say the morning I left, instead of getting all teary 🙂

Thanks! y muchas besos,

Kathy

kathy wave grab

Gender Equality – Sometimes Guys are Allowed

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DE5Xd5BmIxo]
Most of the time ladies get all the fun. It’s like a week-long girls’ night out and we like it that way! We don’t have to worry about showing too much crack, high pitched squeals, calling waves “cute”, or incessant girl talk. Sometimes though, for guys that come highly recommended by Amigas, we do allow some testosterone into the group. Why not? We like guys too!
Meet John – a lifeguard from LA who has done some acting, who isn’t afraid to call a wave “cute” or shake his hips on the dance floor with steamy salsa style.
He came down to improve his surfing and left the retreat feeling a lot better!
If you’ve got a great guy friend who isn’t afraid to get silly with the girls, send him our way! We have a guy friendly retreat Feb 1-8 2013 with a few spots remaining!

Melissa Scores on Big Waves, Fast Horses, and Volcanoes in Nicaragua

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qz8-yvC2DE]

Melissa is famous. She’s so famous that she needs to keep a low profile sometimes. For these reasons we cannot tell you her last name or exactly who she works for, but let’s just say she is a super hot, super talented Amiga and we’re honored to now call her a friend. She came down for a week of surf and yoga and scored on big waves, fast horses, and extreme volcano boarding.

We were stoked to hang out with her and are really looking forward to having her back!

Rox Disobeys Her Strict Parents to Go Surfing

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGjarnGmPJA]
Rox grew up in the Philippines with strict parents that claimed surfing was too dangerous. When she was 27 she moved to San Francisco and as soon as she got a car she also got a surfboard, and finally followed her dream of learning to surf. Two years later, she is loving her life spent in the ocean as much as possible. She came to Nicaragua to improve and loved it, especially the horseback riding.

I grew up in Southern California but my mom also thought surfing was too dangerous for a nice young lady. Fortunately I only had to wait until I was 15 and I had friends with cars until I could disobey my parents and go surfing. I was so inspired to hear Rox’s story because I could definitely relate.

It’s never too late, and anything is possible!

Chelsea Rides a 6’1 Fish in Nicaragua

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[youtube=http://youtu.be/rkCPX-1nLRM]

Chelsea Denning is a 27 year old shortboarder from Southern California. She came to Nicaragua to improve her surfing and went from riding a 6’6 to a 6’1 fish. She made new surfing friends, checked out an awkward mother’s day celebration nica-style, and had an amazing time.