Once upon a time, in the cornfield-laden paradise of Illinois, where the skyscrapers of Chicago pierce the sky like a porcupine's quills, there lived a group of water-loving kids. These were not your run-of-the-mill, TV-watching, video-game-playing kids. No, these were the Surfing Illini, the coolest, most daring, and funniest bunch in all of Illinois. Each member of the Surfing Illini was unique, from ‘Windy Wave-Catcher’ to ‘Tumble Tommy’, but their leader was ‘Gnarly Charlie’, a cucumber-cool kid with a nose like a radish and hair that, quite hilariously, resembled a corn tassel. Charlie was known for his uncanny ability to balance on a surfboard, even when the waves of Lake Michigan decided to dance the cha-cha! The Surfing Illini found surfing in Illinois quite a challenge, but they believed in the saying, "Where there's a will, there's a wave!" They didn't have ocean swells to ride, but they would surf anything that splashed - from the waves of Lake Michigan, to the windy gusts in the Windy City, and even the occasional rogue wave in the local swimming pool. Every day, they'd pull on their wetsuits (which looked more like superhero costumes with all the patches and stickers), and hit the water with their laughably oversized surfboards nicknamed ‘The Prairie Planks’. They'd stumble, tumble, and occasionally grumble, but they'd always get back on their boards, laughter echoing across the water. In the heart of the Midwest, these kids didn’t just surf, they showed everyone that you could turn any place into your playground, even if all you've got is a lake, a cornfield, and a sense of humor.