Andersen Found Her Place in Surf

It seemed a page out of Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road.” A restless but adventurous soul hits the road in pursuit of a dream.

But unlike the legendary New York writer and poet’s cross-country excursions, Lisa Andersen’s decision to pack her bags and leave her Florida home at 16 was not inspired by the sound of jazz, poetry or adventure, but California surf and the hopes of becoming the best woman surfer in the world.

“My parents were going through a divorce and I was always truant from school,” Andersen said. “All I wanted to do was surf, and my mom didn’t want me to hang around that crowd because she thought it was filled with drugs and things. I had to leave. There was no other way.”

Nine years later, it appears Andersen’s flight turned out for the best. She is the 1994 world champion and won last week’s Op Pro surfing championships in Huntington Beach. And she will defend her title in the U.S. Open, which begins today in Huntington Beach.

The most recognizable woman surfer in the world, Andersen is married to Brazilian Renato Hickel, head judge of the men’s world tour, and has a 2-year-old daughter named Erica.

Looking back at the years as a runaway living in Huntington Beach with other surfers, Andersen has no regrets.

Andersen’s mother, Lorraine Lemelin, saw things very differently.

“For me, that whole surfing thing was like the Gidget movies,” Lemelin said. “I just felt there was no future in that way. I just saw the people that surfed as surf bums. I didn’t want Lisa to fall into that. I just wanted what every parent wants: the best for their children.”

Surfing every day near her home in Ormond Beach, Fla., Andersen improved by leaps and bounds, and realized that she had to go where the surfing was good, with waves that are generally more challenging, to fulfill her dream of becoming a professional surfer.

After saving all she could, Andersen bought a one-way ticket to California to stay with some friends, and eventually ended up in Huntington Beach.

“I remember the day I left,” Andersen recalled. “I left a note for my mother, who was away at the time.”

Lemelin recalled when she realized Andersen had left. “Strep throat runs in our family, so when Lisa got strep, I told her to stay home when I went on my visit because I didn’t want her infecting people. But when I came back, I went into her room and I knew right away she had run away.”

Andersen said she didn’t talk to her mom for more than a year after she left.

For Andersen’s mother, it was a year of nerve-racking tension.

“I was very worried and I just wanted to know if she was all right,” Lemelin said. “Who knew what she was doing? She always has been a headstrong girl, so I was very concerned.”

In Huntington Beach, Andersen said she became a virtual “surf rat.”

“I always seemed to have my wet suit on,” Andersen said.

She also had to support herself and got a job at a local restaurant as a waitress.

“I would surf all day and work at night,” she said. “I didn’t really hang out with anybody but surfers. I stayed away from the punkers and stuff and I pretty much stayed in when I wasn’t surfing or working.” After a year, Andersen’s mother started to hear through her son, Eddie, also a surfer, that Andersen was becoming an accomplished surfer and was winning contests.

“For me, it wasn’t important if she was winning contests,” Lemelin said. “I just wanted to find out if she had everything she needed. I just wanted to hear from her and have her tell me that she was OK.”

After a few attempts to track down Andersen, Lemelin remembers when she first heard from her.

“She called to just tell me she’s all right,” Lemelin said. “I told her what had happened was in the past, and that I forgave her.”

Ian Cairns, Andersen’s coach, said he would be the first to discourage a youngster from running away from home, but he knew immediately Andersen was serious about her sport.

“You see, we’re surfers. And surfers help out other surfers who need it,” Cairns said.

Lemelin will tell you that her daughter had put her through a lot of heartbreak, but looking back she said Andersen made the right decision.

“We were a dysfunctional family,” Lemelin said, who had flown in last week to watch her daughter compete in the Op Pro. “My husband was an alcoholic, so it seemed like we were walking on eggs around him. We were afraid to make a lot of noise in fear of setting him off. I realize it was hard for Lisa.”

Said Andersen: “I owe a lot to surfing. I hope to be involved with the sport as long as I can and help promote women surfing as much as I can.”

Andersen stresses that one other piece of business might be one of her biggest priorities. “Maybe the biggest regret I have is that I didn’t get my high school diploma. I’m going to get it. That’s something I need to do.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

U.S. Open Facts

What: U.S. Open of Surfing.

When: Today through Sunday.

Where: Huntington Beach Pier.

Format: Assn. of Surfing Professionals-sanctioned, one-on-one format.

Purse: $140,000 overall purse ($105,000 for men; $25,000 for women and $5,000 each for the U.S. Opens of Longboarding and Bodyboarding.

Beach Expo: A three-acre, 100-exhibit outdoor festival with live music and demonstrations, including surfboard shaping.

Crowds: Expect more than 200,000 people for the week, including more than 40,000 on Saturday and Sunday. Free sand and bleacher seating during for weekday events. Admission will be charged for bleacher seats Saturday and Sunday.