I always knew I was a surfer chick!!!
October 2023: Student Portrait by Lilou Linnet, Manager at NovoNordisk and surfer chick at Copenhagen Surf School.
Written by Steffen Neupert, Journalist and Surf Instructor.
With shaky legs, overstretched arms and a posture so awful it would make the Bells of Notre Dame green with envy, I surfed! Now I long to get back on the board all the time...

That Saturday morning in May, I arrived too early. Way too early! Typical me, especially when I'm excited. The sun was already out and a light breeze was blowing across the lagoon in Amager Strandpark. This was the first time I was going to get on a surfboard and find out if I really was a surfer. I've always known that deep down I was a "surfer chick" and dressed like one every summer. But I guess you're not really a surfer until you've learned the right techniques and can stay on the board without falling in the water.
I had been laid off a few months earlier due to COVID, and my energetic ego quickly decided to use the time wisely. Sure, I needed to spend more time with my husband and kids, but I also needed to do something "Lilousk". Something I had always dreamed of doing when the opportunity for a "thinking break" in my otherwise fast-paced work life presented itself. I actually thought I was going to learn to kitesurf, but my husband is an old kitesurfer himself and thought it was a really bad idea. "Argh, you're really good at it, honey. You should start windsurfing," he said. I like to listen to experience, so windsurfing it was. And it didn't take me long to find a beginner course at Copenhagen Surf School.

I was pretty oblivious to the fact that I would be the absolute oldest student ever at the surf school, but it was completely off the mark.
"I was neither the oldest, nor the only woman, nor the only one who came alone".
There were 14 of us on the team, all very different in every way, and I was greeted with the broadest of smiles and offered a cup of coffee while the instructors rigged the gear. After the instructor's thorough introduction on land, encouraged and confident, I grabbed my gear and headed out into the water, because how hard can it be? I mean, I've tried wakeboarding, I'm an old hand, I can dive and I've sea kayaked - it's water sports! I stood up, slowly pulled the sail up and *PLASK*! Then I was in the water again. One more time, same result. But there really is something about the third time, because suddenly it worked - and I surfed my first 20 meters.
All 14 newbies surfed that Saturday morning - without exception! Happy and pretty spent (because honestly, windsurfing is a full body workout), I went home and excitedly told my family. All I could think about was getting back on the board. So one Saturday followed another, and I eventually got a spot on the advanced Master Class Pro team. Surfing, that's what I should do. But in reality, it's not just surfing that drives me today. It's also the whole "surf family" that I can't and won't do without. The atmosphere at Copenhagen Surf School is unpretentious, honest and inclusive.
The team behind it has prioritized the very best equipment, and most importantly, the instructors are highly competent, meticulous and have exactly the right energy to engage, motivate and challenge. I can't forget my many new surf buddies, who are the most beautiful people who, like me, love the ocean, the challenge and the social life. We don't compete. We cheer, celebrate and help each other get better. Well... that's not really true, because I'm competing with my husband! The support from behind the scenes was great from the start - so great, in fact, that my husband and our 13-year-old son signed up for a start-up program last year, and they were hooked too! So when we kick off the 2023 season, all three of us will be on a Master Class Pro team. One thing is the fun physical activity in my absolute favorite element. Another thing is what's going on inside my head.
"When I surf, I experience the ultimate feeling of freedom"
One thing is the fun physical activity in my absolute favorite element. Another thing is what's going on inside my head.

It requires all my focus and total mental presence, so I'm forced to exclude everything else, and "The premise that the elements are in charge at all times humbles me and puts things into perspective." Lilou says. I've become much more aware of the fragility of the ocean since I started surfing. And I now feel more responsible for taking care of our blue playground so that the next generation can enjoy it too. I think I share this mindset with most other surfers. At the time of writing, on a sunny Sunday in March, the longing to get back on the board is greater than ever before. But whether I've become a real "surfer chick", I'll leave that up to you...
Are you an up-and-coming surfer chick too?
Learn to windsurf and join our friendly surf community! Our starter course is the way to go.