Indonesian gals hit the surf

Indonesian gals hit the surf

Jenny H.Backstrom, Contributor/Kuta

Consider the following commonly known facts about Indonesia: the rather non-extreme activity of badminton is the national sport the country; Indonesian girls commonly aspire to have white skin and thus dread the rays of sun more than hard-core skin bleaching products; and that in either case, "Indonesian girls are not that much into exercising". With these facts in mind, it might come as a surprise that an increasing number of Indonesian girls are actually taking up the sport of surfing.

"You definitely see more Indonesian girls on the beaches in Bali now, and in the last two years more of them are also getting out in the water surfing," Head Coach of the Rip Curl School of Surf Jonni Morrison-Decker said after finishing a full day of teaching Indonesian and foreign girls how to surf at the Rip Curl Girls-Go-Surfing Day in Seminyak last Saturday.

Contrary to what people might think, being a girl is generally not a physical disadvantage in surfing, but rather a benefit.

"Girls naturally keep their balance better and are easier to teach," Morrison-Deaker said while adding that the only thing really stopping Indonesian girls from becoming great surfers were mental barriers.

"Girls can surf just as big waves as guys can, if only they set their minds to it," he said confidently.

Although learn-to-surf camps for girls have been arranged in various spots throughout the archipelago, Bali still remains the most popular island in Indonesia for learning to surf.

Rip Curl Indonesia is one of the many surfing companies in Bali that organizes events aimed at promoting surfing to Indonesian girls, who, although generally fascinated by the sport and already well acquainted with its fashion, might need some extra encouragement and support in order to actually get out in the water.

Thus, following the international successes of numerous Rip Curl Girls-Go-Surfing Days held around the world, last Saturday on July 16, Rip Curl Indonesia held their third-ever all-girls event on Double Six Beach in Seminyak, Bali.

"We really want to empower and support these girls by showing them how to step into it," Rip Curl Indonesia's ad & promo manager Clemens Birger said about the event.

Seventy-seven girls of various ages and nationalities, including MTV Indonesia's top VJ Catherine (Cathy) Sharon, signed up for the six scheduled one-hour surf lessons, in which they were taught the basic but critical skills of surfing and water safety.

"This is a really cool event for girls; the coaches are great and it's a safe and social way of learning to surf while also hanging out and having fun," Cathy said enthusiastically after her lesson.

"With events like this, more Indonesian girls will realize that surfing is actually not just for boys."

Two other girls trying out surfing for the very first time were Ruby Savira, 19, and Sandra Dewi, 20, both from Jakarta.

"We thought it would be difficult, and when we tried we realized that it was," said Savira, adding that on her planned return to Bali for a holiday in August, she would definitely surf again.

And she would bring her friends out too.

"Although it is hard, it is fun," she said with a big smile. Attending on this day and thus showing their support for all surfer girls-to-be were the already sponsored surfers Theresia Herlani (Niki) from Indonesia, and Madeleine Taylor from Australia.

Knowing just how much it takes to become a good surfer, Taylor was impressed with the Indonesian girls' first attempts at surfing out in the white water.

"They have such great balance and perhaps because the Indonesian culture is so rich in various dances, they seem to be really flexible and quite fit, which really helps their surfing," Taylor said.

Having seen the girls standing up on their boards and riding waves all the way to the shore, Rip Curl's surf coaches were of the very same opinion.

"Yeah, Indonesian surfer girls are definitely catching up!"