A surfer’s goal is simple: catch the perfect wave.
For many ambitious young teenagers who have forged a bond with the ocean at an early age, finding that elusive wave can be the ultimate experience. It could take days, months, even years.
For 17-year-old Noah Gorelick, a senior at Malibu High School, that rush of opportunity came when he least expected it. On Tuesday, October 7, Gorelick and the entire MHS and Middle School surf teams woke up bright and early for a 6:30 a.m. practice at Zuma Beach Tower 5.
With the Scholastic Surf Series season beginning this weekend at Mandalay Bay in Oxnard, the Sharks have been preparing diligently every Tuesday and Thursday morning for an hour prior to going to school.
October 7, also known as “Big Tuesday” in the local surfing community, presented large swells stemming from Hurricane Simon off the coast of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
“It was the perfect day to surf. The waves weren’t too huge or too intimidating, but just big enough for the team,” said first-year Malibu head coach Scott Lewis, a 50-year veteran of surfing. “They came in at just the right direction.”
Lewis had his team and the middle school kids simulating heats in 15-minute intervals as a traditional SSS contest would dictate.
Forty-five minutes into practice, Gorelick caught the perfect wave. Patience, persistence and confidence paid off.
“He got the wave of the day with a six-second tube ride,” Lewis said.
As fate would have it, the wave was Gorelick’s last one to catch before heading off for school.
“It was pretty crazy. I knew it was pretty special. It had a nice barrel and I rode it in,” Gorelick said proudly. “It was one of the best waves ever at Zuma. Everyone was really psyched. I was receiving texts and photos all day.”
Gorelick is one of 74 individuals who are part of the combined Malibu High (27 members) and middle school (47 members) surf programs. The teams are sponsored by Rip Curl and represent the largest sport on campus.
“We live in Malibu and the ocean is right there,” Gorelick said. “We have a lot of experience. I think we will do really well this year.”
Malibu is a part of the SSS “Los Angeles to Santa Barbara” division. The middle school team participates on Saturdays while the high school team competes Sundays. Opening weekend is this Saturday and Sunday at Mandalay Beach in Oxnard followed by contests in November, January, February and March at Leo Carrillo, Santa Monica, Zuma Beach and Ventura County Fairgrounds, respectively.
The high school squad boasts longboard/shortboard phenom senior Frankie Seely on the girls’ team and a talented group of shortboarders on the boys’ side that includes Gorelick, fellow seniors Thelen Mckinna-Worrell and Amour Armony, junior Henry Jenkinson, sophomores Sky Petretti and Ryder Sturges, and promising freshman S.J. Murphy.
Seniors Tristen McGowan, Colby Parker and Michael Rivetti form a strong core of boys’ longboarders.
“It’s an incredible humbling experience for me to coach,” Lewis said. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve been blessed with this opportunity.”
At the middle school level, Spencer Regan (8th grade shortboard), Griffin Churchill (7th grade bodyboard), Betsy Lee (8th grade shortboard, longboard) and Saxon Rhodes (7th grade shortboard, longboard) will be key contributors as the program competes in the present while building for the future.
Churchill photographed Gorelick’s achievement and cheered along with his fellow Shark teammates.
“We were screaming and waving our hands,” the 12-year-old said.
Dale Rhodes, coach for the middle school program, cherishes each moment he encounters with the kids. He coached the middle school team to a sixth-place finish at the state championships last year.
“It means a lot to me. The water is so soothing and it brings a warm feeling to my heart,” he said. “I want the kids to learn that not only is it fun but it’s like a job. You get rewarded when you put the time in and work hard. We are forging the path to the future in the big world.”
For more information, parents and interested students may contact middle school team manager Jerri Churchill at 818.209.2487.
