Farmdog Surf Scholarship: I love surfing.

We received so many amazing submissions for the Farmdog Surf School + First Descents Surf Scholarship. It was so difficult to choose just one. All of our participants told incredible testimonials of how surfing has impacted their lives and helped them to embody the true meaning of Out Living It and we were inspired by each of you for having the courage to face your fears, push through, and continue living life to it’s fullest.

Congratulations Jonathan “Deuces” Daige!

Check out his essay below.

I love surfing. I started a few years ago and fell in love with watching the surf report and driving an hour to the beach to try and surf. (I suck at surfing but I’m in love with it).

My parents have a place in Rhode Island that is good for surfing in the summer. New Hampshire is awesome for winter surfing.

My first board and only board was a 10′ Hobie. I spent some money patching it up and it was beat so I had to junk it after a couple seasons. Now I don’t have a board. I do have a paddleboard which I use on the lake.

I have gone surfing in Hawaii and the Dominican Republic. All small stuff but still a blast. I have gotten a lot of friends into surfing and they all love it.

Every year, I help Wounded Warriors with a surf day up in New Hampshire. We get disabled veterans on boards and get them surfing. It is such a site to see all the smiles on their faces once they start riding the waves.  I am a combat veteran myself and love helping out whenever I can. I also read that veterans that take pain meds on a regular basis don’t have to when they surf because it releases endorphins and they feel like a million bucks.

I was lucky enough to head to Colorado to ice climb with FD this past February. What an amazing experience with some incredible people. I love the staff and everyone I met on the trip. Just the other night I had beers with Thor and Ricki Bobby (local friends I met on the trip).

I never realized how everyone’s story of having cancer is the same and so different. We all went through extreme hardships but the mental and emotional endeavors were all different.

I always looked at the positives and kept pushing on when I was sick.  I realized after my trip with FD that I can’t really just forget about things as severe as they were.  Talking about them with my FD family was extremely helpful. Being a cop and a veteran I was taught to suck it up and keep moving.

Now I know there are other options.

I love surfing the east coast. You get up early and head to the water. Get out past the break and squint your eyes because the sun is coming up over the horizon, spit out some salt water. There can be five or fifty people out there and no one is saying a word. We are all just watching and waiting for our ride in on the perfect wave (hopefully stand up) then paddle out to do it all over again.