Reshaping the image of the female surfer

Bonnie Preziosi (double click on photos to enlarge)

Woman have been surfing for a long time,  images of Polynesian women surfers have been captured in drawings by author Mark Twain as early as 1819.  Recently the image of women surfers is changing as more women take up surfing.   Although many women agree that surfing remains a male-dominated sport, now the waves belong to both male and female equally.

Preziosi is one of our areas best.  She is a rippin’ surfer with a great personality. An amazing artist she is also fun to be around.  She cares about the community here and abroad.  She has been a leader in the local surf scene since the 70s and continues to leave her mark.

STAT BOX:

Name:  Bonnie Preziosi

Age:  51

Weight: Shh!

Stance: Goofy

Home Town: Ocean Pines, MD

Home Break: Assateague, Ocean City, DE beaches

Board: I have quite a few but I've mostly been riding my 6'8" Bessell hand shaped epoxy quad. I really like it, it has a little more give in it than most epoxy boards because the stringers are down the rails, not in the middle. I also ride a longboard when the waves are small or where it's a little more sluggish like Assateague and Indian River.

 

 

1)What have you been up to this spring? Heard you just got back from a month in Nicaragua how was it?

Yes, Nicaragua was great, the wind stays offshore there almost every day of the year all day, so the waves stay clean all day. There are always waves there so you know when you wake up there will be something to surf! When I wasn't surfing, I found time to paint or gather shells and rocks to make jewelry with. Since I have been back, I have been making jewelry, painting, making hats and headbands, surfing and teaching swim lessons getting people ready for their surf lessons! I am also teaching art classes and Surf lessons and private swim lessons with stroke mechanics.

2)What made you start surfing? I grew up in a family of swimmers and skiers. We were rather heavily involved, my sister medal-ed in the 1976 Olympics in the 800 free in Montreal. It was just a natural progression for me to start surfing. I saw people surfing, had friends that surfed and it looked like fun and I wanted to try it. I never gave it a thought that I was a girl and everyone I saw out there surfing was a guy. There were very few women that surfed back then in the 70's and I had to wear guy's wetsuits which were always way too big across the shoulders and let water in. I was so excited when they started making women's wetsuits!

3)Do you remember winning your first contest?  There were never very many women in my division in Maryland and Delaware . When I competed in Regionals and Easterns, I had a lot more competition than I did on my home turf. I do remember my first year doing contests when I beat a women that had been doing them for a couple years and I felt pretty good about that.

4)What made you want to start surfing competitively? I had been coaching a United States Swimming Winter Team that I started " Ocean City Dolphins" for 6 years. I also coached the Salisbury YMCA team for a year. I had to do a lot of traveling with the kids to the western shore. All three of my kids started surfing ( they are all grown in their 20's now and all still surf and probably will for life!). They started doing surf contests and realized that this was more fun than swim meets and you got more loot, not just ribbons and trophies! They liked that and they all decided that they would rather surf than swim. I was at the contests anyway and decided that since I was there, I might as well compete in my division too. I competed for a few more years after my kids stopped due to their work commitments. I decided just last year that I was finished competing after 12 years and now I just wanted to be a soul surfer! I do miss everyone at the contests but now I go visit and watch occasionally. Contests are a great way to stay motivated to surf when the conditions are not good because you have to be ready to surf any conditions. 

5)You also judge in some of the contest, what are the things you look for? I did judge when I was competing, up until last year. It's not an easy job to judge. You have to have no distractions. Sometimes there are three people up and riding at the same time and you have to watch all three rides until the end and remember who did what to write down scores. You look for length of ride, the wave size and choice of waves they ride, maneuvers on the critical area of the wave , completion of maneuvers, etc.... If they do some awesome air but they don't land it,. then you can't even score it.

