Narragansett, Rhode Island (by Anne Beasley 1999)

In the small town of Narragansett, Rhode Island,a group of Surfer Girls, Chicks on Sticks, really have it going on. These girls charge cold water! In the winter it can dip well below 40 degrees and 70 is as warm as it gets in the summer. Now this is hard-core to all us girlies south of Maryland, but listen to this. Rhode Island is full of rocky point breaks that generate long, I mean really long, clean lines. That is what gets these girls in a 5-4-3 mil wetsuit with a hood in the middle of February. Check out some of these pics courtesy of the Rhode Island Riders (yes it's boys, but we're looking at conditions here)

It's not unusual to see ten girls in the line-up according to Kira Stilwell, an Exercise Physiologist at the University of Rhode Island and co-founder of Chicks on Sticks. Kira grew up on the beach sailing and snorkeling and it just occurred to her to start surfing just a few years ago. You'd hate me, I was one of those girls that stood up on her first wave, Kira told me. (We don't hate you, we envy you!)

It occured to Kira whose sister Hollie and close friend Jennifer Sadoski also surf to get a phone tree going of local women surfers. They spent the summers playing on the beach and surfing, why not get together more? Well this idea went from phone tree to a very successful non-profit organziation of women surfers. We had talked amongst ourselves about how cool it was having such a diverse, wonderful group of women surfers. We originally thought that a club would simply act as an avenue for us to spend lots of time in the water together. Those first thoughts blossomed into Chicks on Sticks, which has pretty much taken on a life of it's own!(names are hard to find and these ladies toyed with Babes on Boards, even Women on Woodies before deciding on Chicks on Sticks)

Chicks on Sticks, formed in 1996, has become the backbone of beach clean-ups, the re-establishment of the RI's Surfrider chapter, and a smoke free three band beach bash. Wait, there's more. What's most impressive is their womens instructional surf program which taught over 100 women in two summers!!