Cold Water Women: North Atlantic Wahines Savor the Freezing Surf

Unlike most people who bundle themselves in coats and scarves when Nor’easters batter the Atlantic coastline, Girls4Sport newest team riders Prairie Rugilo, Candice Rosseland, and Rachel Imerese, pull on their wetsuits and head to the beach in hopes of catching some of the storms’ great waves. They are among only a handful of women on the North Atlantic coast who brave the wind, snow, and freezing water in pursuit of their passion.

Santa Cruz, CA (PRWEB) February 17, 2006 -- Unlike most people who bundle themselves in coats and scarves when Nor’easters batter the Atlantic coastline, Girls4Sport newest team riders Prairie Rugilo, Candice Rosseland, and Rachel Imerese, pull on their wetsuits and head to the beach in hopes of catching some of the storms’ great waves. They are among only a handful of women on the North Atlantic coast who brave the wind, snow, and freezing water in pursuit of their passion.

“My dad thinks I’m nuts,” said Rugilo, 27, of Seaside Heights, New Jersey. Water temperatures off the coast hover in the low 40s to upper 30s in winter, while air temperatures are often below freezing. But for Rugilo, the frigid conditions just add to the challenge.

“I surf every time there are waves, no matter how bad the ice-cream headaches,” said Rugilio. To tackle the bitter cold, she’s careful to wear the right equipment--a thick, 6/4 millimeter wetsuit, hood, gloves, and booties--but the conditions can still get to her.

“Sometimes I can only be out there for an hour,” said Rugilio. “When it’s really cold, my pinkies separate from my other fingers--something that kind of looks like Spock’s Vulcan greeting.”

Walking home from the surf break at Casino Pier, her hands are so numb she sometimes drops her surfboard. Her hair becomes encrusted with ice. Once home, Rugilo said she stands in the shower wearing everything and waits until she warms up before peeling off her wetsuit and booties.

And is all of it worth it for the thrill of catching a wave? For Rugilo, the answer is an emphatic “yes.” Rugilo only started surfing three years ago, but instantly took to the sport. She began competing for the first time in 2005 and is now ranked fourth in the Eastern Surfing Association Central New Jersey District Women’s Division.

Candice Rosseland, 40, moved from New York City to Long Island in 2002 to surf more often. “Carrying my longboard on the train wasn’t working out,” said Rosseland, who began surfing four years ago, and like Rugilo, was instantly hooked.

Her new home is just a block from the surf break at East Atlantic Beach and now she surfs every chance she gets--even through the winter months and even though she’s often the only woman. “The ocean is a spiritual place for me, and so I surf anytime I can,” said Rosseland. “When there are waves, that’s when I’m out there.”

‘Out there’ in the winter often means water temperatures in the 30s and air temperatures below freezing. “You just put on your suit, you get pumped, you get in, and then you don’t want to get back out,” said Rosseland.

But once out, Rosseland has to face the one downside she sees in the sport: peeling off her wetsuit. “It’s so tight, it’s like a sausage casing,” said Rosseland. “I sometimes cry trying to get out of it.”

Rachel Imerese, 22, of Long Beach, New York said, “There’s just something about surfing in the winter: trudging through knee-deep snow on the beach just to get to the water and watching it snow while you’re out there.”

The self-proclaimed winter surfer can’t understand why anyone would stop surfing just because it’s cold out. “Maybe they just think it’s common sense to not go surfing in winter or maybe they just don’t know that you can,” said Imerese.

For Imerese, not being able to surf for three months would be pure agony. “It’s no fun not to surf. You just suck it up, put on the gear, and deal with the ice-cream headaches,” she said.

Like Rugilo, Imerese learned to surf three years ago. “I was tired of sitting on the beach watching other people, so I borrowed a 10-foot balsawood board, and I’ve been hooked ever since,” she said.

Imerese now gives lessons to other women and works at a local surf shop to earn extra cash while she completes her master’s degree in social work.

About Girls4Sport
Girls4Sport is dedicated to creating performance clothing with the female body in mind. Girls4Sport's water wear line includes rash guard sets and wetsuits designed for women by women. Girls4Sport products feature built-in shelf bras, SPF-65 rated fabrics, out-of-the ordinary prints, and flattering fits.

In addition to its products, Girls4Sport has established the Girls4Sport Foundation, a charitable arm of Girls4Sport that works to inspire girls of all ages to lead active, confident lives.

Girls4Sport products are available through a variety of retail outlets and online. For more information about Girls4Sport, please visit www.girls4sport.com or call 831.423.8755.

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