Bus Surfing

Rain or shine, snow piled deep or shallow, as a student at the University of Minnesota I spend much of my time going to and from classes on the Campus Connector. I enjoy my time on the bus, letting my mind wander, people watching, or listening to strangers conversations. Lately though, I've needed something new to occupy myself on the bus. Since I can't read my homework, and I don't always like to have headphones stuffed into my ears to shut myself off from the sounds of the world, I've invented a new sport. 

The ever faithful Campus Connector

That's right, I've created the brand new sport! Bus Surfing! Now what you need for this is a bus, and just yourself, no surfboard needed. A backpack is optional, which I will explain later. Rather then just sit or stand back and endure a simple bus ride, I have invented a way to make every bus ride more exciting and interactive than ever before.

This past summer I went to Hawaii and tried surfing for the first time ever. I fell in love with it. Alas I live in Minnesota, a land locked state, with plenty of bodies of water (our lovely lakes), but not any ocean. So in order to bring the feeling of Hawaii to the snow covered Midwest, Bus Surfing was born. It's rather simple really...

The correct Bus Surfing stance

In order to bus surf, you have to be standing up, which isn't a problem if you ride the bus at the bus times of the day. Position your feet and body as you would if you were on a surfboard, and make the necessary adjustments when packed like sardines with all your fellow college students. Normally when one rides the bus, you hold onto the poles to keep yourself from toppling onto the other riders, but with bus surfing the goal is to keep your balance without any support. When the bus moves keep your balance and imagine that you are riding the thundering waves in Hawaii. This sport is guaranteed not only to help you pass the time on your commute, but make it fun as well.

There are a few things you can do to improve your Bus Surfing skill such as ride the bus during the winter. The added snow on the road makes for a bumpier ride, and thus a more challenging bus surf ride. For added difficulty you may also carry a backpack full of 5lb textbooks. Bonus points for a laptop, your lunch for the day, and any large homework projects. To continue to improve your bus surfing skills, add additional textbook, bricks, or hand weights as needed.

Happy Bus Surfing!