This past Friday, several lucky members of the BGCH spent Prince Kuhio Day surfing with Coco Ho! Zack & Nicolette from Aliamanu, Dayane from Spalding, and Tyler and Sean from the Windward Clubhouse, along with staff from all three clubs met up with Coco and her cousin Makoa to make a film about why they love to surf. It was pretty windy at Kalamas and the surf was a bit tough, but with the help of Joey from Windward, all of the kids were able to catch a few waves and get footage of them surfing with the Go Pro mounted to their board. When they weren't in the water, they were warming up on the beach! Coco interviewed all of the youth to find out exactly what it is about surfing that is just so special to them.Here's what Dayane had to say about hanging out with Coco all day: "My favorite part with Coco Ho was when I was doing the interview with her, and I got to know a little bit about her life and what is surfing to her...I loved it! She is great! (; "
To get an idea of what some of the youth shared on camera, check out some of their responses to a questionnaire they filled out before they participated:
"Surfing is fun...it's something that you have to work for, it's not something that you're given. It's a great feeling when you get up on the board and catch the wave." ~Zack
"Surfing for me feels like I am all alone on my own, only concentrated on surfing and nothing else. I just wanna get there, do my thing and forget about everything else." ~Dayane"My first wave... I was at Kailua beach, a short walk from my best friend's house and my little brother was showing off his "skills." I started making fun of him and he challenged me to do it myself since I had never tried before. I grabbed the board and ran right into the water and it took a few tries but eventually I caught a wave and actually stood up on it... it was the best feeling ever and at that moment I decided I was going to get my own board and start surfing on a regular basis. .... Surfing is like... well you really can't compare surfing to anything. It just gives you a rush, like a natural high. Sitting out there waiting for a perfect wave, watching the sets and memorizing their pattern, and then getting right on the crest of the wave, pulling yourself up and dropping in. It's pretty amazing (:" ~Nikki
"The first wave I caught? I was surfing a 9'0" at Castle, it was a nice day to surf. It was 1-2 feet and tons of people were out. My brother turned me around and said 'Paddle!' So I started to paddle then my brother helped push me on the wave and I stood up and surfed it all the way to shore... When I'm surfing I feel like I'm a whole new person." ~Tyler
Thanks Coco and Makoa for all of your help and for a great day!
To check out all the photos from our surf event and other events we've done with Coco, check out our Picasa album!
