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Can
Teens Still Afford to Surf? |
Posted:
12.28.05
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Prices of surfboards rose steeply on news the country's primary
supplier of surfboard foam was going out of business due to costly
environmental regulations. Brian Wrona, an 18 year old who surfs
at Ocean Beach, California laments the impact on his favorite
sport and local community.
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The closing of Clark foam puts surfers like me in a difficult
 position.
We want to protect the environment, but do we have the ability
to make the financial sacrifices associated with its protection?
Anyone you talk to who surfs agrees that protecting the ocean
is crucial, not only to the continuation of the sport, but to
life on the planet. Yet how willing can we be to protect it when
shapers estimate the price of surfboards will jump $100-$300 per
board in order to cover the new expenses?
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Plant closure
threatens other local companies |
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I was fortunate. I ordered a surfboard from a local shaper in
late November. It is the first new surfboard I've ever had and
I got it shaped and customized to my dimensions. As soon as I
heard the plant had closed, I called the shaper making my board
and asked if he had been able to get the foam blank before the
closure. Luckily he had, because the first thought that came to
my mind was that I would not be able to afford my board now.
When I picked up my board I asked the shaper about what this was
going to do to him and the surf industry in general. He said this
could mean disaster for smaller companies who didn't have the
financial capabilities or industry influence to obtain foam blanks
now.
Surfboard shapers who work in small shops servicing local clientele
are now going to have to compete with companies capable of distributing
their boards worldwide.
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Surfing important
to Californians of all ages |
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What makes this problem incredibly pertinent in California is
the large surf culture. Take a look at the beaches on a weekend
and you'll see that the main recreation for many people is surfing.
What you will also notice is that the surf culture is not limited
to one specific group. Surfing transcends cultural, racial, age
and socio-economic barriers.
I worry young kids will have fewer opportunities to surf because
they can not afford a $600 board. I may have trouble purchasing
a new board due to the price increase.
I hope in the future we can devise a course of action that keeps
the ocean clean and safe, while still making surfing a sport that
is available to everyone.
I know I want to surf the rest of my life, and I want to make
sure that I have an ocean to do it in, but I don't want to have
to pay an arm and a leg to do it.
--
By Brian Wrona, a freshman at the University of California - Davis
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After H1N1-related school closures in the last flu season, local schools have lowered the severity of their response and are focusing on preventative action that does not interrupt education.
