On board

Andrew Edwards

The waves slowly carried Peighton McRobie to the shore. The

7-year-old stood upright on her surfboard as she glided on the

water’s surface.

“It felt really, really good,” Peighton said after her ride.

Peighton and a handful of other children spent Friday at Thalia

Street Beach. It was the end of a week spent in the Laguna Beach Surf

School. Taught by local rippers Stephen “Sli Dawg” Chew, and Paul

Carolan, the children learned basic surf skills in a relaxed

environment.

“You learn how to stand up and paddle and catch a wave,”

10-year-old Kate Rogers said.

Some of the students had no surfing experience, while others had

ridden a board before attending the class. Carley Koones, 8, said he

started surfing about two years ago when he met some young surfers at

the beach, but joined the class specifically to learn with the

instructors.

“I wanted to meet Sli Dawg and Paul,” he said.

One of the students who was new to surfing, 13-year-old Lexi Alosio, said participating in similar sports like snowboarding and

skateboarding can make it easier to learn.

“It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be for me because I

snowboard,” she said.

Chew said he tells the class how to be aware of the ocean, and

doesn’t pressure his students if they’re nervous about the waves,

though the kids rarely get too scared to go in the water.

“Usually, the kids, if they see other kids out there, it’s like,

‘If they can do it, I can do it,’” Chew said.

The students also backed each other up during the week.

“It was a really, really fun time, and we all got along and we

helped each other,” 10-year-old Braden Poole said.

When in the water, the students and Chew bobbed up and down on

their boards as they waited for the good waves. After a student

caught one, their excitement could be seen easily.

“I went down about 40 to 30 feet down the line,” Braden exclaimed

after one of his rides.

Of course, not all rides end successfully, but Shawn Chegini, 13,

said the only thing to do after a fall is try again.

“I think about just getting back on my board and riding the next

one,” Shawn said.

Fridays at the class are generally a loose, fun day Chew said. The

surfers capped the week off with a pizza party, just one more way to

have a good time.

“It’s super fun,” Chew said. “I think I’m having more fun than

they are sometimes. They keep me in stitches.”