We’re lucky enough to go to a university that offers a huge variety of clubs and activities. However, some of these clubs don’t receive enough time in the spotlight. Surf Club is an often-overlooked club here at LMU, but be on the lookout as their president and this week’s featured Campus Celeb is changing that! Here’s what HC LMU and Surf Club President Josh Bechtler-Levin chatted about this week!
How long have you been surfing?
“I started surfing when I was about 8 years old at Kahuna Bob’s Surf School, so that would make it about twelve years.”
How did you get involved in Surf Club?
“I saw the surf club at Club Fest freshman year, and the guys were really cool. They wanted to take me under their wing, and I was one of the few freshmen who wanted to compete. I was immediately included on the team, and started competing right away.”
How did you become President? What has that role been like?
“I started at the bottom rung as a freshman, but wanted to become more involved. I ran for VP Marketing sophomore year, got that position, did a good job, and got voted again for the following year. So I was on track to become president just because I was the most heavily involved, and the most passionate about it.”
“It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s worth it. There’s a lot of event planning, organizing. We have about 150 members in the club, so it’s a lot of emails and updating Facebook with events and details on gear orders. This year I’ve been really trying to re-vamp the face of the club. We’ve been having some trouble with member retention, so I’ve been working really hard to push our events and do those extra steps to make them that much better.”
What does Surf Club do?
“Every two weeks, we do beach days. Every Sunday we set up on the beach, bring some soft boards to teach kids how to surf, and have a surf session for those who do know how already. Basically just hanging out on the beach, having a good time.”
“We also have bigger events throughout the year. We have a movie premiere where we premiere a recent surf film. This year, we’re premiering “Bella Vita,” a surf movie filmed in Italy. It’s November 15th in St. Rob’s Auditorium from 8pm-midnight. There’s a small entrance fee, but all the proceeds go to Waves for Water, our charity. We’ll also be having some student bands opening up the event – The Bash Dogs and Captain Nomad – so keep your eye out for that. And bring your friends!”
“We do a surf not-so-formal, which is a dance and dinner event. We get on a bus, go to a venue, have dinner and an open bar, and have a DJ spin away the night. Then we have our camp trip: we go up to Jalama, rent some campsites up there, hang on the beach, and surf. All of our events are surf-focused; not necessarily surfing, but focused around surf culture. The club is a good way for students to get involved in the lifestyle, even if they don’t actually surf.”
What’s the biggest misconception people have about surfers and surf culture?
“I think the biggest misconception people have is that they think surfers are slackers, they don’t try hard in school, and they just want to surf and do drugs. There are definitely those that are like that, but if you’re going to a prestigious university like LMU, like the kids in our club, you have to be even more dedicated to doing well in school. Because the waves are the best in the morning, you have to get out there around 6am or 7am. If you want to get everything done, you have to plan ahead and stay organized. You have to be on top of your game.”
What do you hope for the future of surf club for the rest of the year?
“For the rest of the year, I want to continue making our events really high quality, having a good turnout of people. We’re getting our gear soon, which is always exciting—this draws people back in. The new shirts and hats are going to be awesome!”
“I hope that the club stays on this current track—I want to keep working on our partnership with Redbull, and keep working with our student brand managers here on campus.”