CUR R ICULU M
School’s In, Surf ’s Up!
THE ENDLESS SUMMER POS TER BY JOHN VAN HAMERSVELD; CULBERT SON PHOTO BY MIKE GLIER
SURFING (PHED 115) Instructor: Ian Culbertson, lecturer of physical education
It’s Friday at 8 a.m., class is in session, and Ian Culbertson is explaining how tides work and their relationship to the phases
of the moon. Students nod along as he spins a model of the moon alongside one of the Earth. It sounds like a pretty typical day in the classroom. Except, this classroom is located on the sand near Lifeguard Tower 24 in Santa Monica, California. Culbertson — an experienced surfer — is wearing a wetsuit and his models of the Earth and moon are a water bottle and a can of coconut water. Offered by USC Dornsife’s Department of Physical Education and Mind Body Health, this surfing course enables students
to learn the basic skills of Southern California’s most iconic sport. By the end of the semester, students will be able to paddle out, stand up on a board and glide along the coast. On the way to mastering how to “hang ten,” students learn the terminology of surfing. The mysteries of “off shore” versus “on shore” wind, the etiquette of catching a wave, wind dynamics, the risks (pro tip: the most dangerous thing in the water isn’t a shark, it’s another surfer’s wayward board), and the history and
culture of the sport are all explained. Culbertson’s students are also learning resiliency. On one cloudy morning, they fought through cold, thumping waves searching for a ride. Boards popped into the air as students were dunked again and again. They crawled out from under the white water, located their boards, shook water from their eyes and paddled off for another round. Back on the beach, Culbertson gives his students a pep talk, reminding them of Kathrine Switzer, the first
woman to run the Boston Marathon despite physical attacks from the sidelines. “Use the challenges as motivation to get out there and just get a wave,” says Culbertson — lessons that last long after wetsuits have been hung up to dry. —M.C.
California’s iconic sport is immortalized in this poster image for the 1966 surfing documentary The Endless Summer.
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