Queen of the South Bay: more camaraderie than competition
Photos by Steve Gaffney (SteveGaffney.com) by Kira Ivarsdottir Nearly 200 surfers participated in the third annual Queen of the South Bay, held Saturday, May 30 at 42nd Street in El Porto. But the emphasis wasn’t on competition. “Queen of the South Bay was created to encourage women to feel included in a male dominated sport. If women want to try competitive surfing, they have the South Bay Boardriders contests,” said Lenie Ramos, co-director with Stephanie Rudy of Queen of the South Bay. Divisions ranged from assisted groms (9 and under), and novices (all ages) to Golden Girls (55-plus), and Moms vs Daughters. Sabina Erickson, a South Bay surf coach and founder of Ocean and Her Surf, encouraged her surfers to participate in the contest “I told the girls they have to experience contests. It’s such a great experience surfing with only women in the water,” Erickson said. “I really feel these kinds of events get more women in the water on a daily basis,” she said. Bailey Robb was among the Ocean and Her Surf competitors. “I came to the contest last year, just to watch friends because I had just started surfing. Here I am a year later,” Robb said. Robb finished second in the Shredding…
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