The Brave News

By Marco Castro

Senior Isaac Mays leads the newest club on campus, as he hopes to bring the joy of surfing to St. John Bosco High School. The club is open to all levels of surfing and plans to host their inaugural meeting this Saturday morning at the Seal Beach Jetty.

Isaac Mays has been surfing for many years, and with the help of club co-founder, fellow senior Ryan Gutierrez, Isaac looks to extend his love for aquatics with all of the Bosco community. Inspired by the success of nearby schools, Isaac was in awe with the camaraderie that was built within the surf community. Being a part of both Varsity Water Polo and Swim, he wanted to make a club that went in hand with his love for water sports. 

“We have a competition planned with Long Beach Poly High School around winter time this year,” Isaac said.

Surf competitions are scored by judges and participants are given points based on the skills displayed while surfing. More points are awarded for doing tricks, which Isaac doesn’t think many people will be doing at their competitions.

Although there will be frequent competitions, potential members do not need prior experience to be a part of the Surf Team.

“No experience is necessary; we’re just looking to have a fun time,” Isaac said.

Knowing that surfing is not a common skill to have, Isaac plans to teach members how to surf along with co-captains Andrew Rivera and Eiian Reyes. In addition to teaching new members how to surf, they will be tasked with teaching co-founder Ryan Gutierrez how to surf. Ryan is in charge of social media on the Surf Team and a prime example of how to be active on the team despite lacking prior knowledge of how to surf. 

“When Isaac brought up the idea to me, I just wanted to hop on board and try new things out,” said Ryan.

Trying new things is the theme of this new club, as well as building a stronger bond between students on campus. While surfing without prior knowledge may seem daunting, being a member of the Surf Team is a chance to learn and grow alongside members of the Bosco community. Being its first year of this club on campus, there are bound to be growing pains that the club will endure and grow from as a whole.

“I think this a good experience for Bosco to come together and focus on surfing,” said Andrew. “I feel like a lot of people have interest in surfing but don’t have the means to do so.”

The Bosco Surf Team is available to any students from both St. John Bosco and St. Joseph’s High Schools who are interested in surfing. All of the people involved in starting this club are able and willing to help anyone learn how to surf and to provide a board to borrow for those that don’t have one.

Their first meeting will be this Saturday at 7:00 am at the Seal Beach Jetty. Again, all levels are welcome, and a limited number of boards will be available to those who may need one. If you are interested in being a part of this club or attending, contact the Bosco Surf Team on Instagram @sjb.surf.