Black Girls Surf, brainchild of United States Coast Guard veteran Rhonda Harper from San Jose, CA, builds opportunity for “girls and women whose career goals include competing in professional surfing”. This non-profit supplies professional training camps for upcoming female athletes including coaching staff, fitness trainers and monthly meet ups for women who wish to surf together.

“Women want to be a part of a chain that is authentic,” Harper states. She has built a reputation and credibility for Black Girls Surf to showcase upcoming female athletes of color and help them achieve their performance goals, including women such as Khadjou Sambe, Maria Eduardo, and Nique Miller. BGS spreads their sponsorship offerings across different regions in West Africa in order to reach as many women as they can. A $250 entry fee is often a deterrent for many of these athletes who struggle between the responsibilities of work and home. An entry fee pass is just what is needed to put their performance out there in front of the judges to be rewarded.

Rhonda’s quest began three years ago when she brought Khadjou Sambe, the first female pro surfer from Senegal, West Africa, to California to put her in front of the media networks to gain the necessary support she would need in order to participate in the Japan 2021 Olympic Games.

“Having black women in any professional sport is very different. There are a lot of challenges. Black Girls Surf is dedicated to running a program for female athletes who are high performance. We are the unicorn in the building all the time,” says Rhonda.

Her efforts have spearheaded a sponsorship with surf brand giant Hurley to pay for surf competition fees, and includes a scholastic program to keep young black female athletes committed to finishing their schooling as well as paying for trainers and fitness programs in order to help the women compete.

Harper is currently fundraising to purchase surfboards for her athletes in West Africa. She has donations from Firewire and Critters, but her goal is to receive a container of boards in order to distribute them across the area and give young hopefuls the tools they need to realize a dream. Funding also supports Black Girls Surf training camps, acquisition of learning boards, school fees, lunch, food and a fitness center for on-land training.

Harper says that even now black and brown female athletes are still not represented well in the surf industry. “We need to get to a point where this isn’t an anomaly,” she says.

You can help. Learn more at: http://blackgirlssurf.com/ or email at: blackgirlssurf@gmail.com

Unbalanced Paddleboarder:

Crash and Rise: From Victim to Thriving Survivor, Diaries of the Unbalanced Paddleboarder

This is the story of Mike Shoreman, a man of incredible resilience, whose passion for stand up paddling brings him back from the depths of despair brought on by a neurological condition called Ramsay Hunt Syndrome. In 2018, Toronto based SUP coach Shoreman was diagnosed with this rare disease which caused him to lose his balance all at once, and with that his independence.

Mike decides to take a bold step in his darkest hour to reclaim his power and confidence. He reaches out to Tony Horton, founder of the P90X fitness program, who is also afflicted with this rare neurological disease. Within hours, Tony answers Mike’s call for help and together they begin to work through Mike’s challenges in order to put him on the road to recovery. “The doctor said I couldn’t paddleboard anymore due to the risks related to my balance and condition,” says Mike. But later, after asking friends for help to lead a water safety course he was slated to give, Mike returned to the seat of his passion and what sustains him the most: the water.

His rallying cry of “Paddles UP!” began to inspire people the world over, and Mike started to rise higher than he ever dreamed possible. In Crash and Rise, Mike delves into moving from victim to thriving survivor in this first and inspiring book. “No adversity is meant to break us,” he says, “Our battle scars are here to remind us where we come from. They are badges of honor.” Mike’s story is one that will leave you in awe of his courage as a survivor, and watching him crash and rise again offers every human being hope to overcome the darkness. Whether you’re having a moment of minor struggle or find yourself in a state of crash, you can turn to this book for SUP-port. Now available on Amazon.

To join the paddles up movement, post regular photos with your paddle up and hashtag #PaddlesUp on Instagram. To follow Mike Shoreman on Instagram, go to: @TheUnbalancedPaddleboarder