Our Big Team kicked butt!

They gathered by the thousands. All of them seeking perfection. Wanting to perform at the best of their abilities. Launching into rhythmic motion, trying to achieve the ultimate dance.

Another North Shore jaunt? Nope. This time, I spent alt.surfing's World Surf Day 2000 (WSD 2K) weekend on the "mainland" cheering on my daughter in her Drill/Dance competition. It was awesome watching my little girl perform, and electrifying when their team won most every category.

Did I miss participating in WSD? Not really. This was a family goal of ours for the past year, and the team's success was a testament to the commitment and effort of all girls and their families alike. My wife and I shared the win with her, totally stoked and beaming with pride.

But did I think about WSD? A little bit. I thought of all the characters on our group and hoped that they all caught some good waves (actually since I couldn't partake, I thought just the opposite, but you didn't hear me say that :-) ).

I really didn't think about surfing very much during the trip, although I did manage to knock off a couple of surf novels. However, one thing that really jarred my memory back to the ocean was a routine that one of our dance teams did. Our Minis group performed a highly acrobatic/aerobic number to the surf movie tune "Free Ride!"

I missed the first run of this exceptional surf film (back in the day when there was such a thing as a surf film), but was stoked to see the re-release in the early 80's. Let me tell you, Shaun and Rabbit and MR have nothing on these girls as they ripped through their number with youthful exuberance.

The girls were in a contest situation, but once they hit the floor, it was all about dancing together in harmony for themselves and the crowd. Similarly, that's the essence of what WSD is all about--for the participants in our group to surf together, even though geographically apart, and share the stoke (without being concerned about a silly thermos).

I guess in a sense, I did participate in WSD after all. What a ride!