Old Guys Rule

[GoodVibes]

When I first got on swellinfo I thought at my age( 41 now) I was one of the older dudes on here but it seems like theres more older dudes then young-ins.Just like a couple of you guys stated in other threads Im like the 1st one in the water and the last one out.I look at a guy like Slater and the guy is still killing it against kids half his age.I think thats pretty cool and amazing to see.I feel like alot of people outside of surfing look at me like yo man your not 20 anymore but you know what whos got the stoke anyways? Btw,I don't roll with one of those stickers on my ride.

[super fish]

totally agree...

[zach619]

When I first got on swellinfo I thought at my age( 41 now) I was one of the older dudes on here but it seems like theres more older dudes then young-ins.Just like a couple of you guys stated in other threads Im like the 1st one in the water and the last one out.I look at a guy like Slater and the guy is still killing it against kids half his age.I think thats pretty cool and amazing to see.I feel like alot of people outside of surfing look at me like yo man your not 20 anymore but you know what whos got the stoke anyways? Btw,I don't roll with one of those stickers on my ride.

Yeah, im 31 now but still feel about 25, so im haapy with that. I can still do everything i could do back then, just a lot better....

One cool thing is, my dawn patrols and stuff now, i am always with the same crew of guys. a few grommets mixed in, but the dedicated guys are all in theirs 40s, early 50s and we have a blast... I just love their attitudes and I get way more stoked out when I see those guys get a barrel or a great wave. They just flat out enjoy it... Its like seeing a 40 year old kid and I love it...

Also, when it gets huge in the winter and sh** is pretty scary, I definately see myself surrounded by older guys... those 40-50 year old guys, who obviously know the deal, charge the big surf without hesitation... its crazy to me.... when its doh+ and even bigger, I still get butterflies until I snatch that first wave.... and those older guys just charge anything... any size... Its like, there is a tight knit crew of older guys that are always at the right spot when its freaking huge out and perfect... then POOF, they are gone... they are probably surfing somewhere.... but they know where to be and charge harder than any 20 year old with stickers all over their board and sponsors up on the cliff... The guys charging deep, going big are usually the older dogs.....

Its like the progression of life as a surfer.... more knowledge, less felxibility (physically) so they just say fu** it, if im not going to do a backside air, im just going to get huge deep barrels and go for the biggest sets out there....

Old Guys RULE!

[Topo]

54 & still going, all be it a tad slower than I use to. It is nice to paddle out, get the old man looks & charge off into something with a little size. When you get up in years, you finally realize at some point you just cannot do what you did as a young man. Its like the scene from Grumpy Old Men- I'm not 70 anymore. I rarely go out on the really big days anymore, but I love to watch people that know what they are doing. Zach nailed my opinion about style- show me a surfer that knows how to draw out a bottom turn or can do a real roundhouse cutback-thats style & most surfers cant do it.

[njsurfer42]

absolutely! one of my most consistent travel partners is my dad who is 65 & still charging it. the only real concession he's made to his age is what he calls the "60/40 rule" which is basically that he doesn't surf when the water's under 40 b/c he's over 60. he figures he's done his time in the frigid water w/ the crappy wetsuits in the 70's & 80's; he's got nothing to prove.
& as far as inspiration goes, i love that guys like slater & taylor knox are still on the tour & still killing it. i'll be 31 this winter & the fact that slater can not only keep up w/, but beats, kids half his age really helps me stay motivated to push my own surfing. it's like, "well, yea he's a freak, but if he can do it, so i can i in my own way."

[Zippy]

45 years old here, been surfing since I was 10. You would think that after all that time I would be surfing on the pro level but that's not gonna happen. I see so many young guys surfing for 4 years that surf as well as I do, even a few better. I think exposure to so much talent, better equipment and parental support makes it a little easier to become really good really fast nowadays. I am still getting better by small steps even at 45 years old and riding a 5'6" board with ease. I'm not too proud to watch the young guys and learn from what they do to improve my surfing. I love medium sized waves to just over head and stay away from the thumping well over head bone breakers but I never really loved huge surf anyway even when I was 18.

[Ray F.]

45 years old here, been surfing since I was 10. You would think that after all that time I would be surfing on the pro level but that's not gonna happen. I see so many young guys surfing for 4 years that surf as well as I do, even a few better. I think exposure to so much talent, better equipment and parental support makes it a little easier to become really good really fast nowadays. I am still getting better by small steps even at 45 years old and riding a 5'6" board with ease. I'm not too proud to watch the young guys and learn from what they do to improve my surfing. I love medium sized waves to just over head and stay away from the thumping well over head bone breakers but I never really loved huge surf anyway even when I was 18.

x2...................besides being 43 and my main boards being 6'0" to 6'5"

[Salty]

58 and counting, and still surfing - Like Clint Eastwood said in "Magnum Force", "a man's got to know his limits"...but I still work out, and can usually make the paddle out even on hurricane generated swells at Assateague. A friend of mine once surfed with Donald Takayama in San Diego - he was like 74, and out of respect, everybody gave him the set waves - he's still stoked ,with a sh*t eating grin on his face when he paddled back out - that will be me! Like a shark, gou gotta keep moving to live - when you stop surfing, then get ready to die!

[havanasand]

Turned 40 this year and didnt start surfing until I was 21. I agree that most of the people in the lineup last Thursday when it had a little size to it were 30/40 and older range. Over the years I've been amazed to see older guys nail set waves in Hatteras, Makaha, and do it so calmly and with finesse. Surfing keeps you young. I felt super stoked getting out of the water last week after some long overdue head high barrels. More stoke than I ever did as a landlocked kid playing football or baseball. Hope for some more good surf before it's time to bust out the gloves and hoods.