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Introduction
The Sisters of the Sea is a non-profit
organization for women surfers
in Jacksonville, FL. The group
was founded in July of 1997 when
8 women came together for a surf
session in Hanna Park. It was
a sunny, glassy, waist high day
and everyone had a blast. Since
then, the group has grown steadily.
The Sisters of the Sea is a group
of women who love to surf. We
encourage and support each other
in and out of the water. Many
strong friendships have developed
as a result of the creation of
this organization. The group gathers
for a beach clean up once a month
and if the waves permit...a surf
session afterwards. Land meetings
are also held when necessary.
In
General...
Many
of the members of the Sisters
of the Sea participate in the
Northeast Florida Chapter of the
Eastern Surfing Association (ESA),
as well as the Jax Surfrider Foundation
and the Wave Masters Society.
The women surf together on a regular
basis, plan camping trips, and
travel worldwide. The group is
made up of teens, mothers, wives,
professionals, grandmothers, and
much more. It is a very diverse
group that welcomes any Wahine
with open arms.
2006:
Sisters Helping Sisters
In May of 2006, Melissa Humber,
a local Jax Beach Surfer and member
of Sisters of the Sea, was in
a horrible motorcycle accident.
The Sisters of the Sea planned
a number of events around the
8th Annual Sisters of the Sea
Surf Classic to benefit her and
were able to help raise thousands
of dollars for Melissa throughout
the year. We were also still able
to raise $5000 to donate to 'Bosom
Buddies' at the Women's Center
of Jacksonville.
2005:
Another Great Year
The Sisters of the Sea raised
over $5000 in the 7th Annual Surf
Classic. They donated $2500 to
the Salvation Army Hurricane Katrina
Relief Fund and $3000 to 'Bosom
Buddies' at the Women's Center
of Jacksonville.
2004:
Keepin' up the Good Work
For the first time ever, the Annual
Sisters of the Sea Contest was
postponed due to not one but two
hurricanes. The event actually
took place the following weekend
on September 11. Of our 150 paid
contestants, almost everyone showed
up despite the craziness going
on around the state. We were able
to raise $6000 to donate to the
Bosom Buddies at the Women's Center
of Jacksonville. Once again in
October, Serena Brooke came out
for the 3rd Annual East Coast
Serena Brooke Day. The event was
held at the south side of the
new Jax Beach Pier and was great!
The party afterwards at Twisted
Sisters was even better with awesome
board raffles, great live music,
and tons of fun!
2003:
Above & Beyond
On
Saturday, April 5, 2003, the Sisters
of the Sea accepted the first
'Helping Hands Award' from Bosom
Buddies at the Women's Center
of Jacksonville. This award was
given to the group because of
our hard work in raising funds
for Bosom Buddies! The
5th Annual Sisters of the Sea
Contest was off the charts. For
some reason our '130 max' for
the contest was overlooked and
we managed to have 200 girls into
our event...and unfortunately
still had to turn some away. We
were forced to put three heats
at a time in the water for the
first 3 hours of the day. The
volunteers were great and everyone
had a great time. We were able
to raise $6000 to donate to the
Bosom Buddies at the Women's Center
of Jacksonville. In October, Serena
came for another visit for the
2nd Annual East Coast Serena Brooke
Day. The event was a blast and
included Indo Board demos and
more. Frieda Zamba even came out
to lend a hand in the surf camp!
2002:
Bigger & Better
In
January, a few of the Sisters
went to the Surf Expo to visit
with regular sponsors and to try
to meet new ones. The weekend
was great fun and proved to be
quite lucrative in that we added
more great sponsors to our contest.
Despite the horrible weather conditions
that we had for our 4th Annual
Sisters of the Sea Surf Classic,
we were still able to raise $5000
for Bosom Buddies at the Women's
Center of Jacksonville. We officially
presented the check at a luncheon
on Monday, October 21 held at
their Arlington Office. SOS was
chosen to host the 1st ever East
Coast Serena Brooke Day. This
contest is a surf camp and contest
that are held simultaneously.
Pro-surfer Serena Brooke came
to the event to help out and show
support.
2001:
On the Rise
In
February of this year, the Sisters
of the Sea became incorporated
and in October received their
non-profit status from the IRS.
A big thanks goes to the sisters
who made all of that possible!
The 3rd Annual SOS Surf Classic
was a huge success in that $4000
was raised for 'Bosom Buddies'
at the Women's Center of Jacksonville.
A luncheon was held in October
to present the check to 'Bosom
Buddies'. The luncheon allowed
the sisters to meet some of the
women and families that are helped
by our donation as well as allowing
the women and families to thank
the sisters in person for their
support. This luncheon was the
first of many events that the
two groups will plan in the future!
2000:
Movin' and Groovin'
The millennium is the time for
growth and change. The Sisters
of the Sea are ready and willing
to step up to the plate. In March,
the group took part in the 'Women
in Sports Day' at the Museum of
Science and History in downtown
Jacksonville. For this event,
they showed a video from Typhoon
Lagoon in 1997 and our first contest
in 1999. They had an information
and photo board to view, as well
as, surfing equipment for passers-by
to inspect. Once again on Labor
Day weekend, the Sisters of the
Sea held the 2nd Annual Surf Classic
at Access 8 in good ole Hanna
Park. There were approximately
130 women competing in this contest
in multiple events. The group
managed to raise over $3000 for
"Bosom Buddies" at the Women's
Center of Jacksonville. Due to
the overwhelming positive response
that came from this contest, it
looks as thought the Sisters of
the Sea Surf Classic has become
a Labor Day Weekend tradition.
1999: First All Girl Contest in Jax
On the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, the Sisters of the Sea held their 1st Annual Surf
Classic at Dolphin Plaza in Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park. There were close to 100 women surfers
of all ages and skill levels present to compete. The contest raised over $2000 for the Susan G.
Komen "Race for the Cure" for Breast Cancer Research. The success of the first contest motivated the
women to consider putting on another the following year.
1997
- 1998: In the Beginning
The Sisters of the Sea have done
many fun things since their inception
in 1997. The club was the first
all female group to surf Typhoon
Lagoon in Orlando, Florida. They
also competed in the 1st Annual
East Coast Wahine Championships,
which took place in Wrightsville
Beach, North Carolina.
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