Surfing plus babysitting aims to give mothers a break
by Garth Meyer An organization to pair surfing with babysitting has come to Redondo Beach. Surfing Moms was co-founded in September on Oahu by Palos Verdes native Anna Shoemaker and Australian Dr. Elizabeth Madin, the latter of whom ran a chapter of “Surfing Mums” in Australia. In 2018, five to ten mothers (from a mailing list of 400) were meeting each week at Oahu’s Kailua Beach and talked about following the lead of the Australians, who had 32 chapters. “Like-minded, ocean-minded mamas,” Shoemaker said, describing the group. When the pandemic hit, she and Madin decided to start an official non-profit. Using GoFundMe to raise start-up costs, they hired an attorney and an accountant, filed papers and launched. “I haven’t ever surfed as much as I do now, as a mom,” said Shoemaker, vice president. Redondo Beach is the group’s sixth chapter. It meets Sunday mornings from 9 to 11 a.m at the Topaz Jetty, or Torrance Beach, depending on conditions. Members pay a $50 annual fee. “We joke that it’s a dollar a week for free babysitting,” Shoemaker said. At the weekly meet-up, each mother gets an hour in the water, before a swap out with the others babysitting. “It’s geared toward moms of…
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