Samo surf shreds into season

At Samo we enjoy the privilege of the beach being a short four blocks away. With this luxury comes amazing opportunities where students can easily get the incredible ocean experience that others cannot. One of these opportunities is our Samo surf team.While most students can be found sleeping in on late start Wednesdays, Samo surfers are up bright and early, ready to jump into the freezing cold water to get in their extra morning practices. They also have additional competitions on the weekends. The team is completely inclusive, and zero prior experience is required to join. Many come to surf competitively, learn a new skill or simply explore their love of the ocean. The Samo surf community even extends beyond high school, with a lot of past team members coming back to coach the next line of Samo surfers. Either way, all are welcome. Along with competitions the team is also involved with community service, and they plan to host five “Urban Luau’s” for Los Angeles Parks and Recreation (who are affiliated with The Surf Bus, a non profit organization in Santa Monica). They are also hosting five Santa Monica “Surf Days”.In order to expand the program, the team added a junior varsity division in the South Bay Scholastic Surf Association (SBSSA), and they continue to grow every year. Coach Marion Clark said that the team’s goal is to win their division in the SBSSA, where they have previously done very well, winning four out of five events last year.“We want to show the Westside surf community the meaning of Aloha by how we take care of the ocean and of each other,” Clark said.Surf team captains Tess Goddard (’19) and Gabriel Ramirez (’19), seniors who have been part of the surf team since middle school, are very familiar with that incredible community. Both feel that the surf team has been a very significant part of their high school experience.“I met one of my absolute best friends on the team in ninth grade, so I would say it’s had a pretty big impact on my high school experience,” Goddard said.Ramirez also loves the surf team, and says that even the struggle of waking up at 5 a.m. is bettered by getting to watch the sun rise and jump into the ocean. “I’m on surf team because I love spending time in the ocean and surfing with friends. It brings me to a place where I can truly relax doing something I love,” Ramirez said.