Schuyler Mc Ferran

July 8, 2006, Biarritz France, the final horn blasts and two of San Diego’s finest young talents take 1st and 2nd place at the inaugural Roxy ASP Women’s’ World Longboarding Championship.  Schuyler McFerran, of Encinitas, was crowned champ and in a very close second was Jennifer Smith from Pacific Beach.  What are the chances, out of a truly international field, that 1st and 2nd place would be claimed by San Diego residents? Good really, chalk it up to pure wave riding talent. They are the two best female longboarders in the world, not to mention in San Diego, and for most of you this is the first time you’ll have heard or read their names.
Exactly one month after their exciting sojourn to France, I finally had a chance, after the meanest game of phone tennis ever, to sit and have a little chitchat with these two free spirited, highly competitive surfers.  
We all felt Swami’s was an appropriate place to meet. We sat at a picnic table with a nice view of the small clean lineup.   I made the mistake of sitting with my back to the ocean allowing the girls to watch the surf as I tried to pick their pre-occupied brains.
“There’s a little right on the inside,” Jen said.  Of course we all take a look, which made me laugh about how surfers are all alike in that manner.  No matter who you’re with, what you’re doing, whether you haven’t surfed in a week or have been surfing all day, if you’re anywhere within view of the ocean your eyes are fixed on her trying to see if maybe there’s something to ride.
Throughout the interview, I realized how easy it is to relate to folks of the same breed. As surfers we understand each other perfectly, at least to that end, even though we’ve never met before.
I felt respect was the under-lying theme of the entire conversation between all of us.  No fierce competitiveness or jealous motives.  I gathered what Schuyler and Jen each took away from France was a mutual respect for each other.  This is where surfers differ from, let’s say, soccer players or a racecar drivers.  The ocean blends a mellow disposition into us all.   
Schuyler who rides for Billabong, Etnies, Freestyle, Da Kine, Hansens, Joel Tudor surfboards, and Salt sunglasses admits the win could not have happened without the love and support of “her peeps and amazing family.” And Jen was the first to give big ups to her sponsors,  which included Sector nine, FCS, Converse, Donald Takayama surfboards, South Coast surf shop, and last but not least Roxy.  She was actually still glowing after her warehouse walk-thru at Roxy.  Have you ever seen the size of that friggin’ place?  C’mon now!
Schuyler was blown away by the random congrats and recognition she’s received since her win in France.  “I didn’t know that many people knew about women’s longboarding,” she admits.  But due to increased exposure within the past few years of female surfers ripping in lineups from Mex to Oregon, it was only a matter of time until the viewing public caught on. The exposure isn’t near what it should be, but it is steadily increasing.
But with more exposure comes the influx of bigger crowds. I really didn’t want to get off on the negative tip, but we couldn’t help the natural flow the conversation took towards crowded lineups.  All three of us agreed on our “not so enthusiastic love of the crowds lately.” These girls know the dilemma all too well, when all any surfer wants to do is catch some nice uncrowded waves to clear her head from the daily bullshit grind that plagues so many of us on land. One of Schuyler’s favorite spots just happens to be Swami’s.  A reef most would not touch with a 10-foot pole, because of the masses.    A parking lot and stairs usually equals chaos.
“The crowd can be really frustrating,” Schuyler said. “But if you surf here (Swami’s) a lot and you kinda get to know the crowd, then you’ll know that guy probably won’t catch it or that guy will let me go.  That or I get frustrated and I go to Boneyards.” Schuyler’s modesty doesn’t fool me, I bet she has a handle on her home break even in crowded conditions.
Leaving Swami’s we head down the coast to Pacific Beach where Jen is from.  Growing up surfing Crystal Pier she often had to contend with the masses too.  And summertime blackballs don’t help either.  On a pumping swell though, you won’t find her at Crystal Pier. You’ll find her at… well, a girl has to have some secrets.   
When I tried to get the girls to talk shit about certain breaks, they stayed super positive. Jen especially.  
“I like everywhere,” she said. “If the waves are good, if it’s the right swell, I’ll surf anywhere.”  Every spot can have its day.  You just have to catch it at its right moment, and even the best breaks can look like poo on the wrong day.  That is what keeps us yearning and coming back for more.  Just knowing that on any given day you could score.  That’s why we love surfing, the randomness of chance. Well, at least one of the reasons.
Schuyler and Jen love surfing for another reason.  Freedom. “I know this is probably over used, but it’s just so free,” Schuyler said. “You just feel this freedom like you can do whatever you want on a wave and it’s so relieving.”  
“It’s the freedom that you have,” Jen added. “You can be creative, you can try to copy someone else, or you can just do whatever.  I caught a wave today and stood up and went straight the whole way just because I could.”
“Just because you can.” Quite a mantra, and to abide by it is surprisingly liberating. As surfers we are free to explore, travel, and experience life in ways other sports neither leave room for nor allow.  There aren’t any fences, foul lines, nets, or penalty boxes.  Hell, you could start out at La Jolla shores and end up at Blacks or Torrey Pines for that matter, as long as your arms don’t fall off.  You really can do what you want.  
That is what I have learned from these girls.  They are doing what they want and loving every minute of it. Whether your goal is to be a world champ like Schuyler, learn to nose ride better, or finally land that air, there isn’t too much of a difference separating our individual interests. We surf and love it for many different reasons, and as surfers we are seemingly bound by the diversity of our mutual love. As such, our differences are very much the same.  Schuyler and Jen reminded me of that.  They aren’t too different from you and me, they only surf better.  I guess the girls’ special blend of part “free California lifestyle” and part “rigid surf contest training” is a winning combination.