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Scurfing: water-skiing's trendy new cousin By
Sara Swalberg Although the Lake Powell air was startlingly cool and he was still sleepy, it was all worth it. He continued to shuffle barefoot over the sandstone rocks, ranging in size from pinball to bowling ball, and his feet sank into the beach's soft sand that looked like the red-orange color of ketchup and mustard spilled together and then smeared all over the ground. His destination: his family's ten-year-old, white and turquoise colored Four Winns powerboat that was bobbing peacefully in the water. According to the Deseret News, their boat is just one of the 80,000 registered boats and personal watercraft devices in Utah. Every summer they're brought out of storage for one of Utah's most popular pastimes. Gill found his mother, Gail Scribner already awake and zipping up her wetsuit as she headed for the boat. He rubbed his eyes and approached her as she was getting ready for her morning scurfing adventure. They were the only two awake; his brother, three sisters and new stepfather, Ken Scribner, were all still sleeping. "Come on," his mother urged, "we're going to miss all of the good water!" Scribner had always enjoyed water sports, especially water-skiing, but her passion is scurfing, especially on the morning water that's still smooth and calm. Scribner's love, scurfing, is water-skiing's new trendy cousin. It's basically water-skiing on a surfboard instead of skis. The scurfboard, however, is shorter by about two feet, wider and has three larger fins that make the board easier to control while being pulled behind a boat. Scribner prefers scurfing because she says it's easier than water-skiing. "You don't have to concentrate on keeping your legs together when getting up" and it's not as difficult to get out of the water on a scurfboard she explains. Due to the design of the fins on the back of the board, it is easier to cross the wake, which is the current the boat leaves behind. This means even a novice scurfer can "catch air" and fly over the waves. Scurfing was born in Modesto, Calif., nearly 10 years ago and has evolved from "canal surfing," which came from a desire to better control the waves and sustain the length of the surf. Surfers towed themselves behind motorboats, standing upright on their boards, down irrigation canals. Now scurfing is a nation-wide phenomenon but not a competition sport. Most stores that sell water-skis sell scurfboards and the average cost is around $300. This includes the adjustable bindings and straps that are attached to the board and hold the foot to the board. Scribner bought her board over five years ago and claims it is as good as the day it was purchased, although the neon-orange paint is wearing off. In addition to their scurf board, the Gills have brought their kneeboard, two inflatable tubes, seven sets of skis and a rented Jet Ski to play with while at Lake Powell. The Gill/Scribner family has spent at least part of their last nine summer vacations driving the six hours from Salt Lake to Lake Powell to camp on the beaches and water-ski. Living so far from the lake on the Utah, Arizona border, they also take their boat on day-trips to other reservoirs in the state, including Willard Bay and Pineview Reservoir but none compare to the beauty and grandeur of Lake Powell. Both Gill and Scribner knew that the scenery would only get better throughout their day on this enormous man-made lake, which claims the largest amount of shoreline of any lake in the United States because of it's many winding canyons. Mother and son also knew that the temperatures would get warmer, as Lake Powell usually reaches record-breaking heat every summer. Gill, especially looked forward to mid-afternoon when the sky would turn a magnificent Caribbean-blue, an awe-inspiring sight contrasted sharply with the vivid and rich red rock and the blue-green of water the bright color of an exotic Kool-Aid flavor. Excited to get on her scurfboard, Scribner fastened the straps on her gloves and looked anxiously at her son. He knew that she was not looking forward to her entry into the water, which she says seemed cold enough to freeze people's toes right off, especially after having just come from a warm sleeping bag. In reality, it couldn't be any colder than 65 degrees. The experience is worth the discomfort, however, and she cautiously entered the cold water as it jolted every single cell in her body. "Eww--ewhoo-hoo!" she shrieked. Her entire body shook and she slowly started her descent into the chilly lake. She shrugged her shoulders all the way up to her ears, wrapped both arms around her chest and continued until she was about waist-deep. Every ripple in the water caused a drastic movement from her still-dry upper body. "Just jump in!" he yelled as he watched her from inside the boat, entertained by her squawking and squealing. He shook his head, laughed a little and tossed her the scurf board. Once the board was in her grip he chucked the towrope into the water so the plastic handle landed right in front of her. When she was ready she yelled, "hit it!" and he pushed the throttle making the boat punch forward while pulling her up out of the water. The 19-year-old man had learned to drive the boat three years earlier, as Utah law requires all boat operators have a current operator's license. When she was out of water with her weight evenly distributed on the scurfboard, she began to gracefully glide over the smooth water. While speeding along, the sun's reflection shimmered on the lake and the wind blew through her wet, brown, shoulder-length hair. Even in the blinding gleam of the morning sunlight, he could see the delighted smile on her face and he smiled as well, knowing that in a short time she'd get worn-out and agree to drive while he jumped in for his turn. Looking around, he noticed the sandstone slabs of rock stacked on the shoreline. They made sharp cliffs shooting out of the water and resembled giant, unopened, brick red textbooks piled high with the tattered pages facing out toward him. It reminded him why he loved this vacation from school so much. Later in the day, when the sun would set, it would illuminate a fire in the sky, burning like fireworks. After which, the color above would slowly shift into a deep purple glow, like the embers of their exhausted campfire, and finally the sky would be a blanket of black sprinkled with stars. Such beauty and freedom is what draws so many Utahns to Lake Powell and other lakes across the state which are becoming increasingly swamped with people. Registration for boats in Utah is on the rise and has grown two to five percent annually in the past several years. This overcrowding is becoming a problem since the number of people participating continually grows and the surface area of the lakes and reservoirs do not. The state's park and recreation services are planning to expand the 100 existing bodies of water that accommodate boating. Part of those plans include a new reservoir in southern Utah, 15 miles east of St. George, called Sand Hollow. Estimated completion is three to five years, according to the Deseret News. Overuse of the waterways in Utah does seem not bother Tara Bell, from Centerville. The 22-year-old college student is attending Weber State University, and first went water-skiing when she was fifteen and fell in love with it. She explained that the first time she got up on water-skis, "felt like flying." She admits that she would rather sit in the boat and watch other people ski, scurf or kneeboard but says it still holds an exhilaration unparalleled in any other sport, including gymnastics, in which she has participated for over fifteen years. Some of her favorite places to visit are Pineview Reservoir (although it's "way crowded"), Willard Bay and Bear Lake because they are close to home. "Some of the best times, though," Bell explains, "are cruising along on a Jet Ski, singing and laughing with my friends, especially when you hit those really big waves and BAM -- you just going flying!" Bell likes to listen to her buddies sing show tunes while zipping across the water and they like to pull people behind the Jet Ski on a kneeboard or a round inflatable tube. "It's just a great big speedy doughnut," Bells says. "It's great."
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