San Diego Has A World Champ and Her Name Is Schuyler

   2006 saw San Diego become home to another world champion, but the name attached to the title was not Machado, Gerlach, or Tudor. It was McFerran. With her win in Biarritz, France in early July, 19-year-old, Encinitas native Schuyler McFerran became the first-ever ASP sanctioned Women’s World Longboarding Champion.
    Her win was significant, not for its magnitude but for its relevance. The impact, or lack thereof, was a poignant comment on the state of women’s surfing in San Diego. Schuyler McFerran is a world champion and this may very well be the first time you’re seeing her name. That’s a problem. The fraternity that is surfing seems to be entrenching itself even further as a segregated sport. We encourage the divide between men and women in surfing by sustaining an outlook that dismisses women as legitimate athletes for no other reason than they aren’t men. The contributions of women are muted by an unwavering adherence to a male dominant and male driven system. These female athletes have no forum. SG is gone, and magazines like foam and lemonade present these women as vehicles to sell products instead of as athletes. Keying in on the beauty, sexuality, and strength of the female athlete is not a new marketing ploy, but women in surfing need respect from their male counterparts and that doesn’t come from perpetuating a cliché. Yes they’re women, but the respect they need is founded in their athletic ability. San Diego has a deep talent pool of world-class female surfers form Jen Smith to Kassia Meador to Julia Christian to, of course, Schuyler McFerran. In the new year, there will be a new section of this magazine devoted solely to female content. The demand for such content is evident and hopefully this integration will validate the athleticism of the female surfer and work to curb the gender inequality that characterizes our sport.