Paper Proposal: My Surfboard

Description:

This isn’t just any surfboard this is my surfboard. Every rider has an attachment to his or her board and the one I have decided to describe I have named “Sunny.” Sunny is a long narrow shaped board that comes to a pointed beak at the top and is rounded off in the back. Sunny got its name due to its coloring, it is orange and yellow striped a long the edges but actually looks as though they have been mixed together due to the thick layer of surf wax spread over the top and side of the board that gives the effect that the two colors have been swirled together. On the bottom, there are three fins along with 20 carefully placed surf stickers that go along with the yellow and orange theme of the board. On the top and the bottom the logo JN, which the maker of my board has been branded in fantasy lettering. This board is 7 feet 6 inches long, 20 inches wide and about 3 inches thick. It has a lightweight, buoyant core covered with a hard shell that makes surfing with Sunny a surfers dream. The long black and yellow tail like object that is attached to the back of the board is my leash, that keeps Sunny and I tied together when we are out in the water.

Central Questions:

- What makes my not only my surfboard but other people’s boards so important to them? What is the attachment?
- Why is it that having a surfboard leads people to think that one is cool? So many kids out there get surfboards to put on the top of their cars yet have no clue how to ride them.
- What is the cultural significance of a surfboard?
- What assumptions might people make about people with a short board rider than a long board rider? How have these thoughts changed over the years?
- When did the surfboard become mainstream and really explode its way into today’s culture?


Research:

I have to develop this part more but these are a couple of the websites that I have been using for some references.
- http://www.clubofthewaves.com/culture_surfboard.php
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfboard
- http://blackmagic.com/ses/book/his-c.html
- http://www.answers.com/topic/surfboard


**I know I still need some academic sources…**

Argument:

The surfboards we ride today have undergone many innovative transformations that have made them the sleek, high performance, water rockets they are. Advances in surfboard design have ranged from size, weight and shape, to fins, to the materials used, and even different boards designed for different waves. Surfboard design has always been something very personal and special to the shapers and then to the buyer and this board design is as much as an engineering feat as it is a love for surfing.

My surfboard is something that I will have forever. It was the first board I ever bought at the age of 14. I saved up all of my babysitting and allowance money to get it. This board is my most prized possessions and has really shaped my lifestyle. It has thrown me into a social category of being a “beach bum,” one that I have fully embraced. Surfboards are a cultural icon that signifies a “way of being” for many surfers and leading many to adapt this mentality into their day-to-day lives.

** I still have a lot of work to do with this but any pointers that you could give me to help better this project would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!**

"Money Pits on Sticks"

Parking meters are hands down the most annoying things to me, especially the ones on UMBC’s campus. I’m not even going to get into the people that enforce these meters cause they just suck too. Anyways, these parking meters or better known as “ Money pits on sticks,” have been around since 1935 and probably have been annoying other people like me since then too.

“The world's first installed parking meter was in Oklahoma City, on July 16, 1935. Mr. Magee had been appointed to the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce traffic committee, and was assigned the task of solving the parking problems in downtown Oklahoma City “ (Luttrell). It was said that the meters were installed because people who worked in the city were parking on the road all day long and there wasn’t enough spots for shoppers…very upsetting.

“So this guys solution was to install parking meters, charge people for the use of the parking spaces, and turn over those spaces that would otherwise have been filled by all day parkers. In addition, the parking meters would generate revenue for a growing city. It must have worked, as the idea of metered parking eventually caught on worldwide. From that early beginning, the use of parking meters by municipalities, colleges and universities, and private parking facilities has increased to the point that today, in the United States alone, there are an estimated five million parking meters in use” (Luttrell).

Ok, so there is the annoying history of the parking meters, which I have a problem with. First, who the heck has the right to tell someone how long they are allowed to use a parking spot for. They found the spot and they should be able to use that spot for as long as they have to. And second, this guy who invented this cannot say that he has never pulled into a spot and gone some where thinking he would only be there for a short time and then get caught up and end up spending more time where ever he was.



So, I understand that the government is trying to make money wherever they can because they are annoying like that too. But, the fact that they almost now have the power to limit the amount of time we are able to spend in a place is just ridiculous to me. And furthermore adding to my frustration, lets just say that I have to be on campus for two hours, but I pull up to a spot and only have six quarters, which on this campus only gives us an hour and a half, I now have to leave class early or face a twenty dollar ticket. So, does this school really have my best interests in mind? Do they want me to get an education or do they want me to go broke?

Side note:
I understand that there is parking in lot 17 or if you are lucky enough to find a spot on the loop that yes I could park there but when you have been at practice for three plus hours and your body is killing you, I would just like a short walk to class rather than a hike. Thanks for reading about my huge problem I have with the parking meters.

Story of the Surfboard

The surfboard, not only represents me, but also represents a way of life for many others. Surfing has been around for many years and has been an important part of island culture. The surfboard also has come along way with the material it was made with, to even the way it is now shaped.

