Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar says: “You become a part of what you hang around with,” and I think I can see it in Tyrell and Melissa Johnson.
Though tired when I interviewed them, they still looked bright-eyed, bushy tailed and excited.
Freshly returned from the Eastern Cape Sea Harvest Grommet Surfing Games, the energy of the event was still on them.
They had just spent the weekend playing mom and dad, coach, psychologist, mentor, minder and cheerleader to a team of 21 young surfers and some parents at the Gqeberha annual grom surfing championships.
For some of the young surfers in the team this was their first ever sleep out, as well as their first ever “big” surfing contest.
The grom energy rubbed off on Tyrell and Melissa. I know what it is like to look after two children, but 21?
Tyrell is chair of Buffalo City surfing. He is also a world masters championship surfer.
At this event, he was from waist to chest deep chaperoning his young team of surfers in the water.
It was nerve-racking, he reported to me, as some of the young surfers in his charge took some first-class wipeouts.
One young lass in the team took a knock on the head from her board. Came out of the water, shed a few tears and then paddled out and caught another wave.
Out of the water, the excitement never waned. From U8 to U16 boys and girls were on surf safari.
The boys say the girls were knocking on their doors and running away. The girls say it was the other way round.
Tyrell came walking round the corner and there was a naughty lad with a wad of wet toilet paper in his hand ready to throw.
It was a laugh a minute but in the water everybody gave it their best shot.
The grom games are for entry-level surfers and is a feeder system to the main provincial team selections.
If you have never made the full provincial team and gone to SA championships, then the grom games are for you.
It is all about falling down, taking your knocks and learning how to get up again.
A metaphor for life, this surfing arena is a safe place to learn how to win or lose, make friends, aim for the best, tough it out and stay in the game.
The feisty scholars brought home a truckload of results. U8 Girls: 1 Zaliha Bhyat, 2 Leah Eleftheriou. U8 Boys: 2 Kyle van den Berg. U10 Girls: 1 Nicole Eleftheriou, 2 Amelia van der Holst, 3 Priya Tese. U10 Boys: 2 Nathan Strydom, 3 Jordy Seymour. U12 Girls: 2 Bella Johnson, 3 Laila Johnson. U12 Boys: 2 Henri Kok, 3 Ziraar Bhyat, 4 Linamandla Gigana. U14 Girls: 3 Rebecca Goldswain, 4 Zariya Bhyat. U16 Girls: 1 Zoe Webber, 2 Dominique van den Berg.
The groms completed a clean sweep for Buffalo City, coming home with the team trophy and a victory over Gqeberha — our home teams have completed victories in the masters, open, juniors and now groms too.
One wonders when our granny grommets will raise their flag, set up a competition and trounce all comers here as well?
Coach, chairman, chief cook and bottle washer Tyrell tells me his two stand-out surfers of the team were Henri Kok and Zoe Webber.
These two youngsters have got the bit between their teeth and the rest of the team will do well to chase them.
Zoe tells me she loved the event, only having surfed her first competition in January and now winning the Buffalo City Gqeberha event in March.
Cramming in a hockey tour event at the same time, Zoe and good friend Dominique were changing into their wetsuits in the car while supermom drove between events.
Dad, Jed Webber, comments: “People don’t think of surfing as a team sport but this event has a huge team spirit. This says a lot about the individuals behind the team.”
The Buffalo City team is casual, warm and welcoming and, by the way, victorious. Congratulations to our groms and coaches Tyrell and Mabuti.
The Buffalo City surfing trophy cabinet is looking rather spectacular.
Weekender
