Twice a week Pam Burridge and up to 10 women, all aged in their 40s or 50s, go in search of “that perfect wave” on the New South Wales South Coast.
Some are trying it for the first time, while others are going back to their teenage years – before careers and families consumed most of their lives.
“For most women, it’s definitely all about finding their own space,” Pam said. “When they’re in the surf, they forget about everything else that’s going on in their lives and just enjoy the moment – it’s a really cleansing feeling. Being in the ocean gives women a new sense of freedom and of being at one with nature.”
Women can take on the waves, at any age, Pam says, so long as they’re “relatively fit and strong”.
She said just walking to the beach and paddling out can be a workout, while catching a wave, then finally standing up was the ultimate reward. “It’s an all over body workout and the upper body gets a real flogging,” she laughed. “The core is strengthened and there’s a wide range of motion and movement involved. “Learning to surf can be really hard and frustrating but, when you catch your first wave, you get a feeling of absolute delight. “It’s a real rush,” Pam said. “I’ve been surfing since I was 10 and you never lose that feeling – it’s the biggest natural high. It’s definitely addictive.”
One of Pam’s students, Roz, took up surfing at the age of 41 and has hardly missed a session in the past five years. She said the death of her father inspired her “to get out there and live life”.
“I love it,” she said. “Surfing has become a part of my life and has made me fitter and healthier. “Now my daughter is learning as well, so we can go out together.”
Another student, Leanne, decided to “give it a go” while watching her son surf. “I got sick of sitting on the beach watching, so thought I’d try it,” she said.
Debbie, a single mother who spends most of her time in a medical lab, has gone back to her teenage “surfie chick” years and is loving every minute of it. “It’s a break away from being a mum and a doctor,” she said. “Surfing is something I’d encourage people to try.”
A nurse and mother of twin boys, Emma broke her back and was forced to give up boogie boarding in her 20s but, after regaining her strength, has returned to the waves on her pink surf board. “I just love getting out there when I can,” she said. “You feel so good afterwards.”
The woman agreed learning to surf with a former world champion was a real privilege and, aside from sharing the waves, the ladies often shared coffee or breakfast at a local cafe after their morning surf session.
Pam said some women were “a bit daunted” by her past when they first paddled out, but she quickly put them at ease. “They realise I’m down to earth and just a normal person,” she said. “It doesn’t take long and we’re all having a laugh.”
As well as making women feel more confident, Pam said surfing was a lifestyle choice.
“Surfers are generally fit and healthy,” she said. “They are usually less stressed and happier people – especially after a good wave.”
Pam said if women want to learn to surf they should seek out lessons or get a group of like-minded people together and give it a go in calm conditions.
GETTING REAL WITH PAM
For Pam Burridge, life is no longer about winning titles or travelling the world. It is about family, friends, her community and chasing the “perfect wave”.
After taking out the Women’s World Title in 1990, Pam was still competing when she moved from Sydney’s north shore to Bendalong with her partner Mark Rabbidge in 1995. She retired in 1998 before the birth of her first child, Isobel, in 1999 and Otis two years later.
In 2004 she launched Pam Burridge Surf Schools and now teaches women, school children and holiday makers to surf and stand up paddle board. She also runs women’s surf retreats on the clean, uncrowded beaches of the South Coast.
But surfing is not all business for Pam, it’s more about being part of a close-knit community and sharing her talents with people of all ages. She said she “feels privileged” to have performed so well in the surfing arena, but admitted moving away from the city, and the “surreal life” she was living, has made her a better person.
She is an avid supporter of the Cancer Council following the death of a friend’s son at the age of eight. Jeremiah del Tufo lost his battle with brain and spinal cord cancer three years ago and, as a close friend of the family, Pam has organised the annual “J Day’ fundraising event is his honour.
Jeremiah’s mother, Nicole Woodford, said Pam has helped raise almost $30,000 for brain cancer research. “As a friend she has supported myself and my family through the trauma of losing J with many wise words. “I will remember forever watching her ride her skateboard across the lobby of the children’s hospital at Westmead dragging an Esky on wheels behind her full of home-cooked Jeremiah favourites.”
Nicloe sums up Pam Burridge as “a humble, kind and generous woman who does so much for the community without expecting anything in return”.
To find out more about Pam’s surf lessons and retreats go to: www.pamburridge.com
Katrina Condie Media & Marketing 