They say surfing (冲浪运动) is a young man’s game. One has to pull themselves out of water onto the board and then into a standing position. It needs a strong and healthy body. But as one gets older, his body becomes less strong. So it’s easy to see why surfing is a young man’s game. However, there are always exceptions (例外). The example is Seiichi Sano. The 89-year-old holds the Guinness World Record for the oldest surfer recently.

Sano started taking surfing lessons only 9 years ago. At that time, he was looking for a way to challenge himself while staying in shape. He met a bank worker. The worker always looked tan (晒黑的). He didn’t seem like the typical office worker. He told Sano that his secret was surfing, so Sano decided to give it a go himself.

His teacher was surprised about Sano’s wish to learn how to surf. He also worried that he might hurt himself. To his surprise, Sano was just as good as his other young students.

“People tell me surfing is dangerous, but I had far more scary experiences in cars!” Sano said. “It’s the can-do attitude (态度) that will get you there,” Sano added. “Don’t complicate things. Just think that even this old grandpa has done it—you should be able to achieve something as well!”