La Muize!

THE FABLED LINES OF MUIZIES: It's a diverse playground for chilled board riding.

Charmaine Adams, organiser of the LaMuse Classic, a longboard event for women only, says competitive surfing doesn’t have to be an intense space. Although LaMuse takes women out of their comfort zone, it’s chilled and it’s vibey. Although the women are surfing against one another, they are still a team.

‘We encourage one another,’ she says, ‘We’re thrilled if we’re in, if we win … [but] if we lose, we go through all the emotions together.’

And she’s right. With a history in SUP surfing, I’m not much of a longboarder. In fact, I’m lucky if I can get to my feet in one movement. So, when Novice Round One Heat Two was called, I tottered nervously down the beach toward the other three women in contest jerseys, ready to paddle out. They looked about five hundred and sixty-two years younger than me, and way more competent. Did they ice me out?

Not at all.

MOTHERS DAUGHTERS: Moms and their daughters paddled out together. Photo Charles Lalieu

‘Hi,’ said the one, and introduced herself. And then the others did too. Names, greetings, even a comparison of nail polish colors when we got to the back. We paddled out together and there was an agreement to ‘shake and bake.’ Share waves. In a contest. It was wild. We don’t even do that in SUP.

Somehow, I managed to find my way through to the next round. The vibe was no different. But when I came stone last in the heat, I didn’t feel alone. I had warm commiserations from all the other women who had been knocked out on day one and kind encouragement from those who had gone through. Group therapy.

I saw one woman approach the scoreboard after her heat. ‘I’m sorry I don’t have better news for you,’ said Tasha Mentasti, the contest director.

The woman shrugged. ‘I didn’t think I did enough,’ she said. Chances are, she, like me, was a little bummed for a minute, but our goodie bags included hideaway hoodies and Stance socks from The Store, so we could take comfort until the sting subsided. Also, there was Hard Seltzer.

LOGGED IN: For the small clean lines of Muizenberg, you need some volume beneath your feet.

I got a text from another surfer I know from stand up, and I often see at St Francis. She’d advanced to the final in her age division. ‘How was your heat?’ she asked.

‘Aww I came fourth,’ I replied. ‘I need to practise.’

‘Let’s practise together at Huletts,’ she said.

On finals day, reigning SA Champ Tarryn King also found herself at the stingy end of a heat.

‘It happens to all of us,’ she said with a wry smile, encouraging another novice who was bleak at her loss the previous day. Then Tarryn paddled back out in the mother and child division with her little Koa, and brought home some secondary silverware.

The waves jacked up on finals day, from day one’s Lake Muizenberg to some 2-3ft fun ones.

RELAXED VIBES: The event attracts a laid back crew of longboarders who come out to chill.

From the youngest ten-year old, Coco Paterson, to the oldest wahine warriors in the Legends division, the women were hanging and banging to whistles and yells from the beach. One of the contestants asked me to hold her coat and take care of her car keys while she surfed the final of her age division. Her husband was at home taking care of their baby.

I caught up with Michelle van Kempen, who’d traveled from Gqberha for the contest, coming off a great LaMuse becomes a reason to push yourself out of your comfort zone when you paddle out in a contest vest you may never have worn beforeSA Longboard Champs result. She went on to win the over forty division with some excellent rides: her board right in the pocket and her toes on the nose.

I watched the novice finals and saw some beautiful surfing from women early in their longboarding journey. I decided that perhaps next year I should take the leap and surf in my age group. Which would mean I would have to paddle out with the most experienced surfers in the water. But that’s okay because by the end of finals day I’d figured out the point.

LaMuse is not only about winning the contest. While we celebrate those who did win, (Because what an achievement! You can read all their names below and super well done to them.) LaMuse has another layer. LaMuse becomes a reason to push yourself out of your comfort zone when you paddle out in a contest vest you may never have worn before. Your reason might be getting a cross step in, instead of a shuffle, or executing a drop knee cut back. Maybe for you, it’s getting to the nose.

STYLING: There's something completely majestic about a good longboad surfer. Photo Hannah Filen

I know for me, LaMuse is a weekend I look forward to, a time to celebrate other women and surfing, and to be mindful of our precious ocean environment. (All while sitting at the beach not doing laundry, unpacking the dishwasher nor making snacks.)

I surfed for twelve days out of fourteen prior to LaMuse because of my appalling pop up. Good surfers don't even think about jumping to their feet in one movement. I did. A lot. I pushed myself out of my 'I surfed in onshore, offshore, howling wind, icy cold, bigger waves than I feel confident in, smaller waves than I like.'comfort zone in a way that I never would have if it weren’t for the contest. I surfed in onshore, offshore, howling wind, icy cold, bigger waves than I feel confident in, smaller waves than I like. I surfed alone, with friends, with strangers, with a shark-looking-seal and a squid. All in the quest to pop up in one movement. And I did it. The day before LaMuse. After that wave, I kicked out, put my head on my board and felt teary with joy. I’d done it. I’d had to get out out of my comfort zone, but I’d got something done. A tiny speck of progress.

‘That,’ said Charmaine, when I told her the story, ‘is what LaMuse is all about. That we can promote [surfing] and get girls to surf, we can take them out of their comfort zone and realize that competitive surfing is [a safe space].’

‘We are overwhelmed,’ she, and the other organisers at LaMuse, went on to say.

‘Creating a platform for women to surf together and inspire each other to raise the bar of surfing competitively and prove to themselves that they can do it is nothing short of amazing.’

WARRIOR WAHINES: You get to see some seriously artful longboards made from natural material.

ABOUT
The cool thing about the event is that is is the only inclusive (single-fin or tri-fin) longboarding contest that caters for women of all ages and all capabilities. It encourages all women, from as young as Coco Patterson (10) to our most mature legend, Therese Russel (who is in her 8th decade, say no more?), to test their boundaries by trying something new but within the nurturing safety of an all-women’s event. This year there were 3 novice divisions, and 3 mother-daughter heats! But aside from that, the quality of the surfing of the open ladies and under 18’s is phenomenal, with visible improvements over the past 3 years. Its an event like none-other with an all-women Judging panel headed by contest director, Tasha Mentasti, and a sense of camaraderie and fun that is unparalleled in any other contest. Quite unique, actually. The ladies just love it, which shows as entries are filled up almost immediately after opening. Oh, and of course for the 4th time running, it was a plastic-conscious event following Ocean Pledge guidelines such as providing recycling bins, a water station and reusable water bottles for all contestants. - By Diony Lalieu

{gallery}SLIDESHOW/2021/september/lamuse-muiz{/gallery}

Open
1. Christy Gilmore
2. Cara Stubbs
3. Hayley Hansen
4. Josie Middleton

Novice
1. Naomi Peterson
2. Tracy - lee Reid
3. Ncera Mabhunu
4. Kayleigh Wallace

Divas
1. Michelle.Van Kempen
2. Diony Lalieu
3. Charley Pollard
4. Karina Figl

U16
1. Remi Fourie
2. Zara Loftus
3. Yannah Figl
4. Coco.Paterson
5. Anna-RoseJones

U18
1. Hayley Hansen
2. Mary Slijpen
3. Maya Figl
4. Sophia Blochliger

Mother and Daughter
Caroline & Karen
Tarry & Koa
Penny Alana & Leigh Stemmet