Hours before the school day begins every Tuesday and Thursday, a group of 30 Malibu Middle School (MMS) students and 20 Malibu High School (MHS) students arrives at Zuma Beach for surf practice.
The surfers meet at towers 10 and 11, and start the day off with calisthenics and running before hitting the water to catch some waves. Sometimes, MMS coach Dale Rhodes and MHS coach Scott Lewis will join their athletes in the water.
“We train on contest strategies and water safety,” Rhodes said. “The water also has healing powers that help the kids start their day off on a positive note before they show up to school.”
Lewis said he occasionally takes his high school surfers up the coast to surf at County Line or Oxnard if the waves are good.
Rhodes and Lewis have both been coaching their respective programs for three years and come from experienced surfing backgrounds. Rhodes competed on his college surf team, where he was named Men’s National Surfing Champion in 1985. Along with coaching, he currently serves as a surf instructor for A Walk on Water for kids and families with autism. Lewis has been surfing for 51 years and competed on the IPS Pro Surfing Tour from 1976-78.
The surf teams are the biggest sport programs at both MMS and MHS, but Rhodes and Lewis endorse the motto that surfing is a team effort and every member is a winner and a leader.
“This is a team sport and every person’s win or loss counts toward our total points at the end of every contest,” Rhodes said.
Both teams attend five surf competitions each year and finish the season with state championships, which take place in mid-April.
The coaches said that this winter’s El Niño caused several contests to be cancelled due to high surf and bad weather conditions, but has positively impacted training.
“It has not helped contests at all, but has helped the free surfing and created more locations in our local area,” Lewis said. “Overall, it has led to more surfing.”
Although neither team has captains to emphasize the idea that everyone is a leader, Lewis identified Cajun Holland, Leila Anawalt and SJ Murphy as outstanding leaders on the high school team.
“They show up consistently with great attitudes and communication skills,” he added. “[They are] real team players.”
Lewis said that Carson Dohan’s individual shortboard victory at the Santa Monica contest was one of his most memorable competition moments from the regular season. Sky Petretti finished behind Dohan, taking second for the Sharks.
The Ventura County Fairgrounds competition last November also brought several high finishes for the high school team. SJ Murphy led the way for the boys, taking second in the shortboard competition, and George Fauntleroy took fourth in the longboard division. On the girls’ side, Betsey Lee took second in longboard and Leila Anawalt placed fifth.
Saxon Rhodes represented the MMS team well by placing first in the region for 2016.
The Sharks will finish the season at the state championship competition at the Oceanside Jetty on April 16-18. Both coaches agree that their goals are to advance as far as they can, finish strong and have fun.
“We’re a team of respect and pride representing Malibu Middle and High School,” Rhodes said.
