How does your mom stack up?
I looked in the back seat of my car this morning and, for the first time, I saw these two things: a surfboard and a carseat. No, I am not expecting (you can sit back down now, Dad), but I did just start a new babysitting job. While I certainly am not a surf mom yet, it made me curious how many of surfing’s greats have juggled both surf careers and raising kids. Although this list is by no means complete – there are many, many more amazing all-star women out there – these seven caught my eye. They all showed a true dedication to both their sport and their children, and they have handled their balancing act with inspiring style.
1. Lisa Andersen
Lisa Andersen, raddest surfing mom ever. Photo: ASP/Poullenot/AQUASHOT
Few people can boast four World Titles in surfing and even fewer can hold that big trophy in one hand and a daughter in the other. Better known for her Curren-esque style, this world champ didn’t even win her first title until after the birth of her daughter, Erica. While the surf world recognizes Lisa Andersen as the ultimate game changer in female professional surfing and the first face of Roxy, she should also be recognized as the raddest mom in surfing.
2. Keala Kennelly
Keala Kennelly, one hard charging mom. Photo: Anthony Walsh
Keala Kennelly is one hard charging mom. After turning pro at 17, she was an ASP world title contender for years. However, she is best known for her jaw dropping performances at the Teahupo’o. She became the first woman to tow-in surf in 2005, and she won the Billabong XXL Girls Performance Award in 2011 and 2013. Today she continues to chase big swells around the world; however, she has added one more job to her resume: becoming a mom. She recently welcomed her first son to the world, and we hope to see him out charging with his mom in the years to come!
3. Alex Florence
Alex Florence, a.k.a. Mom John. Photo: ASP/ Kirstin
They say behind every great man there’s a great woman, and in the case of ASP World Tour phenom, John Florence, this woman is his mother, Alex Florence. Hailed as Mom John, Alex is the ultimate surf mom. After making the move from Jersey to Hawaii in the ’80s, she quickly became a fixture on the North Shore where she raised her three boys: John, Alex, and Ivan. The kids quickly took to some of the area’s heaviest waves…and the rest is history. However, this mama doesn’t just sit on the beach, watching her boys from a beach chair. She joins them out in the water as well as on the half-pipe in the backyard. Her sons might steal a little bit of the spotlight, but this mom charges in her own right.
4. Marge Calhoun
Marge Calhoun, the original surfing mom. Photo: Clarence Maki
Marge is the original surf mom. She began surfing after the birth of her two daughters, Candy and Robin, in the mid 1950s. The trio was recognized for both skill and athletic beauty. Considered the first female world champion, Marge won the 1958 Makaha International. She also co-founded the U.S. Surf Association in 1961, and she became the organization’s first secretary, as well as its first and only female judge. Marge made a huge impact on the start of competitive surfing, but she is best known for spreading surfing to young girls across the country during a male-dominated time in surf history.
5. Tammy Moniz
Tammy Moniz, amazing surf mom. Photo: Surf Pix.com
This Hawaiian surf mom is married to North Shore legend Tony Moniz, and together they operate Faith Surf School in Waikiki. They have raised five children, Isaiah, Josh, Seth, Micah, and Kelia, all who surf competitively and appear in surf magazines worldwide. Between teaching lessons, chasing her kids around the world, and getting out in the water herself, this mama’s life is truly centered around surfing.
6. Juliette Paskowitz
Ma Paskowitz and her tribe.
Known as “Ma,” Juliette Paskowitz is the matriarch of the Paskowitz clan. Known as the First Family of Surfing, for nearly twenty-five years the Paskowitz’s lived a transient life out of a series of camper vans. Ma, Doc, and their nine children chased surf up and down the coast, focused on a healthy lifestyle and surfing.
7. My mom, Julie Pitz
Taylor and her number one surf mom. How cute is this?
While you only get in the water with me on rare occasion, you have earned your spot on this list. From long afternoons in Huntington Beach to the wet wetsuit stench in the Suburban to the sand in the couch, you’ve put up with a lot over the years. The number of days you’ve sat in the Huntington Beach parking lot, I couldn’t NOT include you. Thanks for everything over the years, and thanks to all the other surf moms out there for keeping kids stoked!
Bonus mom: Matt Warshaw’s mom, Mimi Kalland
Is your mom this cool?
Matt Warshaw wrote surfing’s history, and this is his mom. Do you need another reason? If you do, she doesn’t care.
Any moms we missed? Please add to this list of inspiring, surfy women below.
