Part 1 of 3

The Gerhardts, riding the waves of parenthood. Photo: Heidi Trilling

by Heidi Trilling

It’s 4:30 a.m. in Santa Cruz. While most exhausted parents are fast asleep, big-wave surfing couple Sarah and Mike Gerhardt are tiptoeing past their children’s room and starting their day together with wetsuits, surfboards and prayer.

“We get up early, and that’s our time to connect,” Mike says. “We read the Bible together, we pray together, and we have a window of our own time before the kids start stirring. Then, one of us will go surf for an hour.”

Sarah adds: “We constantly have to rearrange and switch off — and it’s all surf-dependent! … I’m the surf forecaster of the family, and so I check the Web. Then we figure out childcare, who’s surfing in the morning, who’s surfing in the evening. … It’s all about balancing!”

So, how do the Gerhardts balance everything? Simple: love, faith and taking turns.

Ultra-busy parents of a 4-year-old son and a 2-year-old daughter, the  Gerhardts break every single one of the surfer stereotypes you can think of. Hands-on parents and practicing Christians, they nourish themselves with a largely vegetarian diet and give many hours of volunteer work to their community. Both Gerhardts also have full-time jobs jam-packed with responsibilities. Sarah, 35, is a pharmaceutical sales specialist. Mike, 42, is a general contractor with Santa Cruz County Builders.

“Parenthood is constant juggling … improvising … priorities are always shifting,” Mike says. “It’s a lot like surfing that way!”

Serious wave-chargers who’ve  conquered the challenging breaks of Northern California, Hawaii, Mexico and Peru, the Gerhardts are sponsored by Pearson Arrow Surfboards. Sarah is also sponsored by Hotline Wetsuits and Clif Bar.

Sarah made surfing history in 1999 by being the first woman to surf the insane waves of Mavericks, Half Moon Bay’s awe-inspiring surf spot. Both Gerhardts have been Mavericks Surf Contest alternates, and Mike was a contestant in the 2006 season. They are the only big-wave couple — married over 10 years now — to surf Mavericks together.

Sarah Gerhardt and son, enjoying the ocean. Photo courtesy of Nikki Brooks, ©nikkibrooksphotography.com

“Sarah and Mike are a great team,” says big-wave surfing legend Jeff Clark. “It’s fun watching them out there: one of them charging, one of them carrying a kid around on the beach!” He laughs, “That’s what parents do when they wanna hit those waves!”

But what about sleep deprivation? How do they balance demanding athletics with the demands of child-rearing?

Mike answers: “Well, it’s a compromise. I’m unable to work out like I used to, but I’m OK with that. … My family is much more important to me than being a better athlete. I’ve got bigger fish to fry, and being a parent is what I’m focused on now.”

“Sleep is overrated, anyway!” Sarah says. “The reality is that I’m an outdoor person. If I don’t get out and have quiet, focused time, and get my body moving on those waves … I’m not going to be what I want to be. I want to be joyful, I want to be compassionate, I want to be understanding. I want to be patient. … And that’s the cool thing that I learned about being a parent: that if I take care of myself, then my children will thrive. … So, the child-rearing has really been parent-rearing!”

Fellow big-wave charger Grant Washburn also understands balancing childcare with the call of surf breaks: “All of us have little kids; mine are a year older than theirs. … When everyone is tired, there are so many things going on at once: somebody is hungry, somebody needs juice or a diaper change, and it’s just crazy! … How can you surf big waves when you can’t even get out of your pajamas? … But somehow, all of us manage to surf.  Because we have to. We love it.”

Their kids love it, too.

Surf session: Mike Gerhardt and his daughter. Photo courtesy of Don C. Gerhardt.

For the Gerhardts, involving their children in their own passion for surfing was natural. “They love the water, and they’ve climbed all over our surfboards in the backyard since they were babies,” Sarah says. “When we switch off, I’ll be on the bike with them and we’ll watch Mike surf, or Mike’s with them and they watch me surf.” Mike adds, “Somehow, with all that’s going on, we do manage to get to the beach together.”

And when the Gerhardts need help managing everything else?

Mike’s mother Gale Gerhardt is a former educator and alternative health care provider. She lives literally steps away from the Gerhardts’ home, in the charming cottage Mike renovated for her on their property.

“I help out by taking care of the little ones during the week,” Gale says.  “I’m very blessed to be in on the formative years of these special little people.” She laughs and sums up childcare the world over: “It’s exhausting and fabulous at the same time!”

But faith and gratitude replenish the Gerhardts, every day.

“There has to be more to life than the next wave,” Mike says. “A base of faith … a trust that God’s still in charge, even when times are bad. The only thing we can control is  our attitude. … I make mistakes, of course, but I really try to do good and be grateful for every moment with my kids, grateful for my family … for everything.”

“I don’t talk about this much,” Sarah says, “but I was raised a Christian and it is the core of my strength; it’s true north for me. … That’s definitely what acts as a foundation for my life, and teaches me, and sees me through surfing, parenting … everything.”

Sarah continues: “Our children are teaching us so much, too! Our whole life is being reorganized and turned upside down. … Every day’s an adventure. … It’s so amazing!”

“It’s crazy, sometimes,” Mike adds, “but, it’s cool and it’s working, and hopefully, we’ll be able to inspire others … to have faith and keep on doing what you love.”