Surfing in a competition is not only difficult to do well in; it’s a difficult concept to grasp. Stereotypically the surfer is the wild child who always wants have fun––the “life’s a game” type of person. While this may be accurate, many upcoming surfers are embracing the fact that responsibility is a part of life and the competitive aspect of surfing is another side to our culture.

Cameron Duby (9) is currently discovering her place in the high school surf environment. I sat down after a surf session at Salt Creek to ask her about her past year and the future high school experience ahead of her.

Being a freshman on any team is usually bottom of the rut, lowest level for any athlete. For the aspiring one you must bust down the door and show that you mean business in the sport. Yet Cameron, who surfs on varsity, placed first in shortboard and third for longboard this season, securing her place on the team as the future of SJHHS surf.

Proving her natural ability for competition and admitting the fact that she is a competitive person, Cameron easily stands out among the others; however, she exudes a sense of fun and desire to laugh a lot in life.

“It’s fun to compete with your friends,” says Cameron. This was the only quote I could get out of her about competition as she would rather reminisce on hysterical moments during practice when male surfers were afraid to paddle out and she and a couple of others charged large days at Salt Creek or North Beach.

Her charm and laugh hides her definite competitive side. Upon inquiry of States, a competition coming up in the next few months, she admits she is nervous.

“If I don’t get first it’s a problem,” says Cameron, laughing.

Despite her ambitious nature, Cameron feels she needs a break from the competition. Outside of school she competes regularly and does fairly well, usually placing in the finals. But she looks forward to a hiatus after the season ends. She will still be on surf team at SJHHS but wants a chance to breathe a bit and find her place in the environment and industry.

One of Cameron’s biggest role models is Dan Werner who instructs the OC Junior Guards. The most important piece of advice she ever received from him was to not give up and push on with her surfing and abilities as a waterwoman. Cameron considers him a father figure and aspires to become a lifeguard next year when she is old enough.

In the future, Cameron looks forward to personal growth in high school as a person and a surfer. She self proclaims to “go with the flow” and really just lives her life on a day-to-day basis.