Resurf Foundation Helps LBHS Surf Team Restore Old Boards

Story and Photos by Rosemary Leonetti/Syntax

The Long Beach High School Surf Club and Surf Team have been working with the Resurf Foundation to collect old surfboards, fix them, paint them, and store them with two main purposes in mind.

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First, the members of the surf team can experiment with different shapes or styles of boards to further their knowledge of surfing and surfboards. The project will also afford more students with an opportunity to become involved with the club and team.

In the first phase of the project, Resurf Project representatives helped team members collect old boards and learn the basics of ding repair to restore old boards to working order.

In October, students set to work painting and decorating the donated boards to turn them into real works of art. Surf team members worked side by side with high school art students and professional artists from the community to explore different ways to express their ideas through art.

Students whose interests leaned more toward construction helped to build a freestanding surfboard rack to store the newly restored boards.

The Resurf Project is a local organization that uses surfing programs as an educational and esteem-building tool, according to the Long Beach School District.

Long Beach High School will help Resurf collect old surfboards, board shorts, hats, leashes and other surfing necessities that will be used to launch a Resurf project for underprivileged students in Jamaica in the West Indies.

“We have found that surfing is a wonderful tool to build positivity and community,” said Resurf Project cofounder Oran Bendelstein.