Eastern Surfing Association
Dedicated to promoting, preserving and protecting East Coast surfing
by Anne Taylor Robertson and Natasha PearceSurfing is one of those sports that nearly anyone can participate in given a board and a little instruction. There’s no height or age requirement, you don’t have to make the team in order to play, and you don’t have to drive to California to find the good waves.
The Eastern Surfing Association is completely dedicated to promoting, preserving and protecting the sport of surfing on the East Coast. For generations, ESA has inspired amateur surfers of all ages and abilities across the East Coast. It’s the largest amateur surfing association in the world, boasting over 7,000 members (including world-class athletes such as Kelly Slater and Lisa Anderson), and their family-oriented programs promote a healthy and active lifestyle.
Their reach can only be defined as gnarly—extending all the way up and down the East Coast. The DelMarVa region of ESA helps children and young adults all over the mid-Atlantic reach their surfing goals while teaching them valuable skills for life. ESA’s focus is part of what makes it different and unique. They help amateur surfers to become some of the best in the sport. Even those that do not pursue professional careers as athletes often are promoted, with the help of ESA, to positions that celebrate the sport. Some of these include surfing journalists and film makers, corporate sponsorship, and business opportunities.
In addition to molding the talents of amateur surfers, ESA prides itself on giving back to the community by helping young men and women further their educational goals. As the longest and largest running scholarship program in the U.S surfing community, the Marsh Scholarship Fund awards up to $8,000 in financial aid to deserving students.
If you’re unsure about learning to hang ten, you can watch a surfing competition to get an idea of the basics and decide if it’s something you and your family would like to try. The ESA hosts a number of surfing competitions each year, with open surfing, bodyboard divisions and longboard divisions separated by age. Each district of the ESA conducts four or more contests per year, and each year the ESA has over 150 competitions along the entire East Coast. The winners are invited to advance to the Region competition, and then the top finishers in those championships are invited to The Easterns “Best of the East” Grand Finals held each September.
Along with promoting the sport of surfing, the organization also advocates for safe and clean ocean environments. The ESA is committed to the principles of environmentalism and is affiliated with the Clean Water Network, Clean Ocean Action, North Carolina Coastal Federation, Surfrider Foundation and the American Ocean Campaign, committed to restoring, preserving and protecting our oceans from pollution and ensuring clean, safe coastal environments.
The Eastern Surfing Association continues to evolve as the years go by and changes are made. As each new year approaches and new faces emerge, progression to form a stronger unified organization continues. From its start in the late 60s and into the 21st century, this group of passionate surfers has transitioned from an organization into a movement, and one thing remains consistent: the feeling of pride and camaraderie that has become the defining factor for East Coast surfers.
To find out more about the Eastern Surfing Association, visit www.surfesa.org