You know the feeling; the wave of the day is coming your way and everybody is watching. Don’t blow it! ‘Stage Fright’ is Nick Donaghy’s entry into Write To Surf – Zag’s surf journo competition with epic prizes by Billabong up for grabs (see details below).

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STAGE FRIGHT – by Nick Donaghy

Stage Fright (noun)
Nervousness before or during an appearance before an audience.

“Yeeewwwwwww…Oh my…No ways…GOOOOO!!!” The echoes scream through the lineup. I’m the only one out the back, on the outside, in the perfect position to catch this beast. Neptune has sent me a bomb, it’s a thick, wedging, growling monster of a double-up. I have to commit, take the plunge…Go big or go home!

This scenario may be dream situation for some, but for me it’s far from Nirvana. You see, I like to keep a low profile, stay out the limelight, to not be the centre of attention. When the surf gets crowded, I sit on the inside, far away from the circus of humans fighting for the set waves.

This day is no different, the waves are pumping, it’s crowded. I have had a couple of smokers on the inside and even managed to snag a wider set. A big clean-up set has cleared the lineup, and somehow I managed to get though the squall of waves. I have drifted towards the outside, to the main take-off zone. These are foreign waters for me on a crowded day.

I now sit alone out at the back, hoping for a a little peak to pop up before the orcs of surfers return. Then I see it, this is no little peak! There is a mine shaft approaching me. The whistles and screams from the lineup soon follow…GO GO GO! I have been put on a pedestal, the star of my own show. This is far from my comfort zone.

I swing, start paddling, breathing heavily. Anxiety is starting to kick in. Is this what Matt Wilkinson felt like at Teahupoo during the Code Red swell? I put my head down, I have to stay focussed here. Paddle too soft and I’m going to get get pitched, get over confident and I will nosedive and be one with the sandbank. It’s time to rely on my ability, block out the screams and whistles as I take to the stage. This is no time to get stage fright!

The beast has picked me up, I’m looking over the edge, one more stroke and I’m in. The offshore wind is blowing hard, seawater is being blasted into my eyes. I can’t see, I’m going in blind. It’s fine, I don’t need to see. Just make this take-off. I get to my feet, open my eyes and realise that the one more stroke that I needed to get into this monster was never stroked.

I’m standing tall, on the lip of a Beast, about to do a 6-foot floater take-off into the flats. This must be what Travis Logie felt like during the Code Red swell at Teahupo’o, when he did that pin drop. The view up here is quite breathtaking. As I’m flying through the air doing the Logie pin drop, I catch a couple of big grins from fellow surfers. The wave beats me like a circus monkey and pins me to the sandbank, my legs get wrapped over my head. Underwater it must look like I’m practising for the Asian gymnastic championships.

I surface breathless, ego bruised but stoked to be in one piece. There is a standing ovation from the audience. They want an encore.

Later on that day they get their encore, but this time I make it, get barrelled and spat out into the channel to the roar of the crowd. My confidence is up, I’m stoked and ready for my next show. Maybe sometimes a little bit of stage fright can lead to large amount of success.

Peace!

Click here to check out all the published stories from our Write To Surf competition.

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THE FINEPRINT:
Send your stories to calvin@zigzag.co.za. One submission will be selected every six weeks to appear in Zigzag magazine. The selected submission will also receive a hamper from Billabong. At the end of the year, we will select and send one aspirant journalist from the competition on an all expenses paid assignment for a major feature in Zigzag. Zigzag retains the right to use any work submitted for the Zag Surf Journo competition on zigzag.co.za as outlined in the rules and terms of the competition. Zigzag reserves the right not to award a published winner in the magazine every six weeks, depending on the quality of entries. Zigzag is not obligated to run any and all entries submitted, either online or in print. Zigzag retains the right to edit all work submitted for brevity and / or clarity. Please note: Prize hampers will only be delivered within South Africa.

The Billabong prize hamper includes: 1 x Billabong Wetsuit; 1 x Billabong Hoodie; 1 x Billabong Cap; 1 x Von Zipper Sunnies; 2 x Da Kine traction pads.