Standing at the eastern end of the Santa Cruz World Surfing Reserve is a proud, but lone male statue marking surfing history’s not-so-humble beginnings in the continental United States (thanks to one Duke Kahanamoku). Now, his counterpart might be found in a 17-foot tall statue of a female, back to a longboard.
The statue’s sculptors, Brian Curtis and Thomas Marsh—who also created the West Cliff male surfer—say the woman is “not modeled after anyone in particular,” per the Santa Cruz Sentinel, but meant to pay respect to such local pioneers and icons as Jane McKenzie, Betty Van Dyke, Rosemari Reimers Rice, Robin “Zeuf” Janiszeufski Hesson, Brenda Scott-Rogers, Sarah Gerhardt, and Ashley Lloyd.
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Previously, plans were laid and approved for a proposed location at East Cliff and Manzanita drives, but amidst opposition—concerning environmental impacts and dangerous traffic—alongside a Capitola eagerness to play host to the feature, the new location is looking more advantageous for all. Capitola, after all, can now count itself as the eastern end of the Santa Cruz World Surfing Reserve, which as of last year spans the roughly seven miles between Natural Bridges State Park and Capitola.
“Having our female surfer stand proud on the [western] end of the reserve, while the male statue stands watch on the [eastern] end is a perfect symmetry!” Kaila Pearson, a member of the project’s advisory council, said of the reconsidered location. The statue is privately funded and administered through the local nonprofit County Park Friends. The first presentation to Capitola City Council is slated for July 14.
“We want her in a space where she’ll be celebrated,” Kari Lochhead, who is spearheading the installation project, told the Sentinel of her and other collaborators’ plans to see the statue erected near the “dirt farm” region of Santa Cruz, but in Capitola. “There’s a lot of activity around that space. That means a lot of people and a lot of kids will see her and hopefully be inspired by her.”
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