Tag Archives: surfing wrightsville beach

Instructor of the Week is Back! – Kirstin Thompson

  By Rick Civelli | October 8, 2012 - 8:05 am | Instructor of the Week, Teen Hawaii
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WB Surf Camp was stoked this past summer to have so much new energy infused into our team of instructors. We had the potentially largest spread of instructors from around the country come join us for an incredible season of surfing magic. Each week this fall and winter we will feature them in no particular order to allow the world to know ho awesome they are and learn a little bit about them.

Our first featured instructor hails from Florida and she lead our Hawaii Teen Travel Surf Adventure for an entire month. Kirstin worked with dozens of kids this year sharing her love and stoke of the ocean, surfing, and the conservation of it. We’ve been extremely lucky to have her take up residence in Wrightsville Beach after the end of the season to continue being a part of our rich surf community and continue teaching others the art of surfing.

1. What drew you to a position at WB Surf Camp? I wanted to be able to share with others what surfing did for me…it changed my life and now I can give the best gift a person can give: happiness, through the art of surfing.

2. Who is your favorite surfer and why? Karina Petroni, a female surfer out of my hometown in Florida. I admire her involvement with ocean conservation and her amazing outlook on life. She also started a triathlon in Jax Beach, Florida called Never Quit, in honor of her dad who died not too long ago. You can watch a video she made about it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UodVQXrb5qs

3. When did you start surfing and where? Summer 2010 in Neptune Beach, FL while working as an ocean lifeguard

4. What is your favorite surf break? Pavones, Costa Rica

5. What inspired you to start surfing? Seeing the lack of female surfers out in the water, listening to those ants in my pants everytime I saw someone surfing, wanting a piece of that magic that reflects in a surfer’s eyes when they gaze out at the ocean, watching documentaries and reading about surf trips around the world, and that basic need for something more.

6. Where was your most memorable session? While living in Punta Banco, Costa Rica I went on some surf safaris with the awesome people I met there. This one day we rented a rusty old car with no door and drove down to our favorite break with all 5 of us crammed in there, plus boards. It was perfect…the waves were head high, not too steep, peeling all the way into the bay with hardly any crowd. I caught the longest wave of my life over and over. Surrounded by beautiful jungle, laughing with my crazy friends, and then later being flooded by deep colors as the sun was setting, made for a truly magical day.

7. What is the worst wipeout you’ve ever had? In all honesty, it was on the smallest wave I’ve ever surfed. I somehow managed to slice my foot with the fin of my board, which really bummed me out because it kept me out of the water for a couple weeks during some prime surf conditions. However it ironically left me with a sweet fin shaped scar…

8. What are some of your interests outside of surfing? The list is always growing…sustainability, organic farming, ocean conservation, nutrition, holistic medicine/healing, writing, environmental advocacy, swimming (preferably in the ocean), painting, biking, wandering, reading (just bought 30 books at the library sale), walking barefoot, making healthy smoothies and juices, travelling, hiking, exploring, playing beach v-ball, yoga, laughing, kayaking, rock climbing, doing handstands, chillin in a hammock, dancing…and just livin it up. PS:  Check out my blog! http://dreadnut32.tumblr.com/

9. What is your favorite movie? Avatar, all the Harry Potters, Blue Crush

10. What is your favorite music? I have had an ongoing obsession with Jason Mraz ever since I saw him live at Sunfest in West Palm Beach…other than that, my main go-to music recently is: Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, Keane, Dispatch, Donovan Frankenreiter, Fleet Foxes, and lots of reggae

11. What is your favorite food? Mangos…lots of juicy juicy mangos.

12. Where do you see yourself in five years? Writing, surfing, travelling, teaching, and healing others

13. In your eyes, the three things you value most are: Happiness, freedom, love.

 

2012 Mountains to Surf Camp – Josh Youse (Part II)

  By Rick Civelli | September 14, 2012 - 3:00 pm | Teen Specialty Camps
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Our next adventure took us onto Mountain Biking at Tsali Recreation Area. Considered to be one of the Top 10 places to ride in the USA. Tsali Recreation Area contains nearly 40miles of well-maintained single-track mountain bike trails. Once our guide sized everyone and assigned bicycles it wasn’t long before everyone was ready to roll. Each one of the campers was riding around, testing brakes, popping wheelies and bouncing up and down. Of course we immediately reminded the group of our safety talk and the responsibility of operating a bicycle. Well after a group photo opportunity we were off, riding up and down, over rocks, through trickling streams, over roots and tree trunks. This trail is awesome! Getting to ride so close to your surroundings with mountain laurel everywhere and beautiful views of Lake Fontana it was way cool. It wasn’t long before we all worked up a sweat, but the exhilarating ride and wind rushing past your face made it all worth it. After a couple stops to regroup, hydrate and catch our breathe we made it to the finish and back to our vehicles. Lunch was awaiting and we didn’t want to be late for our overflowing lunch cooler was packed with goodies.

