Lying on my chunky blue surfboard, I craned my neck back to the right to see a wave growing higher and closer to where I was floating in the shallow water. “See that one?” asked my surf instructor, Nicole Pratt. “You’re going to catch it.” On my first day surfing in Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit at [...]

Most people who surf on a regular basis are strong, fit individuals in very good shape.  I cannot think of any professional surfer who isn’t in top physical condition.  However, surfing is a sport that requires both physical and mental strength.  It incorporates endurance, power, coordination, balance and most importantly, determination to commit to catching [...]

I’ve just returned from my first women’s surf trip that I organized to the North Shore of Oahu in Hawaii, typically referred to as surfing’s “Mecca.” It was my first time away from my boys, but I went with four great women, including my sister, Sherrie. All of us are at different levels of surfing, [...]

by Michelle Sommers, Featured Athlete | Surfing is my passion. It’s what I live for, and I am a better wife, mother, friend, and person after I spend time in the ocean. If you know someone who surfs — woman or man –you know how much happier they are after a surf session. Most of the time it’s easy to get out there, and you just can‘t wait…

Meet Karen of Portland, Oregon, winner of the Las Olas Surf Safari Scholarship: “Karen is an amazing wife and mother. She provided the strength that held our family together through one of the most difficult times a family could imagine. For a year and a half our daughter Claire fought brain cancer. At one point she went into remission. We thought it was a good time for us to have another child. However, when it came time to announce to everyone the great news, we learned some bad news…”