Community Corner

Teaching Balance, On and off the Board

Husband and wife duo run Coastline Adventures Surfing School in Normandy Beach

Written by Carly Kilroy

Balance is something Lance Tompkins and Jennifer Steffener, owners of Coastline Adventures Surfing School of Normandy Beach, teach both in and out of the water. 

"You're not just teaching surfing, you're teaching other things. Surfing and paddle boarding are vehicles for self empowerment and an entryway for environmental awareness, health, and fitness," Steffener told Patch. 

Even though Tompkins and Steffener run the school mainly out of Brick, they do travel to other locations for either private lessons, or more favorable weather conditions.

The husband-and-wife duo both have warm and caring personalities that play off one another when working together and with their students.  "We make a great team,"  Steffener said. 

Between the two of them, the couple shares a great deal  of unique skills that are incorporated in the way they teach their camps and classes. 

Aside from surfing and paddle boarding, Tompkins also loves snowboarding and skateboarding. 
 
Steffener practices various types of wellness health including Tai Chi and massage therapy.  

"We kind of married all of our passions into one business," Steffener said.
Since Tompkins and Steffner both learned how to surf - as they put it "the hard way" - they know what kinds of dangers the ocean can produce for surfers and paddle boarders. 

This is why they have always made water safety a main priority for the school, even before Hurricane Sandy. Steffener said they now use Sandy as a platform for their safety talks, particularly for the camps geared toward children. 

“We give the kids a time to talk about Sandy and give them time to talk about fears about the weather or the ocean,” Steffener said.

Steffener feels allowing children to talk about how they have been affected by Sandy helps them heal and feel comfortable around the ocean again.

“It's a forum for them to kind of vent their feelings and then introduce them back into the water in a safe and wholesome environment, so now the ocean becomes a friendly place again,” Steffener said.   

Even though Coastline Adventures started their season late to ensure the water was safe to teach in, it took a little time for local students to get back into the water. 

"It was just about letting people know the water was safe. Letting them know we were making a conscience effort to go to safe beaches, but now the season is going full swing and we're doing really well," Steffener said.

If you would like to know more about Coastline Adventures Surfing School, you can visit there website at  Www.njsurfschool.com


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