Double Duty : Huntington Beach’s Arvizu a Two-Sport Champion

It was a week in which Alison Arvizu was caught in the fast lane.

Arvizu, 16, spent six days competing in a top junior tennis tournament in Southern California. That wasn’t enough pressure, however.

Before hitting the courts each afternoon, she competed for Huntington Beach High in the National Scholastic Surfing Assn. championships.

“I would be hitting tennis balls in the morning, then driving to Trestles where I would grab my board and paddle out just in time for my heat,” said Arvizu, who reached the finals in both events. “It was pretty crazy.”

But based on her junior year at Huntington Beach in 1995-96, it seems as though Arvizu is used to the fast and crazy life.

When Arvizu was playing tennis and surfing for Huntington Beach, she would get up early to practice with the surf team, then go to school and finish up her day at tennis practice in the afternoon.

“I was concerned that her tennis and surfing would interfere with her academics,” said her father, Al Arvizu. “But she assured me that she would still get good grades, and she did. So there was nothing I could really say about her hectic schedule.”

Arvizu, who said she hates down time, was named the 1995-96 Sunset League girls’ tennis player of the year and girls’ surfer of the year.

“It just worked out that way,” Arvizu said of her schedule. “I knew it would be tough to do both, but I wanted to give it a try.”

Arvizu said tennis is her primary sport. She has been working hard on her game, which was apparent last fall when she won the league singles title.

Still, Arvizu acknowledges her love for surfing.

“I love the ocean,” she said. “I haven’t been in a swimming pool in four years. It just seems very natural to ride a board.”

Her parents, who are recreational tennis players, introduced Arvizu to tennis when she was 5. But unlike some parents who force their children to pick up the racket, Arvizu would beg her mom and dad to let her hit some balls and learn the game.

“I’m a very athletic person and it seems sports come easy for me,” Arvizu said. “As far as tennis was concerned, it was just a case of me wanting to play really bad.”

Surfing, however, was a different matter.

“We were vacationing in Hawaii and I saw this sign for surfing lessons,” recalled Arvizu, who was 10 at the time. “I asked my parents and they said yes, so I spent the whole week learning how to surf. I loved it and I caught on fast.”

While her parents were a big help to her in her early tennis career, there was nothing they could do to assist her with surfing.

“I’ve never been on a board my entire life,” said her father. “Sure, I’ve bodyboarded, but a surfboard, that was something I knew nothing about.”

Arvizu said surfing helps her in tennis because of the upper body workout. But maybe more important, she says, is the relationship with the ocean that keeps her calm and patient. An asset, she says, on the tennis court.

“Tennis is a very high-pressured and demanding sport,” Arvizu said. “It’s the sport I’ve been doing my whole life. I know what pressure is. But in surfing, it’s the complete opposite of tennis. When I surf, it takes me away to new dimensions.

“It’s really important to remain calm and not show emotion on the court. Surfing helps in that I’m able to relax and unwind and have fun.”

At the moment, Arvizu is preparing for the the Clay Court Nationals in Memphis, Tenn., which start July 14.

“I’m hoping tennis will help me with college, so I’m going to really be practicing hard this year,” Arvizu said. “But I don’t want to stop surfing.”

While some have told her she should pursue a career in professional surfing, Arvizu isn’t so sure.

The next big surfing contest will be the AirTouch championships, which start July 29 in Huntington Beach. And Arvizu is not sure if she’ll enter this contest. Whether she does or doesn’t, she knows surfing will always be a part of her life.

“I would like to stay in California when I go to college,” Arvizu said. “It would be nice to stay by the ocean and keep surfing. I love it and it’s been good for me.”