Kathy Kohner Zuckerman The Real Gidget
- February 13, 2011
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- By Surf Guru
Until recently, surfing has been portrayed in the media as a male sport. The glossy, colorful pages of magazines feature images of only surfer "dudes" riding the waves and executing fancy maneuvers. Chances were that if a female appeared in any of the magazines, she was a "bikini babe" tanning on the beach rather than a serious surfer. There was however, one woman who changed it all. She doesn’t ride the California waves much anymore, but when you meet her, you can feel that spirit of surfing that first inspired her to take to the waves and become the first female to launch surfing into the mainstream.
Kathy Kohner Zuckerman, the real “Gidget”, made an appearance this past Saturday at the Henegar Center in Melbourne where she was greeted by hundreds of fans, both male and female of the surfing community in collaboration with the National Kidney Foundation. There was first a VIP reception including a book signing with the celebrity icon herself. Light Hors d'oeuvres and cocktails along with live music played by instrumental guitarist Arturo Echarte definitely set the mood throughout the first half of the evening leading up to hula lessons and the surf documentary Brevard Premier of ACCIDENTAL ICON: The Real GIDGET Story.
As the lights dimmed and the film started to play, you could almost feel the excitement in the audience as the first pictures of Kathy appeared on the big screen. She was absolutely timeless pictured holding her first board back in the 1950s at the mere age of 15. “Accidental Icon’ is a truly artistic piece of work documenting Kathy 'Gidget’ Kohner's time on the beach at Malibu”, said surfer local Jeff Rapolti. The documentary captures that time perfectly with film clips and interviews with the characters that inhabited Malibu and the shack. We were all stoked to be there.
For me, this event was truly inspirational. Being that I am a female surfer, watching Kathy’s documentary has really made me feel even more passionate about surfing then before. In a world where many young women have few role models, Kathy Zuckerman is an inspiration not only to the actresses who have portrayed her but also to young women who want to be athletic and meet the challenges of learning and even competing in surfing. I think we all felt privileged to be allowed to peek into Kathy’s young life and see how truly empowering she is to the world of surfing. Meaghan from SurfGuru...