“Surfing as we know it (that is, standing upright on a board) was originally brought to Hawaii from the Polynesian islands, and became extremely popular during the mid 18th century. Surfing was thought to be a sacred pastime and was originally reserved exclusively for royalty. Their boards were crudely molded and most were fashioned out of solid wood and weighed close to 150 lbs. Granulated coral was used as a sandpaper to smooth the board. Then the board was stained with bark or charcoal and finished with glossy nut oil” (Sloan).

“It was during the beginning of this century that the board itself became the instrument of experimentation. It evolved from a solid redwood plank around 10ft., to a hollow longer lighter board and also made of wood called the "Cigar Box". When supplies became available after the WWII composite wood was exchanged for lightweight balsa wood. During this time a rudder was added to help stabilize the board, as well as the addition of a thin layer of resin and fiberglass coating the wood” (Sloan).

When we take a close look at the evolution of the surfboard we see how its story goes along with the way the world is evolving at the time. For example, “just like the youth were at an experimental/rebellious state during the sixties and seventies, the surfboard also underwent these major changes” (Sloan). It is also interesting to see how as material and technology became available how it was incorporated into surfboards. In the 90’s when a design program came out for Windows that was able to help out shapers create their board templates. Surfing has kept up with the worlds ever changing ways and it seems as though these stories can be seen through the surfboards made over time.

Surfing has been woven into many people’s cultures and everyone has their own story to tell about their first surfboard and their first ride. It is true that the “surfboard has come a long way since it’s Polynesian ancestors. It has slipped in and out of decades, dragging, pushing and pulling unique subculture and devoted followers with it. It has undergone a revolution; designs have been lengthened and shortened and lengthened again, and no doubt there will be many other attempts to dismember the surfboard from it's original design origins. Even though surfboard design today has become a multi-million dollar industry, caught up in the whirl wind of mass marketed consumerism, surfers will always view the surfboard as a universal symbol- a way to achieve peace of mind, and a tool that will bring them closer to the endless tranquility of the deep blue sea” (Sloan).

Hyperlinks to that last post...

A new version of my lax stick... mine is modified and a lot more broken in.

This is an example of all of the articles of clothes and accessories that have lacrosse sticks on them.

This website shows how far lacrosse has come and how it is being honored and honors those who have played the game and make it into what it is today.

My Lax stick = My Identity

To many people outside the east coast a lacrosse stick looks like a pole with a sort of netting attached to the top of it. I have had people ask me "what do you call that contraption?" or even "what do you catch in that net looking thing?" and many other comments that I think to myself they cant be serious? But, here in Maryland where everyone knows what a lacrosse stick is and knows me, knows that it is like my third arm. This lacrosse stick is in fact is much more than just an object to me, it identifies my life and me as an athlete.

Looking at a lacrosse stick and all of the different parts it takes to make one may not have a lot of significance to most people but for me, I see a lacrosse stick in a different light. The head is the most complex part of the stick which I see representing my life as a whole. On the head of the stick are the strings that are woven together and create the web in which to catch the ball. These stings represent different chapters in my life. Where a string may be turned or twisted represent obstacles that I have encountered and overcome. At the end of those stings, some are tied off and those represent the end of a chapter and where some strings are not tied is where there is room for me to grow. Then there is the most important and strongest part of the stick, the shaft which I see representing my family. They are my rock and the most solid part in my life, without them I wouldn’t be me. I understand that this may be a stretch for most people to think in this manner but to me it makes perfect sense and this is why my lacrosse stick is such a part of my identity.

A lacrosse stick to other lacrosse players out there has many different meanings but however one may view their stick, the sport of lacrosse is a way of life for us laxers (as we like to call ourselves). Springtime for laxers is our favorite time of year, it is a time when the games start and fans of all ages come out to support one another. The lacrosse stick is a cultural symbol that has found its way onto many things such as shorts, shirts, sweatshirts, sweatpants, hats, necklaces, and even one’s body. Wearing or marking one’s things or even themselves with a lacrosse stick shows how much lacrosse is a part of our lives. And how symbolic the lacrosse stick really is.

When on the field with my stick it has the power to make me stand out and achieve things that most objects cannot do. I wonder if years from now, when people are looking through my things and find my lacrosse stick with the number 23 on it if they will know how that artifact they are holding in fact tells a much deeper story and the power that it gave me, rather than it just being a silly stick with a “net looking things attached to the top of it?”

My Favorite Website

I check this website about 3 times a day to see how the surf looks around the world.

About Me

I am a senior here at UMBC, majoring in American Studies. One of the biggest things that defines my role on campus is that am a member of the Women's Lacrosse Team. I also run camps and tournaments for kids that are looking to play College Lacrosse. Lacrosse is truly one of my passions. The other major passion of mine is surfing. When I am not on a Lacrosse field the only other place I really want to be is in the water. Surfing in Hawaii and Costa Rica have been some of the greatest highlights of my life and I can't wait to continue traveling after school to other beautiful surf spots around the world.