Joe Surf: Instructor passes on her love of the sport to students

There she was at 6:30 a.m. sharp, hair pulled back into a ponytail, clipboard in hand, on the beach as usual.

Stacy Wood’s home away from home is the sand at 17th Street in Huntington Beach, where her Dwyer Middle School surf club and surf team hit the waves every Tuesday and Thursday morning from October through March.

Wood has been a physical education teacher at Dwyer in Huntington Beach for 19 years and the surf coach for 18. Overseeing the kids surfing for an hour before school, joined by a smattering of parents, is part of who she is.

“It’s absolutely because the kids just keep showing up and want to be involved,” Wood said. “If they’re willing to stay committed to early starts, then I’ll do the same. Two of the most significant reasons I do this is to keep the kids grounded with school and the quality time I get to know these kids and their families.”

No doubt the kids who keep getting up before the sun rises to jump into the ocean — which usually is quite frigid during the winter (though not yet!) — have the surfing bug. They do it because they love it.

It doesn’t hurt that Wood runs a winning program. Dwyer won a state championship in 2002, a national championship in 2004 and has consistently finished in the top four in both the state and national competitions.

Some of those she has coached have gone on to do big things in the surfing world, such as Kanoa Igarashi, Sarah Taylor, Derek Peters and Ian Eckberg. Wood’s impact hasn’t gone unnoticed — she was named to Huntington Beach’s Surfers Walk of Fame in 2012.

“The induction into the Walk of Fame was surreal,” Wood said. “It’s certainly not why I do this, nor was it ever expected. It’s nice to be appreciated and acknowledged, but wow, that was over the top in my world. Now that a few years have passed, it’s fun to watch my family and friends share my induction with others.

“I still get embarrassed when people make such a big deal over it. Do I think it’s super cool? Yes! It’s an honor to share in Huntington Beach’s history of surfing.”

Wood grew up in Fountain Valley and went to Fountain Valley High School and Cal State Fullerton. Her brother got her into surfing when she was 15 and she still gets into the water a couple of times a week, usually in San Clemente, near where she lives in south Orange County.

“Surfing draws me in because of my love for the ocean and the challenge and exercise it provides,” Wood said. “I love the little advances you make that no one notices, the surfing advances that make you a little better for your next surf session and the many more to come. I love the friendships created in the world of surfing, many of which have been around my entire life. Surfing has also taken me to many exotic places around the world.”

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Keeping up with Kanoa

Say hello to Kanoa Igarashi if you bump into him in the water next to the Huntington Beach Pier, because he won’t be around for long.

Igarashi is back home in Huntington Beach, at least for the next week or so, before getting back on a plane and heading to Brazil for his next contest.

On his Instagram page, Igarashi posted: “After two months on the road, I’m on my way home! Virginia-Indo-Portugal-France. I’m going home with the biggest win of my career at the Virginia QS3000 and a lot of experience. Can’t wait for the week at home, then to Brazil! And also thanks to all my friends for the continuous support and laughs all over the world!”

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Being Brett

There is a bit of good news to report about Huntington Beach’s Brett Simpson, who is battling to keep his spot on the World Surf League’s World Championship Tour.

In a Round 1 heat at the Quiksilver Pro France, Simpson found himself up against Kelly Slater and Brazil’s Jadson Andre. Simpson and Slater finished the heat tied with a two-wave score of 14.84, but Simpson was named the winner of the heat because he had the highest single-wave score of 8.17, compared with Slater’s 7.67.

Simpson, though, lost a close match in Round 3 with Australia’s Julian Wilson, ranked No. 5 in the world, 11.17 to 10.34.

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World championship chase

Santa Ana’s Courtney Conlogue was eliminated in Round 4 of the Roxy Pro France over the weekend, while Hawaii’s Carissa Moore reached the semifinals, leapfrogging Conlogue and into the No. 1 position in the race for the women’s world title.

That title will come down to the 10th and final event, the Target Maui Pro in Hawaii starting Nov. 21.

On the men’s side, No. 1 Mick Fanning of Australia and No. 2 Adriano de Souza of Brazil reached the quarterfinals of the ongoing Quiksilver Pro France. The men have two tour contests left — one in Portugal starting Tuesday, and the Billabong Pipe Masters at the Banzai Pipeline on Oahu from Dec. 8 to 20.

JOE HAAKENSON is a Huntington Beach-based sports writer and editor. He may be reached at joe@juvecreative.com.