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September 2, 2008
A summer of surfing for Hatteras Island’s youngsters
With Slideshow By DANIEL PULLEN  I remember when I was in school. I would stare out the window all day for the last month with one thing on my mind -- the beach. I was wondering what it was going to feel like to sleep in everyday and spend all day at the beach. Never mind getting absolutely burned to a crisp-- that was secondary to the reality that I would be surfing “my brains out” all day. I really miss those days. Now with a wife and two kids and a business of my own, I rarely get the time to go surfing just for fun. If I do get a chance, I am usually preaching at the local kids about sun protection, or rather, their lack of sun protection. Some of the kids have probably gotten sick of me talking to them about sunscreen, but I won’t mention any names, Benny and Wolfi. These kids have “the life.” Usually every morning, before everyone in the house gets up, I go for a morning surf check. In the past year, though, I have come to disguise my ritual surf check, as “scouting for bunny rabbits” so my daughter Makenzey will go with me. As I pull up in the parking lot, I see parents dropping their kids off with back packs and surfboards to spend all day surfing. In the evening when my business takes me back to the beach, I see the same kids getting picked up -- all crusty and sunburned. I hate being a grownup. My son started pre-kindergarten at school this past week. How did I get this old? It was hard to see him go, knowing all that happens when you start going to school -- name calling, bullies, girls, and cooties. But as I put him on the school bus and watched all of the cars coming to and from school, I saw the groms (little surfers) getting dropped off, not at the beach, but at school. Same drill, the only thing that has changed is the destination -- and the thrill. Summer surf is retired until 3 p.m. every weekday when the school bell rings. I suppose the one consolation of being a grownup and missing those summer surf days is that when the surf is up in the fall, I’m there, and I can laugh while the groms are all stuck in school. So, these photos of local groms surfing are for all the kids returning to school. Remember the good ol’ days. I will be thinking of you when I am out surfing -- NOT. Have fun at school, everybody. Click Here To View Slideshow |
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