We ended many of our nights early with time to reflect on the days events, stare at a starry sky and avoid the bugs. Kayaking on Lake Fontana was pleasant paddle and fun to explore by boat. Along the way we picked up trash and gathered floating debris from the lake. Within an hour or two most boats had fair amount of bottles, buckets and other discarded plastic products. Putting in time cleaning up the environment comes with a bit of fun as I recall several campers attempting to stand up in their kayaks and jump in the water, one boat took on so much water it almost sank. Moving onto our afternoon spent hiking and swimming at Deep Creek. Located in Smokey Mountain National Park Deep Creek is a beautiful spot filled with waterfalls and swimming holes. If you keep an eye out as you may see some of the more than 240species of birds found in the Park. The Smokies are also labeled as the salamander capital of the world, along with being one of the only homes to the red eared salamander.  5 families and 30species exist within the park, that’s not hard to believe when you realize that on the high peaks of the smokies, an average of 85inches of rain falls each year, qualifiying these upper elevation areas temperate rain forests.

After a leisurely stroll and couple dips in the creek we were back in the van and heading to camp at the NOC for dinner and desert. We woke to a couple of wet morning as it rained off and on throughout the trip. A day or two had passed since we first went rafting, but it wasn’t long before we geared up for our next adventure as we took a road trip to South Carolina. The Chattooga river was spectacular, with warm water, fish jumping and  plenty of opportunities to stop and jump into a few rapids. After our exciting journey of running class III whitewater we pilled back into the van and were off back to camp at the NOC. Our final activity led us to the Zip-line Adventure Park. A high ropes mutli-element challenge course suspended 15feet in the air. It didn’t take the group long to rush through the course and conquer the challenge course. After a few extra rides on the zip-line the campers were ready for to relax by the river, bang on some drums, have dinner and share some well-earned s’mores.

The week was made up of a ton of fun activities with some great group bonding and hilarious memories.  A solid foundation to build upon for the next week long portion of the camp back in beautiful Wrightsville Beach.  Speaking of, it was our final day, travel day. Time to eat breakfast and pile into the van for our trek back to the coast. Mountains camp was a success and I look forward to many more years of exploring the Great Smokey Mountains.

2012 Mountains to Surf Camp – Josh Youse (Part I)

  By Rick Civelli | August 22, 2012 - 4:33 pm | Teen Specialty Camps
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This summer marked our first year offering the new Mountains to Surf Camp 2-week trip. What better way to spend 2 weeks of your summer whitewater rafting, mountain biking, zip-lining, and surfing, I can’t think a better way. Western North Carolina, The Great Smoky Mountains, and the Blue Ridge Parkway set the scene for our journey to the mountains. The crisp mountain air, cool water flowing in the river, and lush forests had me excited before we even departed. There is just a drawing force within nature that leads us to explore the wilderness.

Outdoor Adventure Education is a way of living, for me it is simply my lifestyle. It’s a great way to get outside and engage the environment, challenge yourself, learn and grow positively as a person. One cannot help to spread the stoke to others, it’s always more fun as a group. Get yourself together grab a friend or meet one in the water, get outside, and go play!

On arrival day of Mountains to Surf Camp that’s just what we did, we kicked it off right with our WB Surf Camp approach to learning the right way. After gathering our awesome campers and assembling our group we settled into the cabins at the KOA, took some time to play ping-pong, hoola-hoop, get to know other campers and, even take on a challenge to play Nuk’em. The next day, we awoke when the sun rose, packed our van tight with duffle bags, luggage, and even a giant metal trunk. After taking a head count it was time get some good old local southern breakfast and hit the open road off to Bryson City, NC. Needless to say the 8 hour drive to western North Carolina was long , but the campers made the drive a delight as we exchanged stories and got to know each other while embarking on our weeklong journey. The Blue Ridge Parkway and the hills of the Smoky Mountains are an incredible place to visit. The views are breathtaking and the local history and culture are interesting and fun to experience.

The Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) is where we set up camp for the week. Our cabins were basic, but the river was right there calling our names. As soon as we arrived the place was surrounded by outdoor activities. People were mountain biking, kayaking the river, going zip-lining, fishing and playing corn-hole outside of Slow Joe’s Café. The Appalachian Trail passes through the heart of the Outdoor Center, which attracts a considerable about of hikers and backpackers. Our first day of rafting on the Nantahala was an excitingly fun experience despite the frigid temperature of the water. Our team bared the elements and went splashing through the Class III rapids. The last rapid on the river was a short section of a small waterfall. Let’s just say the photos of everyone will give you a great idea of what each of us was thinking. Ohhhhh crap!

After rafting we all had a delicious lunch spread provided for us by the NOC, handmade local hummus, cold cuts, local loaves of homemade bread, tons of fruit, and Oreos for desert.  Once we let all that food settle in our bellies we stepped up and took on the many challenges presented by the Alpine Tower – a towering structure made of giant logs high in the air with various elements to overcome and conquer. After 3 hours of scaling the enormous tower, everyone of the campers had faced challenges and overcame their fears. Each one of them accomplished a huge feat and were noticeably upbeat, energetic, and feeling very alive. To finish the Alpine Tower Challenge each member of the team got to participate in the Flying Squirrel. A cable attached to the top of the alpine tower where your team hoists you up 30ft in the air, as you let go of the rope holding you up, you fly away, and swing rushing from side to side. That’s what I call a quick thrill, we all had such a great time getting to assist each other and hoist one another up into the air and swing like monkeys from a tree.