by | December 1, 2025
Editor’s Note: Jamie Rich Isn’t Bailing Anytime Soon
Editor-in-Chief Jamie Rich on embracing new challenges at any age—like learning how to surf
Staring directly at the early morning sun is quite difficult without sunglasses. But on a calm June day in Jacksonville Beach, I float on a surfboard in the Atlantic Ocean, scanning the horizon, and I can’t look away. After a few minutes, a small bump forms in the water.
“This one?” I ask my counselor and professional surfer, Molly Kirk, as I tentatively paddle my arms.
“Go for it,” she confirms. “You got this!”
Kirk’s words spark a tinge of nervousness inside me. As the bump grows closer and larger, I paddle faster, looking over my right shoulder at the forming 1-foot wave. When I feel its momentum start to propel me and my 8-foot foam board faster in the water, my mind races.
“Pop up! Pop up!” Kirk, 25, shouts behind me.
Going from lying to standing on the surfboard is one of the trickiest moments for any beginner. For me, it’s usually the point when it all comes crashing down. I recount the steps in my head. Upward facing dog. Right leg. Left leg. Arms out. Once my feet are planted, my upper body wobbles, but I steady myself as the rushing white water pushes me and my blue foamy toward the sand.
Don’t bail. Keep going, I remind myself. When I’m within a few yards of the beach, I jump off, elated. I wipe the salt water from my eyes, looking back at where I had started to see Kirk and my fellow campers pumping their fists with excitement.
On day three of Thompson Surf School’s adult surf camp, and at age 47, I was finally learning to surf—a sport I had known only as a spectator until that moment. As a mom to a competitive surfer, I’ve stood on many beaches watching my oldest daughter carve up the waves. Aside from taking a couple of fruitless surf lessons on family vacations over the years, it wasn’t until Thompson announced its adult camp that I decided to go all in. More than simply learning to catch waves, the experience was about stepping outside my comfort zone, disrupting my daily routine and embracing something new (and a little scary).
Who hasn’t dreamed of turning off the daily demands of adulting to spend a week testing their athletic prowess or diving into creative endeavors? Tapping into that joie de vivre is exactly what inspires Flamingo’s latest Adventure Issue, where we celebrate the beauty of pushing boundaries.
Read our Winter 2025 Adventure Issue online.
Inside our pages, you’ll meet campers, artists, architects, explorers and so many more fascinating Floridians who prove that adventure isn’t defined by an age or a destination—it’s a mindset. From becoming a mermaid to facing off against professional hockey players to taking the stage with rock star royalty, we’ve scoured the state and found the adult camps of your dreams. All you have to do is sign up. Be fearless this winter as we hop over to DeLand, the Skydiving Capital of the World, where we hang with some of the state’s oldest and most daring jumpers. (There’s a 90-year-old who celebrated his birthday with nine solo jumps!) Then head south to a quieter—but no less exhilarating—corner of the state to glide through the Everglades on a wooden boat in search of the Skunk Ape. Or strap on an oxygen tank and explore sunken ships and dodge goliath groupers beneath the turquoise waters off Pensacola Beach.
Adventure isn’t defined by an age or a destination—it’s a mindset.
—Jamie Rich
To be sure, not all adventures require a surfboard, parachute, pole boat or regulator. Some unfold in the spirit of creativity. Meet the man behind Orlando’s latest theme park triumph, vibe with a band of merry musicians, discover new Florida makers and hit the road for The Season—our guide to the state’s biggest and best events. Along the way, we invite you to stroll through Key West cemeteries, handle venomous snakes in Miami and sip oyster-filtered vodka in Santa Rosa Beach.
After weeks of chasing the thrill in the making of Flamingo’s Volume 30, I find myself in need of a recharge. The unused surfboard standing in my garage is calling me back to the ocean and its restorative motion—reminding me that we’re meant to keep changing, evolving and doing things we never imagined we could. As we head into a new year, may you find your own wave, in whatever form it takes. Don’t bail. Keep going. Ride it all the way to the shore. You might look back and see your biggest fans cheering you on.
Click here for Editor’s Notes from the archives.
About the Author
As an editor and journalist, Jamie has covered travel and culture around the world. Her work has appeared in national and international publications. She spent much of her professional life abroad and worked in newsrooms from The Moscow Times to The Times of London. She holds degrees from Florida State and Georgetown. She founded Flamingo in 2015.
