Veronica Kay

Where you’ve seen her:
The former national amateur surfing champion catches waves around the world.

Her first time:
“I was 14. It was a freak accident. We were down at the beach, and a friend just happened to have a board. I was like, Man, I’ve never tried this before. So I went out there, he pushed me into the wave, and I stood up and rode it all the way into the sand. I remember looking at my feet and thinking, I’m going to do this for the rest of my life.”

Or maybe an international spy:
“Every page on my passport was filled with stamps. This last trip, before I got a new one, customs pulled me aside and totally started lecturing me. They thought I was a drug dealer, because I had been to all these places.”

Coincidentally, we don’t surf:
“I’m always going out with surfers, but sort of by default, because that’s usually who I’m around. Now I’m starting to branch out. It’s like dating in the same circle of friends: You can only do it so much, and then you discover you’ve dated everyone.”

August 2001 (#45)