by David Villa

Created on: May 07, 2008

I was fortunate to have been born into a family with the means enough to give me the opportunity to play many different sports. I was also lucky to have been given a decent amount of athletic ability. I was never going to be the best player out there, but I was able to compete well in almost every sport I tried. As a result, I tried most every sport; team sports and individual sports alike. They all had their ups and downs, but there was only one that always gave me an overwhelming feeling of joy.

One of my favorite activities, to this day, is just having a catch with a baseball. I love the sound of the ball as it smacks into the glove, the slight sting you get in your hand when you catch a well thrown ball and the crack of the bat when you connect with the perfect swing. Baseball also conjures up memories of a beautiful spring or summer day. But, I never consistently got a feeling that would make me want to play baseball all day long. Most of the other team sports gave me this feeling as well.

Skiing comes close. There is definitely a feeling of joy when you are flying down the mountain, seemingly in complete control. On certain days, even riding up in the chairlift can be a great experience. On some mountains you rise up above the tree line and the landscape seems like something out of Star Wars. If you've ever been skiing in the Rockies, the way in which you can bounce through the newly fallen powder is something to behold. However, to me, when I'm done skiing for the day, I'm done skiing for the day. My mind goes to something else; what's for dinner, do I go with a nice hot chocolate or a cold beer, my tiredness, how my legs feel like rubber, etc

Surfing is different. Now, I am not a great surfer, nor am I even a very good surfer. I also only go about once, maybe twice a year. I can stand up on the board, get it pointed in the right direction, make a few moves that will get the board going a little faster and occasionally pull off some maneuvers that look pretty cool. It isn't even close to being the sport that I can perform best. Like baseball, it has a similar way of conjuring up images; the perfect summer morning when the reddish orange sun is just rising, there's very little wind and the ocean looks like glass. Similar to skiing you are enveloped by nature. What surfing does to me, more than any other sport, is fill me with this euphoria that can't be matched.

No, I don't subscribe to the idea that surfing gives you a life altering, earth shattering feeling

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