Why most pro surfers come from the south.

That's some quality English right yonder.

 

I don't know where u folks started off with the categories,but I think the hobgoods deserve their spot.yea cj only one once,but they been on tour every year for the past 20 years.corey lopez,ehh,like I said I don't know the category but im guessing winners,corey did finish in the top 10 a few years and he was andy irons boy so that alone il put him in the category

 

What makes Kelly and CJ so impressive is not because they are from the south but that they are good despite that they are from the south. Historically east coast has very few successful pros.

 

Yeah, yeah. Slurp, slurp. Haha.
Without that fresh farm animal jizz to facilitate my styling needs, I am mad.

 

Interesting thread...and I don't think this is just exclusive to surfing, but runs across the spectrum of athletics, and there could be endless socio-economic reasons behind it.

One theory I found interesting from a swim coach is that a lot of what we do athletically has to do with sensory and motor neurons. Well, what he proposed as this topic pertains to swimming is that when the epidermis is exposed more to the elements it is possible that motor and sensory neurons could become more sensitive and therefor, receptive to stimuli. When you think about it, the north (east or west) is wrapped up in layers of clothing for a much greater portion of the year, thus possibly limiting exposure to elements/stimuli and lessening the development or sensitivity of motor neurons, thereby possibly limiting or lessening the development of world class athletes. And as a disclaimer, his theory didn't just pertain to when the person is engaged in their activity/sport, he was talking about all the time (flip-flops v. sorel boots).

From a sociological standpoint, Boston, NYC, Phili, Seattle, might hold a significant population but they don't exactly have good, immediate access to "surfable" spots. I think the south (though the population centers might be smaller, and therefor perceptibly reduce the chances of a pro-surfer) probably has more easily accessible, beach side communities/cities such as Norfolk (close to VB) VB, actually the whole tidewater area, Miami, Jacksonville, San Diego, LA, which in turn would increase access) and therefor actually increasing the chances of pro-surfers. Also, I've lived on the coast now for 9 years, 3 in VA, and 6 in ME...I'd definitely say the beach is a lifestyle in VA and definitely not in ME, and would assume the same throughout the NE area as the water is much colder than once you go south of NYC.

Anyway, my ideas....

 

Your swim coach sounds like a nut case... Plenty of access to surfable in spots in the NE... Definitely has to do with the weather.

 

Balaram Stack is from NY. Ian Walsh is originally from RI. NJ has a ton of up and coming surfers too. But whatever you do, don't come to jersey. The waters dirty, the waves are bad, and there's not too many pros so stay far far away. Nothing to see here.

 

It might sound a little wild, but it's not. And I wasn't talking about waves or quality of such either.

In professional sports, training the brain and diet are really the last frontiers being explored, and nueroplasticity is a relatively new science that is blasting off. This theory of more epidermal exposure to the elements (not shrink wrapped in neoprene in the water or wool when on land) for a greater amount of time during the year is not far removed from the science of nueroplasticity, and therefor for me carries some weight.

I've seen this in action and trained kids with it too through Ikkos (a technological upgrade to technique work) in the medium of swimming and it is amazing how fast the technology works. It all has to do with sensory/brain overload then sensory deprivation. If this works this well in 5 minutes, then I'd think that the greater exposure your skin (and therefor brain) has to a living environment (air/water) the more adept one becomes at managing stimuli and the faster motor neurons/brain can react when performing a sport.

Again, this may sound wild, but it really isn't.

 

or….how bout dis…..kid gets new stick, waits til summer, goes to beach, is told by lifeguards
'surfing not allowed.'

 

I think this is basically saying that people in the SE and SW are have faster and more efficient human development. Interesting... wink wink. Looking at you New Jersey...

So people in the south are smarter and better surfers... It all makes sense now.

Seriously though, interesting. I agree that the weather and exposure to elements stuff. That is very logical and makes perfect sense. I mean, on an even more basic level than that, surfers in the south are far more likely to show up in numbers all winter and spring just because of water temps and weather. You have to be part of the "core" group to A) go to the beach and hang out all day in February in Jersey B) paddle out for more than an hour, wrapped in rubber on a regular basis C) generally go outside and exercise.

Disclaimer: I grew up in MD and would play basketball on sheets of ice in the dead of winter. I would go running when it is 5 degrees out.. So its not that people DONT do it, its that on an annual basis, people in the south don't have to make the difficult decisions or sacrifices that they do in the north, so as a sheer numbers game, there are more people in the water and outside on an annual basis. Cause remember, even in the south the beaches get flooded all summer. Just as bad as up in the mid atlantic and NE. Just as bad. Just as many tourons on the beach. Definitely more in the water too. People will sit in the 85 degree water down here like buoys for 3 hours straight.

 

I think my point my still be getting a little lost...I wasn't speaking specifically to warmer water, warmer air, warmer whatever.

What I mean to see (as is the theory of this former Georgie Tech coach) is that people that regularly have their skin exposed to air/water (rather than having a layer of clothing, or neoprene if in water) may have a greater tendency to being more adept physically because of motor neuron development (a better, more functional nervous system). This theory would seem to make sense as if you are warmer (generally speaking) it is because you have more/greater blood flow. This blood flow could also help to develop a greater tactile & dexterity senses (nervous system) and therefor possibly better athletic ability.

Think numb toes/fingers and this begins to make sense...if you have a lack of blood flow you have a reduced tactile sense which makes it difficult to do anything physically...if your blood is flowing and you have a greater sense of touch/feel, well that is a primary attribute to doing things such as surfing. Add these two things together and how the brain processes it, you begin to get in to Neuroplasticity. I don't necessarily understand all of the science beneath it (and Ikkos), but I have seen it work with swimming, and people with MS, and I get the principle behind it.

Makes me think that is part of the answer to the question...that and the GTech theory of exposure.

Culture and society is probably also a huge factor. There might always be a lot of people at the beach in the north, but I don't believe it is as much a part of the culture as it is in the south, ie, more people go to the beach more often in the south V a lot of people at the beach in the north...

 

So, people that live in the south are smarter and surf better. And people in 6 mils in february look like robots because of poor blood flow.

Check. Mate.

Just kidding... But again, as far as where people live annually, yes your theory would apply, but again, I would have to dispute the claim that the beaches in the south are less crowded from June-August. You have to remember, on this tiny island, we have an influx of 3 million people every summer. 90% of whom are NOT from the south. Every license plate down here is Ohio, PA, Minnesota etc... So, you could be correct in the thinking that people from the North look forward to that summer beach culture a little more so than they do in the south, but no offense to any beaches in the North East, but if I lived in Norhern Ohio all year in the freezing cold, I would not choose Jersey or Maine as my summer beach destination. I am going to go where it's warm and the water is in the 80s. I mean, in Delmvarva, the water in june still felt like an ice bath to me most years. We get the same influx of money and tourists, they are just all from up north. My family used to take us on trips down to Myrtle every other year or so because of that. We lived right by OC MD, but sometimes it was nice to go down to where I could sit comfortably in the water all day without the shivers.

 

oh come on. Don't you miss those 55 degree trunkin days in June?

 

Miami International Airport. Think about it. When it is flat here, it is a very short flight to Barbados or Costa Rica, even shorter to Puerto Rico. When you grow up as a grom going to reef breaks every winter, it gives you more wave time to develop on an international scale. The crap waves usually surfed in Florida bring out a hunger, and after surfing slop all the time, good waves are like butter. That is my theory. Simpler than the whole sun exposure thing. Lots of kids get sponsored trips to the Islands, and down to Central America, so they get better faster, and the elite talent gets to develop on a world class level.