surfing with xavier: 2009

Thursday, December 31, 2009

12/31 The last day of the year, and my project.

Today is the last day of my year long Art/Surf project with Xavier. As you all know on December 31st 2008, I brought in the new year by starting a project with my good friend Xavier. He had expressed interest in surfing for the 4 years that I have known him. I decided 2009 is the year he will learn to surf. I sent Xavier an email with a short surf video everyday for the entire year, and I hoped that , Xavier would accompany me in the water. All the videos have been posted .Xavier did become a surfer at the age of 45, on August 9, 2008 he went surfing with me. He then bought everything that he needed to continue surfing. I continued to send the videos to maintain the stoke. I have saved all the email hoping to show this blog along with all the emails at a local gallery. I consider this project to to be Experiential Surf Art, I am a firm believer of ( If you don't surf, start now). Art and Surfing have both influenced my life in so many positive ways that I find it impossible not to share them. I hope you enjoyed the journey. Happy New Year -Steven Beatty

Monday, November 23, 2009

Monday, November 16, 2009

Sunday, August 9, 2009

08/09 Xavier finally went surfing.

As I planned, I have emailed short surf videos from youtube to Xavier every day this year in hopes of convincing him to learn to surf. He had expressed interest in surfing several times throughout the 4 years that I have known him. Finally after viewing more then 200 videos over the course of the year and having short email discussions about surfing, he decided to go surfing with me yesterday 08/08/09.
I supplied everything he would need and we hit the coast. He had trouble with the board that I loaned him a 7'9" Bic Natural, it did not float him well, and the waves were too small to get him going. I decided to let him use my 9'6" Surftech Velzy Classic to help him out. Within two tries, Xavier was standing up and riding a wave all the way to the beach. We spent another hour or two in the water with xavier on my board. He showed the classic signs of being stoked. The lesson was over,and Xavier said that he wanted to get his family out to the beach and make surfing a part of his life.He planned out family fun trips to the beach , saying that surfing was going to get him and his family motivated to make the drive to the coast more often. Then Xavier did something that I did not expect. He ask me to take him to some surf shops to look at boards. After visiting 3 shops in Lincoln City Oregon, he bought a 9'4" Larry Bertlemann Style Master Wood (C8-E30) by Rebel Surfboards, and all the other gear that he would need to surf the Oregon Coast.
http://www.rebelboards.com/pc/C8-E30/LB/9%274+Larry+Bertlemann%3Cbr%3EStyle+Master%3Cbr%3EWood+%28C8-E30%29

I think that I created a surfer. I look forward to all the days that Xavier and I paddle out and surf together. I extended my offer to teach Xavier's family to surf. Maybe the old Bic board will be better for a younger smaller surfer.