The “Girls in the Curl” event which will take place Saturday from 11 a.m. to sunset in and around Payson Library aims to celebrate the accomplishments of women in surfing as well as take steps toward preserving the history of surfing in Malibu and the greater Southern California area. This will be the first time an event quite like this takes place at Pepperdine.
According to Amy Adams director for Library Advancement and Public Relations one of the goals of this event is to raise awareness about Payson Library’s burgeoning special collection of surfing archival material and to raise money in support of it.
“As a library something that sets you apart academically is your special collections Adams said. We identified a need to preserve Malibu’s history in conjunction with the Malibu Historical Society. We view this as a service to the community and it is also good for our library.”
To this end Adams said it will be important for the Library to make contact with people who either possess or know people who possess potential archival material or were simply part of the California surf culture during the 1950s and 1960s.
“We need people who can tell the story of surfing Malibu accurately she said.
While this event will hopefully help Payson develop its surfing archive, Saturday’s primary aim is to simply celebrate the accomplishments of women in surfing.
Payson will host women who were surfing California breaks in the 1950s and 1960s, such as Kathleen Gidget” Zuckerman the woman whose surfing inspired a book films and a TV series competitive surfer Shelley Merrick and former world champion Linda Benson as well as current professionals Holly Beck and Erica Hosseini. These women will share their experiences and insights into the sport and the industry that surrounds it through panel discussions.
Members of the Malibu surf community are optimistic about this cause. Malibu lifeguard Cliff White-Kjoss said an event like Girls in the Curl “brings additional culture to an already historic and dynamic community. There is a lot of history at Malibu and an amazing repertoire of female long boarders have come through here.”
Wayne Rowland a local who has surfed Malibu First Point since the 1960s said that “girls surfing is a great thing and emphasized the importance of women like Gidget and Benson to the sport. Rowland’s enthusiasm for women in the sport is clear: his daughter Carla grew up surfing Malibu, and now surfs professionally.
White-Kjoss echoed Rowland’s sentiment. It’s nice to have females in the line-up he said. It keeps our machismo in check.”
The event will also serve as a forum to showcase a range of surf-related talents. Filmmakers Heather Hudson Jaime Budge and Pepperdine alumnus David Ogle will screen their surf films. Denny Aaberg Malibu surfer and co-writer of the famous surf film “Big Wednesday will perform live music.
Any time culture art and a lifestyle as all-encompassing as surfing intersect; when people get stirred up and involved is a good thing White-Kjoss said.
Adams spoke about the event with high hopes. We are giving people the opportunity to connect with each other and are aiming to bring together a community with a shared interest.”
Adams hopes the event will help forge lasting connections with Malibu locals. Although there is a perception that relations between Pepperdine and Malibu are a bit tense Adams assured that “we do have a lot fans in Malibu too.” She went on to mention fathers she’s spoken with who are excited about bringing their daughters to the event.
Pepperdine surfers are looking forward to the event as well.
“It’s great for Pepperdine to be supporting the surfing community sophomore surf team captain Andrew Frierson said.
Other members of the community are anticipating the celebration of women’s surfing specifically.
There is something intoxicating about surfing especially girls who surf surfer Sarah Beth Moore said. Surfing helped me identify my first love— the ocean— and has motivated me to strive to fit into the surfing community. The girls I have surfed with at Pepperdine have a special type of energy about them.”
“I think that girls who surf are so foxy junior surf team member Travis Hunter said. I’m definitely going to go.”
Benson who will be honored with a “Lifetime Contribution to Surfing” award wrote in an e-mail “the opportunity to celebrate ‘women in the curl’ in a beautiful setting … not far from the world-class waves at Malibu” is what drew her to the Pepperdine-sponsored event.
“I’m looking forward to spending the day with old and new friends … ‘talking story’ and celebrating the spirit and camaraderie of women’s surfing Benson wrote.