The Tour

two / monkey in the middle

The crowd was amped as the girls in front of me started running out through the beach. Shouts of encouragement were heard coming from every corner of the beach, and my leg bounced nervously as I eyed the waves. This quarter final lineup was the last thing that was keeping me from my dreams. Three other professional surfers, thirty minutes on the clock, and as many waves as possible.

A final deep breath escaped my lips as my name was called over the loudspeakers. The fans had been briefed multiple times that I needed to win this heat in order to qualify, and they were soaking it up. A few young girls held up signs with my name on them, and some of the stress left as a smile forced its way out.

The trip to the lineup didn't take long, and I was soon posted up with the rest of the women. Alanah, one of the best women on the championship tour glided up on my left side.

"Hey, River, you have a lot of people rooting for you. Surf like everyone knows that you can," She whispered to me with a wink.

"Thanks, I appreciate it. Best of luck to you too," I replied. She had already requalified for the tour, so there was nothing in this for her other than the possibility of prize money. That wasn't nothing, but she might just want some entertainment at this point, even if it meant that she lost. Either that or she liked me, which was theoretically possible.

As soon as the buzzer sounded a flurry of action commenced. Everyone fought to get the best possible position for the incoming set, and I realized quickly that I had gotten boxed out. Each of them took off on their own waves, and I was left with a pool of frustration in my gut.

The only good thing to come out of my late start was the fact that I now had priority. I squinted at the horizon, hoping to make out a nice bump but there was nothing great. Each minute ticked by quickly, and the boards floated on the water, waiting for action.

Maria, a qualifying series surfer from Brazil looked agitated, gnawing on her lower lip. She had earned the lowest score of the group that had caught a wave, and was sitting on an uncomfortable 3.2.

Finally, a decent set appeared and the first wave appeared to be the best from my current perspective. I managed to get in a snap off the top and, rather than falling off like I did a few days ago, move into a smooth roundhouse cutback followed by another turn off the lip. The judges came back with a reasonable 5.9, and I wet my hands and pushed my hair back to prepare for the next round.

Twenty minutes later I had backed up my score with another 5, but that kept me three whole points below Alanah and one below Maria. It wasn't impossible, but it was looking tough with barely a minute left.

The three of them were all fighting for the next wave when I spotted it. Slightly smaller, but still nicely hollowed out. While they managed their priority, I paddled hard for the empty wave. I had more time than the others, and was pleased to see that Maria had managed to get the wave, which wasn't too threatening as she was last in the heat.

Pumping up and down my own wave, I snuck in two hard turns while staring down the line. I needed something big if I was going to score this well. Driving down the line for a few more seconds allowed the wave to begin to break, and then it was perfect. My board went straight up the wave and over the lip, adjusting its course in midair as it was directed by my momentum. Droplets of salt water flew through the air, shining brightly in the sun. As quickly as it had started, my board slammed back onto the water, my knees bending slightly to absorb the shock.

"And River Lancer lands the first air reverse of the competition, perfectly executing one of the only airs we've seen all weekend. We'll see if the judges rule it enough to put her through to the big leagues," The male voice echoed over the waves.