I’ve always hated surveys. You probably hate them, also, I don’t blame you. Yet here I am asking you, my surfing brothers and sisters, to take a survey I myself have created. It only takes about 10 minutes or so. It’s about something you love though—surfing! It will help me graduate with honors, get on with my life, and will hopefully prove what we as surfers already know: surfing can change the world. How can you say no to that?
In Peter Kreeft’s book, I Surf, Therefore I Am, he points out that “…no war in history has ever been started by surfers. If surfers ruled the world, there would be universal peace.” (Clearly, he’s never seen what happens when you drop in on a member of the Wolfpak, but I still like the idea.)
The survey I’m talking about is for my thesis project at Eastern Kentucky University. I was told it was best to pick a topic I have a passion for and without any hesitation surfing came to mind. The project is titled, “Ripple Effect: An Examination of Surfing as a Force for Positive, Lasting Personal and Societal Change.” Take away the academic fluff and the premise is this: I’m trying to get some numbers on how surfing can change an individual for the better and how the sum of those individual changes results in a positively altered community and world. (Hence the “Ripple Effect”). Ultimately, if I can shine some light into how surfing and its culture can positively affect society, maybe that can translate into local and state governments better understanding and supporting surf groups, organizations, and philanthropies.
When you click on the link to the survey, you will find a series of questions about your surfing habits – how long, how often, skill level, etc. You’ll also find some agree/disagree statements about why you surf and how surfing has impacted you personally. Pretty easy stuff. Then you’ll come across a portion on the spiritual, sacred, metaphysical nature of surfing—or whatever word you want to use to describe that unique type of stoke surfing brings. The reason for this is because surfing’s roots tap deep into ancient Polynesia and it would be wrong to not touch on this aspect of surfing. Toward the end, there are some questions about community outreach just to get some numbers on how involved surfers are locally; and lastly, there are some demographics, so I can better sort results and draw some meaningful conclusions.
Don’t worry—these are totally anonymous, and I won’t judge you or give away any of your information; surfer to surfer, I would never do that. Also, this is a purely academic study, so I would probably be given an ‘F’ and not graduate – not on my to do list.
So please, even though you may hate it, I’m asking you to give 10 minutes to take my survey and help me prove surfing can be a powerful force for positive change in this world. And if you could share the survey link with your friends, fans and followers, that would be awesome. The more responses I can get, the more meaningful the results will be. Thanks for your help. Stay stoked!