JettyGirl: A one million
dollar check arrives in your mailbox with a
note that reads, "Half of this amount is
yours and the other half is to benefit the world
around you." How would you spend the money?
Sandra Olson: I
would buy a plot of land in a safe, tropical
area, with a surf break DIRECTLY in front of
it. Then build a modest, comfortable home (with
direct access to tsunami/hurricane evacuation
routes), with a couple of small guest houses
on the property as well, and invite church youth
groups to come out and surf/learn about Christ.
That wouldn't cost a 1/2 million, so I'm sure
a (newer—not brand new) surf van would
be cool to have ...and I'd also put away some
money for my nieces/nephews, so that when they
turned 18 they'd have a good start towards a
Christian college. The other 1/2 million???
Whew!! I'd find lots of charities that are helping
people in all aspects of life/research ...not
the traditional breast cancer research approach,
but other disease research charities and also
finance missionaries that are serving around
the world.
JG: Describe the best surfboard
you've ever ridden and why it was special to
you.
Sandra: Keoki Surfboards,
6'7" shortboard thruster. Keoki shaped
this one specifically for me when I was transitioning
from longboards to shortboards. It was also
my first North Shore season on a shortboard
vs. my familiar longboard, so he made it a bit
longer that what I ride now so that I could
paddle into the waves easier, with the perfect
amount of rocker so that trusting the board
on the drop-in was easy (no pearling at all!).
He painted it fluorescent pink (yay!) with the
year I was born on it ('77) since in my late
20's, I entered my "pink" phase in
life. This board was/is PERFECT for solid double-overhead
North Shore when you're competing with dozens
of other guys for waves and need a bit more
length when catching one (wave, that is).
JG: If you could travel
back to any time in history and hang with one
person while they go about their daily activities,
who would it be and why?
Sandra: I would
pal around with my Savior, JESUS CHRIST ...my
hero! I would sit at the top of the mountain,
very close, and listen as He taught His disciples
in the famous "Sermon on the Mount"
(Matthew 5, 6, 7). There's so much wisdom and
direction for one's life in those passages ...it
would be very MOVING to hear in person.
JG: For thirty days you're
stuck on a desert island with one book, one
song, one surf movie and one snack food. Which
ones would you choose?
Sandra: Bible (endless
reading & inspiration). O' Holy Night
(I'd sing it at sunset every night). Shimmer!
(I could watch this over and over and over).
Orange Rolls from Safeway!! (Can't get enough
of these!)
JG: What is your best surf-related
memory of 2009?
Sandra: Spent two
days on Kauai with my husband, Dan Olson, in
May '09. We surfed 5 different breaks in 36
hours, ate like horses the whole time, yet spent
hardly any money, camped on the beach, surfed
a rising swell at a west side beach break (only
3 of us out) while perfecting my duck-dives,
and basically let the rest of the world disappear.
Ahhh... fun, summer, surf days!
