Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Osborne.

Mary, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.

I started surfing at the age of 15 due to my three older brothers and  living on the beach in Ventura, CA. I immediately fell in love with  surfing after I caught my very first wave. From that moment on, I knew I  wanted to be a professional surfer and that it was going to be in my  life forever. I practiced a lot and eventually started competing up and  down the California Coast. I slowly captured great sponsors such as  Patagonia and Maui Jim that supported me throughout my travels. I was  winning every contest I was in and before I knew it was on the cover of  various surf magazines. I started writing for various travel  publications and hosting surf trips around the globe. I eventually  started Mary Osborne Surf Camps and Escapes as a way to share my passion  with surfing with others.

Has it been a smooth road?

It was never a smooth road. I had to try very hard to obtain  sponsors, get paid and prove my worth being a female in (at the time) a  male-dominated sport. One month would be a good month financially and  the next your sponsor would change a person in marketing and you would  have no income. It definitely wasn’t a steady road financially but I  managed to put a lot of incomes together, not spend a lot and follow my  dream.

You had to get used to rejection. In my 20’s I was doing a lot of  modeling, writing and acting. I would get rejected for various TV shows  and my articles wouldn’t run in magazines. I think it was the rejection  that actually kept me motivated to succeed. If one door closed I would  find another avenue to take and make work.

The Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF) — the leading authority on the  participation of women and girls in sports — celebrated the biggest  night in female sports at its 36th Annual Salute to Women in Sports  Awards gala at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.

Professional surfer Mary Osborne was a guest of honor for her legendary accomplishments in the women’s surfing world.

“How do you choose one picture to define an incredible evening? The  night was full of our friends and family who are incredible athletes and  huge supporters of this foundation. Thank you for coming tonight and to  everyone afar who couldn’t make it but are here in presence.”

When Mary Osborne won the longboard contest in MTV’s Surf Girls,  she immediately became the strong and beautiful figurehead for a nation  of surfing women. Now, here’s Osborne’s introduction to the sport, the  only guide for women who surf, and, more importantly, for those women  who have always dreamed of paddling out beyond the breakers and catching  the ideal wave.

Osborne is a master of the slickest sport. Here  she shares her wisdom with readers, on everything from putting on a wet  suit (do wear your bathing suit underneath, ladies) to catching the  first wave (don’t start too far out). There are tips on choosing a  board, carrying it, knowing which boards need wax, finding a surfing  buddy, figuring out what that leash is for and how it works, and finding  the perfect spot.