You might carry your gym bag in your car, just in case you have time for a quick workout. Or maybe you have your golf clubs in the trunk, just in case.

Imagine, though, trying to keep a surfboard in your car, because there’s a chance you’ll have some spare time. Or, as someone said, “in case you need to have a ‘board’ meeting.” Among surfers, living with a surfboard within reach is, as far as I can tell, a borderline cultural or religious ritual. Surfing goes way beyond just being a sport.

Have you seen the bumper sticker that says, “Surf forever”? Rocky Amundson, vice president of the Rocky Group in Oahu, Hawaii, said that to him, surfing is a spiritual experience that is as important to him today in his “later life” as it was during his younger years.

The Rocky Group is a manufacturer’s rep firm located in the Hawaiian islands. Rocky is 55, a responsible business owner, citizen, husband and the father of two. But I bet if you ask Rocky for a one-word description of himself, he’d say, “Surfer.”

He started surfing when he was 12 in California, and — apart from the time he spent in Vietnam — has never really stopped surfing. Rocky has always loved the water, and bought his first surfboard at a garage sale. He’d drag it to the beach and before he knew it, he was hooked.

Hawaii is a surfer’s dream. Rocky went there to teach a work-related seminar, and ended up staying. He says he never seemed to fit in on the mainland. “But,” he said, “I have a nice comfort level in Hawaii. In Hawaii, surfing is a regular part of life. I live across the street from someone who’s known to the locals as a legend.” A surfing legend, that is.

Would he make any changes in his surfing career? Rocky said he’d surf more. “There’s a lot of peace of mind that comes from being able to still do something that physical as I get older. It’s a singular experience.” He says his plans are to surf every Wednesday morning (“It’s better than sitting in traffic”) and on Saturdays and Sundays when the waves are good. But he hasn’t been able to carry out those plans. Yet.

Jeff Leong, western regional manager for SCA Tissue, lives in southern California, where he regularly surfs in Salt Creek, Calif. He wouldn’t tell me how often, except to say, “as often as I can.” Jeff is a Maryland native and actually started surfing in the Atlantic Ocean. His favorite place to surf is Fiji with its 1,000 islands, countless reefs and surf camps.

Surf camps? “Yes,” Jeff said. “It’s like a private golf resort, except that it caters to surfers. The place I like to go houses only 20 surfers and has private rights to some incredible reefs.” Reef waves are close to being perfect, Jeff said.

I asked Jeff if he had any words of advice for anyone who wants to start surfing. “Don’t do it. It takes too much time. Plus, every time someone new learns, that means there’s one more person who wants to come to California to surf. Actually, the best place to learn is on Waikiki beach in Hawaii. It’s beginner-friendly, easy to find a good teacher, the waves are great, the price is right, and the water temperature is perfect.”

This sport is sounding better all the time. I figured that trying to stand up on a surfboard would be the difficult part. Not so, according to Rocky. “First of all, paddling out to where the waves break takes a lot of energy and makes you pretty tired. Once you get out and are ready to surf, standing up is easy. The hardest part is catching the wave.”

Yes, but things can go wrong, can’t they? Like low tides, sharks, and big waves? According to Rocky and Jeff, these things aren’t problems. You don’t have time to worry about them. Surfing is all about having fun, feeling refreshed, and being a better, happier, and more spiritual person.

Gretchen Roufs, a 15-year janitorial supply industry veteran, owns Auxiliary Marketing Services of San Antonio, Texas. To suggest someone you think should be featured in “freetime,” contact her at (210) 601-4572.




POSTED ON: 7/1/2001