“The History of Women’s Surfing online project is committed to expanding the image and the narrative of women’s surfing through the collecting and archiving of a diverse range of personal histories, emerging scholarship on global surf history, counter narratives, female surf magazine collections, and photographs, proving that women of all shapes, sizes, colors, creeds, and sexualities have surfed since surfing’s inception. Our aim is to make this online archive the largest resource for women’s surf history on the planet.”
Our Team
Sheri Crummer
Raised on the beaches of Orange County, Sheri Crummer learned to surf at an early age. She was one of a handful of women riding the logs of old days. Continuing with the advancements in equipment, Sheri’s surfing evolved throughout the generations surfing longboard and shortboard. She holds 3 US Women’s Longboard titles (2002. 2003, 2004) and competed professionally on the Women’s Shortboard Tour for a time. Her competition career spanned from 1967 into the mid 2000’s.
Today she is an international rated surf contest judge, surf photographer, webmaster for several surfing associations and Director of The History of Women’s Surfing Project. With no desire to compete, she hasn’t forgotten her want of competition in the past, passing on her knowledge to those that still desire the jersey.
“Competition no longer defines who I am. I haven’t forgotten my past desire to compete, so I pass my knowledge on to those who do.”
Photography is a passion of Sheri’s. She primarily shoots action sports for a living, although her true love is photojournalism. As an artist, the lens draws her lines as would an artist with a brush.
Cori Schumacher
Cori Schumacher began surfing at the age of 5. She has had a varied competitive career that began when she was 8 years old. Since then, she has won multiple national and international amateur shortboarding titles. She surfed as the #1 US female shortboarder on the 1994 and 1996 US Team for the ISA Jr. Championships. Her most notable international shortboard title was winner of the 1995 Pan-American Championships.
Schumacher is best known for her efforts in women’s longboarding. She is a three-time Women’s World Longboard Champion (2000, 20001, 2010), Women’s Longboard Pipeline Pro Champion (2009), and two-time ASP North American Champion (2008, 2009). Despite these achievements, she feels that the true value of surfing comes not from competition, but from connecting with a constantly changing force that is much larger than oneself in a non-competitive environment.
She believes that surfing provides a unique opportunity to experience a holistic connection with oneself and an environment that is constantly in flux – an environment that does not discriminate based on one’s age, gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status, creed, ability, disability, or otherwise. Her website: corischumacher.com
Carla Rowland-Zamora
Carla Rowland is a Southern California native and longtime frequenter of First Point at Malibu Surfrider Beach. Growing up in a family of surfers afforded her many hours of sand castle building and shorebreak poundings. Carla’s father, Wayne, tried for many years to coax her into the lineup, and although she would always enjoy herself once in the ocean, surfing was something that didn’t consume her life until she was 15.
Once Carla had spent enough years involving herself in the shallow surf industry through competitions and with various sponsors, she decided true joy and success in surfing was actually through the introduction and instruction of the sport to those unaware of what we all know – that surfing will change your life!!
Since taking on the professional role of surf instructor in 2000, Carla’s interest in the sport has evolved. “When I was younger my focus in surfing was placed more on promoting myself and my sponsors. Now, the joy I get when a student gets up and rides down the line for the first time… To see the smile and accomplishment on their face… Well, it’s just priceless and it’s the reason I do what I do!”