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Alum competes in national surfing competition
1:55 p.m., July 5, 2006--Although Allison Kendro graduated from UD in May with a marketing degree, she puts on a wetsuit to go to work. Kendro is marketing her skills on the waves in California. Kendro recently finished competing against top-ranked surfers at the national championships in Salt Creek and Trestles, Calif. Kendro surfed in both the Explorer division, for surfers who are not in school, and the Open Women's division, for surfers who are in school or just graduated. In both of her heats, Kendro placed fourth. “I didn't surf too well and have yet to surf my best in a competition since I only do about four a year,” Kendro said. “I get beat a lot because of my lack of experience in competitions. But I also had a couple of Hawaiians in my heat so with the waves they practice on they should be good!” Kendro said there are six surfers in each heat. They surf for 20 minutes, and the scores on their top two waves are added up. For Kendro, surfing has a totally different feeling than other sports. “You are basically walking on water,” Kendro said. “It's not everyday you can be on a wave. It's one of those sports you can enjoy by yourself.” Kendro's love for surfing began at age 9 during summers in Ocean City, N.J. She started on a boogie board, but switched to a surfboard at the urging of her father. Kendro took a one-day surf lesson with a pro-surfer at a local store, 7th Street Surf Shop, where she now gives lessons herself. “I now work with all the guys who taught me growing up,” she said. But it wasn't until age 12 that Kendro began riding her bike down to the beach to surf everyday and soon began to participate in local competitions. “It was always a little nerve-wracking,” she said, “but being an athlete, in general, you like to compete.” Kendro also competed in soccer, playing in local leagues and in high school. When she was 17, her Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association's state team won the National Championships for the Olympic Development Program. Her talent caught the attention of the UD women's soccer coach, Scott Grzenda, who convinced Kendro to visit and offered her a scholarship. Kendro said the dynamic of the soccer team was what sold her on the University. “The team was awesome,” she said. “It was a bunch of girls who were really close.” Kendro said the girls on the team had a way of connecting both on and off the field. “Once we're on the field, it's all about soccer and playing hard,” she said. “But once we're off, we like to have fun.” With the demands of soccer, Kendro said she was unable to surf during the school year. Kendro said the best season to surf is the fall because of topical storms, but soccer kept her on campus. “Surfing was just a summer thing,” she said. ”I didn't really think there was a future in that, it was just a hobby.” As a sophomore, Kendro began driving to Ocean City to surf in 32-degree weather. It was around this time, she said, that enthusiasts began telling her that surfing was more than just a hobby. “People started telling me to go pro and get serious,” she said. “Some people told me to quit school and go pro, but school is more serious.” Kendro began participating in more competitions, often with little practice. In October, Kendro placed first in New Jersey in the Northeast division of the National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA), the most well-known amateur surf series in the United States. At the end of March, Kendro placed fifth in the NSSA East Coast Championships in Sebastian Inlet, Fla. Kendro said she goes in blind into the competitions because of her lack of practice. “I deal with it,” she said. “I don't know any different.” This summer, Kendro hopes to compete in the World Qualifying Series and make it to the World Tour, where surfers travel and surf around the world. Already sponsored by three companies, Kendro said she would love to get on a pro team and get sponsored to travel. She also wants to continue giving surf lessons and eventually plans to pursue a career in sports marketing. Kendro said she misses her UD soccer teammates. “It really hasn't hit me yet,” she said. “Not going to preseason, that's going to be weird.” After the competition in California, Kendro said she is going back to Ocean City to see some of her old team roommates and plans to move to Baltimore with some of them, as well. Kendro said surfing was not the career she expected to pursue right after graduation, but she has no regrets about postponing the real world. “There's no rush,” she said. “Those companies will still be there in a year after graduation. If you have that shot, why not go for it?” Article by Julia Parmley, AS 07 |
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