6)What are your thoughts about women surfing?   It's been so exciting to see Women's surfing evolve. There were so few women surfing back in the 70's when I started. Whenever I would see another woman surfing, I'd be pretty stoked and had to go meet her and connect. I made a lot of surfing friends over the years that way  that I still surf with.  There was a huge misconception back then that the reason women surfed was to meet guys. They didn't consider that maybe we did it because we love the sport!!  I'd have to say that every surfing woman I know has experienced it. When you are out in the lineup, a lot of guys assume that you can't surf because you are a woman, so they drop in on you and cut you off. I love it when I'm at the peak and go for it and show them that, yes, we can surf! It's been pretty awesome seeing surfing evolve for women to the point where it's accepted that we are a part of this too! I never understood why it was perfectly fine for women to ski and do many other action sports and there were so few women that surfed. Now there are specific boards, wetsuits, clothing and gear for women that was never around when I first started surfing. I think this has helped tremendously in promoting women's surfing.

 

 7)I know art plays a big part in your life, when did you realized that art was something you wanted to pursue professionally.

I have always had an interest in art since I was very young. I would do art projects on my own for fun from a young age. It is always rewarding to create something. I started taking painting classes when I was about 12 then took every one I could in high school. I then went on to receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts ( BFA) from Maryland Institute College of Art http://www.mica.edu/

7a)You are involved in a lot of projects related to art and surfing, what are some of the things you have done that are closer to your heart?

I have always leaned towards subjects related to nature and surfing. I incorporate these into most of my pieces. I also taught art classes in Nicaragua two years ago with my daughter Hannah who also is an artist. We took down art supplies to give to the local children. It is such a poor country and they don't have the resources that we do. It was very rewarding to have them smile and show us the work they did. I make sea glass and beach stone jewelry with sterling silver also incorporating shells I have found in my travels with them. I enjoy fiber art and I make hats and headbands which I sell in surf shops and shows. I have also done quite a few murals in residences and my favorites are for surfers that wanted surf scenes with waves on their walls.

 

8)How do you stay balanced and grounded? 

 I live a very healthy lifestyle, eat whole foods with as much organic as I can. I avoid processed foods and try not to bring chemicals into my house for cleaning , or consumption. I read all labels when purchasing food and body and cleaning products and use plant based products. I try to exercise most days of the week, preferring to surf whenever the waves are suitable. I believe that everyone should incorporate music and art into their daily lives.

9)How can we all individually help keep the planet healthy?  We should all try to refrain from purchasing products with chemical ingredients that harm our bodies and our environment. Most people don't give it much thought that everything eventually makes it's way into the ocean.  People poison themselves, their homes and yards with chemicals. We should use plant based products and  reuse as much as possible. I believe that we should not eat things that our grandparents would not have eaten.  If the ingredients on a label are more than a few or you don't recognize them as food, you probably should not eat it.

 

10)Best surf session in Delaware? Indian River non crowded Fall Hurricane swell!

11)Favorite surfing maneuver? Long rides that I can do lots of big carving turns on! I much prefer that to zippy fast waves that leave little room for maneuvers. We get a lot of fast close out waves here on Delmarva but when we get a good groundswell it makes you appreciate surfing even more and being able to do so on a regular basis.

12)What is something about DE and this area in general that keeps you coming back and living here permanently. The area is crowded in the summer but we get our best waves in the off season when the crowds thin out.  I feel privileged to live here knowing that so many people have to drive for hours just to enjoy what we have here. I will never take it for granted. We have some of the most beautiful areas on the coast with our parks especially, Cape Henlopen and Assateague . I am grateful that these have not been developed. We really have the best of both worlds here not being isolated but having these jewels on our coast. Being self employed and living at the beach gives me the opportunity to go surf when the waves are going off! I also Stand Up Paddle board, so when the waves are not conducive to surfing, I hit the waters of our bays to paddleboard.

 13)If I want to take a surf lesson from you, what’s the best way to set that up? You can email me at bpwaves@aol.com and I will call you to set it up. I am certified with NSSIA which is National Surf Schools and Instructors Association.

14) Where can people buy and check out your art?   My website is bpwaves.com   I sell my prints in several surf shops and galleries including Rehoboth beach Surf Shop, Chaunceys 30th st. OC, Raggamuffin, 24th st, OC, Beach Cottage, Bethany Beach, Berlin Coffee Shop, Berlin, MD, and many more. I sell original paintings by appointment and do commission work too.

Bonnie, thanks for a great interview, see you in the line up!