PULSE Magazine | September 2019 Isssue

One of the saving graces of wave pools is that surfers can plan their sessions way ahead of time and maximize their wave time. Pools will never replace ocean surfing, but then you don’t have to shirk a life- time of responsibility to be free enough to chase waves. This is the “crossroads” choice all hardcore surf- ers are faced with at some point in their lives. Which led us to question whether Mr. Ward was a lifelong bachelor driving to Waco whenever he wasn’t performing CPR to someone on an Austin shopping mall floor. “The Fam – this comes up all the time as a question – as everyone thinks I’m at BSR constantly and that’s really not true. I’m married and have a 9-year-old and a 12-year-old. I try really hard to make sure when I go to BSR that it doesn’t conflict with being present as a husband or father. Of course, there have been some bumps in the road and my wife has come at me like BSR is the ‘other woman.’” But Ward says his trips to BSR include family time with both his kids learning to surf there and his part- ner embracing an adopted beach lifestyle “My wife has been there as well and loves it. She’ll describe it to her clients (she cuts hair) ‘The sand beach, music, nice umbrellas, beautiful lounge chairs – where else can you get that?’ But she never mentions the surf!”

ATCEMS Clinical Specialist Steve Ward’s bag of 140 wristbands he’s saved from every visit to the wave pool.

Surfing wise, Ward said the hardest thing about the BSR Surf Resort is positioning and timing. And alt- hough he’s tuned into it now, it’s a big challenge for most visitors. “The hardest thing to dial in is positioning for taking off. The announcers will say ’I want you at chamber number 5 or 6, six feet off the wall, and then paddle at a 45-degree angle. The water moves you around and pulls you out of position, when the wave stands up behind you, this is where you need to be. People have a super hard time getting that, it doesn’t take much to paddle in, it takes a lot of work to stay and be in the right spot.” So is the BSR Surf Resort Steven Ward’s “other woman?” It could be. Like a siren’s song, he’s pulled to the waves whenever he can. But there’s more for him to be smitten with in Waco. “BSR has been so epic. I have gotten to surf WITH the world. So many visitors, almost every current and former pro (so many stories on that), and it’s provided me with literally a lifetime of waves and I’ll be eternally grateful.” *********************************************************** Do you have a fun hobby you would like to share with PULSE readers? Send your story and pictures with the name of the photographer (for photo credit) to our editor lisa.sepulveda@austintexas.gov for inclusion in upcoming issues of PUSLE Magazine!

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