Dr. Maria Pease
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Occupation: psychiatrist specializing in sports
Town: San Francisco
Sport: Short board surfing
Why: "The wave steepens. The rail of my board eyes the curving face. A graceful matching of angles and we are locked in; hurtling." That's from a poem I wrote about getting barreled at Ocean Beach.
Greatest accomplishment: Mostly conquering the fear many surfers have of going over the falls and being pitched onto your head during takeoff.
Gear you can't live without: My quiver of six performance short boards shaped by Ward Coffey. In surfing you develop a relationship with your shaper. They get to know how you surf.
Where you train: Ocean Beach, Linda Mar and Santa Cruz.
Best time to train: Fall and winter. Offshore winds hold up the waves. Dawn patrol is a classic in surfing. It's not windy and 6 a.m. is a good time to beat the crowds.
Biggest misperception about your sport: People take a lesson and they stand up and think they can surf. It really takes years to get the timing down.
Advice you'd give a rookie: Take lessons from Richard Schmidt Surfing School in Santa Cruz. Learn surf etiquette and follow it.
This article appeared on page P - 5 of the San Francisco Chronicle
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