Waking up at 7 a.m. on a Sunday might seem daunting for some, but for others, it has made a world of difference in one’s life. President of SDSU Betty Boarders Surfers, Haley Tesler, wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I look around and see all these women, 15 or 20 of us out in the water at once, and that is just one step towards breaking down stigma and changing stereotypes around women in surfing,” Tesler said.

Betty Boarders was created as an all-girls surf club and has since evolved into an even greater community that strives to empower women through surfing. Betty’s has welcomed women of all levels to join, including women with little surf knowledge, beginners, and experienced surfers. The club hosts practices, events, and activities that advocate unity among women and support girl power in San Diego.

“It’s a very open community where you can really get out of what you put in,” Tesler said. “People can come to events, learn to surf, meet new people and make friends for life.”

The all-women surf club cultivates an environment that encourages women to embrace their identities and feel empowered through kindness, compassion, and strength from the community surrounding them. Betty Boarders is striving to foster a sisterhood that uplifts women by teaching one another how to surf, spreading positivity, and helping girls see themselves as worthy equals in a male-dominated surf culture where they are not truly seen.

“Betty Borders is somewhere where you are strictly who you are as you show up. You’re taken for the way you treat others, the way you carry yourself, the kindness and compassion that you share, and what you put out there for others to see,” Treasurer Britta Norquist said. “Feeling like I am important here, valued here and I’m level and equal with everybody around me with absolutely no judgment is something so special and empowering.”

President Haley Tesler joined Betty’s as an incoming freshman in the fall of 2021. Moving from Maryland, Tesler attended SDSU with dreams of living her ocean life at college. As an out-of-state student, she hoped to find a community of girls who surfed. Tesler grew up working as a surf instructor in New Jersey, where she surfed mostly with boys and felt more isolated as one of the only girls.

Tesler has been inspired to pursue a career after college that further directs experiences working in environmental tourism in the recreation field. As a surf instructor through Betty Boarders, she has discovered her deeper connection to a supportive community.

“It’s not just a club with your friends; for me, it’s had the biggest impact on my life and college career,” Tesler said. “I’m hoping to one day join a surf-travel business field where I’ll be dealing with a lot of men and male authority figures, so I want to get more women out there.”

New girls constantly learning how to get out in the water creates a cycle of helping women, building their self-esteem and empowering each other to push past stereotypical limits they might not have the confidence to do otherwise.

Britta Norquist grew up in Huntington Beach with a surrounding surf-heavy environment. While she spent most of her time in the ocean, she didn’t become a surfer until joining Betty Boarders in her freshman year. As a previous photographer for Betty’s, Norquist documented beginner surfers’ first time ever surfing, and for some, their first time in the ocean.

“Trying to capture pictures of first stand-ups, I would zoom in on their faces that had so much joy. They’re so vulnerable and then they’re succeeding,” Norquist said. “Seeing them fall once, fall twice, fall ten times, to then be brave enough to stand up and get past that point on your knees where most girls get stuck, is almost more impactful for me than surfing out in the water with them.”

For Norquist, witnessing beginners catch first-time waves mirrors the similar triumph she felt when first joining Betty boarders.

“That joy is just unmatched, and I know that feeling because that was me last year, and I get to experience it all over again with other girls every time,” Norquist said.

Breaking waves and breaking stigmas

Historically, many stigmas and stereotypes surrounding female surfers have contributed to surfing being a male-dominated sport. Betty Boarders has created an environment for women at SDSU to confidently face the challenges of female surf existing in a sport that has long been dominated by men.

“In a male-dominated field and culture that feels very towered by men in general, it’s a very common experience for women here to feel belittled and insignificant out in the water,” Norquist said.

Female surfers have experienced negative encounters with male surfers that sideline them to fit a specific mold, often discouraging women from catching waves. Betty’s have expressed their experiences with comments directed to them by male surfers in the lineup, which have set back their confidence to coexist as equals in the ocean.

“I’ve been told by men that I shouldn’t be out in the water, that I should paddle back in,” Tesler said.

Betty Boarders fights against this narrative and creates a safe place for girls who need the support of others to encourage them to embrace their identity out in the ocean.

“I’ve had times in the water being the only girl, surrounded by men at home who have made comments. But I know going with Betty Borders, it’s a safe environment where I’m not dealing with negativity,” said head instructor Sophia Martino. “It provides the confidence that you need to just go out and do it, rather than worrying what others will think and say – I think all that stops when you’re surfing with the girls, and it’s just for fun. You don’t have to overthink it.”

Betty Boarders reshapes this concept to be inclusive of beginner surfers additionally. Betty’s instructors have educated women on correct surf etiquette to ensure all women can equally hold a place in the water among other surfers regardless of gender, surf level, or skills. Bettys have centered their training on breaking the idea of entitlements in the water where certain people feel they have more of a right to the ocean.

“Betty Borderers does a really good job making women feel important enough to take up the space no matter what level they’re at,” Tesler said. “Even if you’re just learning and starting to be out in the lineup, it is okay to take up space, make mistakes and apologize for them.”

Members of Betty Boarders seek to encourage other girls that asserting their female dominance is what challenges back the social inequalities placed on women out in the ocean.

“Our club is something that can actively make a change every single week that includes diverse populations of women and is getting them out there,” Tesler said. “Letting them take up that space in the ocean is what’s gonna start moving us in the right direction.”

The community of female surfers has been growing since the upstart of the Betty Boarders at SDSU. Member numbers have been thriving as the girls continue changing the lives of those women who aspire to be a part of something where they can grow deep connections and values.

“Having people that want nothing but to build you up and see you succeed with something so small as standing up on a nine foot foam board can change someone’s entire college experience,” Norquist said. “I know it can have that impact, because it changed mine.”