| JettyGirl:
While faltering economies, political turmoil and
energy issues dominated most of the headlines
during the past year, much of 2008's good news
slipped through the cracks. What's the best thing
that happened to you in 2008 and what are you
most hopeful for in 2009?
Donna von Hoesslin:
Betty Belts won the environmental excellence award
from the City of Ventura. It was not our first
environmental award, but it is a much bigger honor
than we ever thought with a lot of fanfare and
attention to our little company including five
various certificates of recognition from highest
government officials in California including our
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
For
2009 I'm hopeful for a rising of awareness among
consumers to consider the source of what they
are buying and where it comes from. I like the
fact that "ethically made" seems to
mean something for a lot more people than it did
just a year ago. It's not just about being eco-friendly,
it's very important to be people-friendly, actually
much more important.
JG: Tell us about the first
time you ever stood up on a surfboard. Where was
it and what were you riding?
DVH: Ha! I was riding
a 9 foot softtop at Cowell's in Santa Cruz in
1999 on a trip home to California (I was living
in Berlin at the time). I had paddled all the
way out to the reef on a pink boogie board which
I'd been riding for quite a while because I just
assumed I was too much of a clod to ever actually
stand up on a surfboard. Ed Guzman of Club Ed
was teaching a class out there and talked me into
going in and getting a surfboard.
JG: What is your current
favorite board? In 2009 do you have any plans
to experiment with different surfboard designs,
materials or fin configurations?
DVH: I'd say my 8
foot Dennis Ryder. It's a great big wave board
and for smaller conditions as well. I like it
because it's a great paddle that is extremely
loose and fast. Not so easy to noseride, but I'm
way more into moving all around a wave than noseriding
it.
JG: Do you have any heroes?
If so, who and why?
DVH: My boyfriend
David Pu'u
is my hero. For his wisdom, creativity and endless
inspiration. My heroines are all the remarkable
young women who are on the Betty
Belts Surf Team.
JG: In 2009 we'll see the
best single maneuver ever done by a female surfer.
Who do you think will pull the move and what do
you think it will be?
DVH: I'm not really
up to date on that stuff. I've always wanted to
see girls do longboard air maneuvers, but maybe
some already are.
For those of you who like to
jump around instead of going one by one, here's
the complete list of surfers...
Image
Caption: Donna von Hoesslin, creator and founder
of Betty Belts, enjoys a flash photo session with
photographer and boyfriend David Pu'u. Over the
past few years, Donna has become a fantastic supporter
of JettyGirl, providing amazing hand-crafted items
to raffle winners at the annual Roxy Jam Cardiff.
Check out Betty Belts at bettybelts.com Photo:
David Pu'u / davidpuu.com
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