| 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?
Lynne Dickinson:
2008 had so many great moments. I am not sure
I could pinpoint the best thing that happened.
In 2008 I was lucky enough to travel heaps with
work, to Phillip Island, Gold Coast, Canada, Bali
and Hawaii, all following the girls surfing as
well as doing some skiing myself. That in itself
brings me some pretty incredible experiences and
lets me meet some amazing people. One of the best
things though was when my 6 year old won the academic
award at school, that was pretty cool!
As
for 2009 I am most hopeful that Paige Hareb will
continue to do well on the World Tour, that women’s
surfing will begin to get greater recognition
and that people will start to get behind the girls
more. I also hope that my 6 year old will continue
to do well at school, that all the rest of our
kids will have wonderful experiences and that
people may start to appreciate the simple things
in life a little more.
JG: Tell us about the first
time you ever stood up on a surfboard. Where was
it and what were you riding?
LD: I grew up in
England and came to New Zealand when I was 11
so didn’t start surfing till I was 13. I
was a bit of a tomboy and was always keen to give
anything a go. It was back in the late 70’s
and I was out at Muriwai Beach at a surf carnival
day. There were thousands of people at the beach
and my parents hired us a longboard to try. I
found it quite easy and loved the feeling but
when I stood up my bikini bottoms broke and there
I was, 13 years old, happily riding a dungery
old longboard with my bikini pants round my knees
surrounded by thousands of people! It’s
a moment I will never forget!
JG: What is your current
favorite board? In 2009 do you have any plans
to experiment with different surfboard designs,
materials or fin configurations?
LD: I have sooo many
different boards and no real favorite. I prefer
to longboard and the board I ride the most is
a Surfline 8'2" which I love but just tend
to change the length for the conditions. Not planning
on getting any more, just hoping to get out in
the surf more.
JG: Do you have any heroes?
If so, who and why?
LD: Heroes, that’s
a hard one. I have loads of people I really admire.
I hugely admire my parents who have made so much
of their life and continue to give so much to
those around them. I have been really lucky. I
also have a wonderful husband who I admire so
much. We are very different in many ways and I
absolutely admire his work ethic and the fact
that he’s incredibly talented at things
I suck at! But as for my real hero – it
has to be Paige Hareb right now!!!! Gotta love
the Kiwis and Paige finally making it on the world
tour, that's worth some hero worshipping that’s
for sure!!!!
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?
LD: Wow, that’s
even harder. Well you’d have to say it could
be one of so many. Not long ago it was only one
or two girls who stood out doing radical moves
but now there are so many in the running. Silvana
Lima is always a risk taker and therefore could
be the one to do it, she’d probably pull
some radical air or something. There is not a
lot that Steph Gilmore can’t do right now
so it could be her. Claire Bevilacqua is one crazy
enough to try anything and Keala Kennelly is back
on the surf scene dropping into some crazy big
waves around the world. And then there’s
the young guns like Carissa Moore or even Laura
Enever. Who knows.
For those of you who like to
jump around instead of going one by one, here's
the complete list of surfers...
Image
Caption: Lynne Dickinson is the Editor of New
Zealand's Curl Magazine. Lynne and her staff put
out a wonderful product...a full glossy, honest-to-goodness,
legit all-girl surf magazine. We were so stoked
when our copy came in the mail. Curl is available
in shops throughout New Zealand and Australia
and via subscription to the rest of the world.
Check them out here: www.curl.co.nz Photo: courtesy
of Curl Magazine
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