“I can’t. I can’t do this. I can’t do it.”
Zury let the water wash over her as she kept her arm on the surfboard. She was new to this. It was only her second or third time trying to catch a wave, but she felt frustration rush her veins at not being able to stay atop the board.
“Get up and try it, again!” She heard Grant call out over the crashes of the water. She looked at her instructor and reluctantly shook her head yes. “Okay, one more time.”
She waited on the water, and then paddled hard. She swung her legs up on the board, muscles shaking from the repeated motion. But then, the fall didn’t come. She stood. She did it. She was surfing!
“I’m up!” She grinned at Grant as she rode by him and the other girls, clapping and hollering loudly.
Surf lessons for the girls at Floreser continue to prove to be much more than an extracurricular activity. Each week the girls grow in their confidence and understanding when something is difficult at first, it is well worth the work to keep trying.