| 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?
Yvonne Mendel: The
best thing that happened to me was going to Hossegor,
France for the month of September to surf and
spend time with my in-laws!! My husband joined
me for the last two weeks of the trip. The warm,
hollow beach breaks and shorty wetsuits were a
big change from surfing on Vancouver Island, Canada!
In 2009, I hope to engage
my family and friends to make more environmentally
friendly choices in surfing and in life, like
buying locally produced clothing and reselling
old boards to get the most use out of them. I
have started a Facebook group to help girls carpool
out to the surf and I am fighting against developers
at our longest wave. I am lobbying for the government
to make the space a public park.
JG: Tell us about the first
time you ever stood up on a surfboard. Where was
it and what were you riding?
YM: My friend gave
me his first board for $100. It was in great shape
and had a hand-drawn Barracuda fish on it. It
was shaped in Victoria, BC by Barracuda’s
Carl White. I took it to Tofino and worked on
standing up at Long Beach. I also took it to France
with me where I broke the nose off surfing at
high tide in Morocco.
JG: What is your current
favorite board? In 2009 do you have any plans
to experiment with different surfboard designs,
materials or fin configurations?
YM: My favorite board
is a 9'0" Roland noserider single fin. My
plan is to buy a high performance longboard with
three smaller fins on it and I'm looking to try
surfing fish. I really value being able to surf
a variety of boards. Someday I hope to be able
to surf extremely hollow spots so I travel and
surf super hollow spots with my husband. I don't
want to hold him back and I want to progress as
fast as possible. Now that I have a full time
job, that's going to be difficult but not impossible!
JG: Do you have any heroes?
If so, who and why?
YM: My hero is my
Oma (grandmother) because she had a vision for
her family. She moved to Canada in 1952 with her
husband and three small children. She made many
sacrifices to help feed them and give them the
best life possible. Her dream was to see her grandchildren
educated and prosperous. I think she would feel
proud to see me finished university and working
in a job that allows me to have a great work/life
balance. We use her small Chevy Tracker to go
surfing and we think of her every time we use
her camping gear. She was a role model for me
because she was a strong advocate for the environment
and women's rights.
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?
YM: In truth, I don't
follow the pros very closely but it's hard not
to notice Stephanie Gilmore! I watched her on
a podcast and met her by chance on the beach in
France this September. The best single maneuver
I can think of is a rodeo flip but I don't know
if any women are concentrated on doing them.
For those of you who like to
jump around instead of going one by one, here's
the complete list of surfers...
Image
Caption: Words of encouragement sometimes come
from the most unlikely of places. Canadian surfer
Yvonne Mendel is a great friend to JettyGirl and
we deeply appreciate her kind words and unquenchable
stoke for surfing. It's ironic, but some of the
"warmest" photos and emails we receive
come from the snow-covered beaches of Vancouver
Island, Canada. Photo: Yvonne Mendel
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