Surfing gave Sarah the community she didn't know she was looking for
October 2023: Student Portrait by Sarah Bech, marketing specialist at Save the Children and surfing legend at Copenhagen Surf School.
Written by Steffen Neupert, Journalist and Surf Instructor.
It's hard to find new communities, especially when you're really growing up. Sometimes it seems like everyone has enough of their girlfriends, colleagues and old high school friends. So what do you do if you want to expand your circle of friends with new and exciting people?
If you know this problem, you might be inspired by 33-year-old Sarah from Copenhagen. "Where I am in life, I've been looking for a new community that isn't just about small children. Instead, it's just about being outside and having fun together," she says. Of course, you can join a team sport. But what if, like Sarah, you don't like balls or want to decide for yourself when you want to pursue your hobbies?
If you ask Sarah, she has a great answer: windsurfing! "When I surf, I'm just Sarah in a wetsuit. People are interested in me as a person on a deeper level, and I don't think many people in my surf team, for example, care about what I do on a daily basis."
Sailing was too scout-like
Today, Sarah can laugh a little about how many detours she took on her path to windsurfing. She has always loved the water and thought that the exciting communities for her would probably be found on the sea, so she initially joined a sailing club. "But I also felt that the environment at the sailing club wasn't for me. They were really nice, but it was just too nerdy for me," says Sarah. The training sessions consisted of knots, knots and the same exercises over and over again, so Sarah quickly missed the fun and games. At the same time, she felt like she was constantly struggling to keep up with everyone else. As a beginner, it can be difficult to step into a team sport where everyone is so dependent on each other to succeed - for example, sailing a boat efficiently. "It was too scout-like for me.
It wasn't a community I fit into, so instead I tried to find a sport where you can be together without necessarily all being equally good." That's when Sarah got the idea that surfing might be the right sport for her.
I couldn't stop windsurfing again
Sarah already had a handful of friends who surfed waves. But when you live in Copenhagen, it takes several hours to get to a place where the waves are big enough for that. "So I tried kitesurfing instead, but only managed one lesson because I just wasn't going to enjoy it.
It was completely uncontrolled and I didn't like it." Still, Sarah refused to give up, so instead she signed up for a windsurfing course. And there may be some truth to the old adage that third time's the charm. Sarah fell in love right away.
"People were so nice and welcomed me as if they had always known me. And I just couldn't stop windsurfing again, because I was completely hooked on getting speed across the water. So that's how it turned out," she laughs. At the same time, Sarah realized that the other windsurfers on Amager didn't care that she was a beginner.
When surfing, you are only dependent on yourself, the weather and your equipment. That's why everyone can surf together - no matter how experienced or inexperienced they are. "I was probably the absolute worst at the beginning, but I didn't notice it at all because it just came together. It just felt natural to be there."
The most magical moment ever
It's only a little over a year since Sarah took her very first course here at Copenhagen Surf School. But windsurfing has already become one of the most important things in Sarah's life. And that's why it can be a bit tough when the season comes to an end. "It's tragic every fall when the teaching stops, because you need your fix."
Fortunately, Sarah is by no means the only one who feels this way. So during the winter, she often meets up with her friends from surf school to play games, play sports or have dinner. In record time, they've become exactly the kind of community Sarah didn't know she was missing.
So when it was her birthday at the end of the season, she celebrated with her surfing friends - both in her own apartment and at the surf school, of course! "People brought me presents, the sun was shining, there was lots of wind in the sail and music in the background. Everything just came together and that moment was just the most magical moment ever".