Supergirl

Holly Beck

Birthdate: October 27, 1980
Hometown: Palos Verdes, California
Lives In: Redondo Beach, California

Be a Supergirl – by Holly Beck

When I was 13, all I wanted to do was learn to surf. Problem was, I didn’t have any friends who surfed, I didn’t have a surfboard, and the worst of it was that my mom said “no”. A year later, after I had saved up enough babysitting money to buy a surfboard and wetsuit at a garage sale, convinced a friend to borrow a board from her neighbor, and found a ride to the beach my mom still said “no”.

“Surfing is for boys,” she insisted, “you should be sitting on the beach looking cute in a bikini, not out competing with them. You’ll never get a boyfriend that way!”

I didn’t agree with her, but something of what she had said made its way into my head and made me feel a little ashamed to learn to surf. I loved the feel the ocean and I craved to skillfully ride the waves, but at the same time I felt I was doing something wrong. Still, I kept at it. I set a goal to learn to surf, but it wasn’t easy. I began to focus all my thoughts on the goal. I covered my walls with surf photos pulled from magazines. I read every article about surfing I could find, and when given the option at school, focused projects on surfing. Eventually after a lot of practice, I started to figure it out. I joined the surf team, got a sponsor, a job at a surf shop, and even won a contest.

My mom appreciated the free bikinis and t-shirts sent by my sponsor. She loved showing her friends the photos of me modeling surf-wear in magazines. She was even somewhat proud of my contest successes. Still, if I asked to be allowed to take the car to beach, she would reply, “you don’t need you go surfing today, you just went yesterday!”

A few years later I graduated high school with a 3.8 GPA and a decent SAT score. Some of my friends from surfing were graduating to a life of travel, following the surf scene and attempting to make it as a pro. I considered that option. However, my parents said that if I went to college and graduated that they would then approve of me trying to make a living out of surfing.

I enrolled at UCSD in San Diego. I could see the ocean from my dorm room and would walk down to Blacks Beach, one of the best surf spots in California. It was tempting to be distracted by the waves. Suddenly, I didn’t have my mom insisting that I do my homework rather than head to the beach. The first year my grades suffered due to surfing. Then, I was invited on a trip to Mexico for a photo shoot for a women’s surfing magazine with a handful of pros. It was a delicious taste of what the pro surfing lifestyle could be. At the end of the trip, the other girls were heading off to Australia for a contest while I was going back to sit in lecture halls. At that point, I set a new goal. I would finish college as soon as possible, so that I could be a pro surfer and travel the world.

I started taking extra classes. I enrolled in summer school for the first time in my life. My surfing time dwindled, but it was a necessary sacrifice. I was able to graduate with a degree in psychology in just three years. Suddenly, I had all the time in the world to surf and travel. Having a college degree made me more valuable to sponsors, which then paid for my trips and contests. It was a dream that came true. I had started surfing later than most with no parental support, and then took the time to go through college, and still was able to become a pro surfer.

Being a Supergirl isn’t about taking the easy way out. A Supergirl sets goals and does everything possible to achieve them. It may take time, and it will definitely take sacrifice, but if you believe in yourself, believe that you too are a Supergirl, then anything is possible!

Ambassadors