So, me and my girl were talking last night about one of my co-worker's husband that surfs. I said "yea, he has like 3 AMs all bought new, and he has not surfed very long but he is all about "being a surfer"...He is a kook". So, she says: There are probably guys better than you that think you're a kook...at least he is trying. Well, that was a plate full of humble pie. I am typically not calling guys out or anything and I am certainly not the #1 rippa shredda! It got me thinking though.... What is your most humbling experience that made you feel like you just projected Kookery? Don't hold back....I know you all have kooked out at one time or another in your surf career! The one that came to mind immediately for me was when I was a grom...buying my first Skateboard (Madrid...before I drank the Powell & Peralta cool aide). I asked the guy at the shop..."how much to put sand paper on board"? Man, I will never forget his face. He was like huh? It's grip tape dude not sand paper!!! Then he was cool and taught me a few things. Anyway, I am sure I have many others...what's yours? thought I would try to lighten this place up a bit!!! hum·ble. ADJECTIVE 1.having or showing a modest or low estimate of one's own importance: "he was humble about his stature as one of rock history's most influential guitarists"
The first time I applied Sex Wax to my deek instead of my board. HA HA HA In all fairness, I feel like a kook several times a year. It's those days when you paddle out and nothing works. In the wrong spot, not catching waves, you pop up and your are too far forward, you tuck in to get pitted and get blasted off your board, etc. Then, the next day you paddle out and feel like Curren. HA
Every time I paddle out I'm guaranteed to do at least one kookish thing. A duck dive gone wrong, bad/late take off or foot placement that ends in my incineration. Same as fishing. Every time I fish, there is at least one horrible cast, one lost fish due to my own stupidity. I've been doing both activities for over 40 years. It's called being human.....
The fishing thing is funny. I bass fish "out back" and I went out for the first time this past weekend and very first cast....lure in a tree branch!
Monday I caught a few waves and was feeling all groovy. Caught a nice screaming left and had to get a little forward to make it down the line so when I got to the end I went to smack the lip and was still to far forward. I totally kooked. Hoped it was not on the surf cam. lol. Being a kook to me is being unaware of surf etiquette and being in the way of others. We all had to go through the learning process. I just wish the beginners would not paddle out in a crowded line up. I surfed a couple years before I paddled out at "the spot" with the shreddas.
On the fishing thing the first week learning to cast a baitcaster was extremely frustrating especially with a smart arse friend laughing at me but the pay off was worth it.
They had a youth mentor trout day this past Saturday over the bridge in PA. My youngest son and I get our licenses and head over. I've been fishing over there for decades so I know where to go. he caught a couple on live minnows before deciding he wanted to practice using rooster tails. 3 lost lures totaling 20 dollars later, he switched back to live bait...
Should of named this thread "Kook Confessional" HAHA, this is good stuff though, I'm sure I have plenty of material to add
When I reading the face of the wave and it looks like its about to start pitching so I do a quick slash stall then stick my hand in the wave to reduce speed. Getting ready to get a fat kegger, then the wave barely even pitches and is just a mushball. And I'm just standing there with my tail between my legs looking like a goober who just wasted a perfect face for a hack or two. I usually do this whenever I surf slow rolling reef breaks that look like theyre ganna pitch on the inside. Usually gets me a few of those "f$%king kook" looks. Its tight.
When I started skating we used car polish to try to wax curbs. Didn't work and ruined the grip tape fast
This actually works well for a first coat if you let bake in from the sun then apply a little candle wax before you skate it This method was used on the bank ledge in LBI...you know the one by the long gone pier 18 mall I wonder if anyone still skates that thing everytime I'm there...I do atleast
For the past couple months I've still had a brace on and have to use a soft top. I'm on the beater, but man o man when guys see me paddling out on that in the winter when it's 2OH I get some looks.
I remember clear as day, about a year ago (I kook out lots, but this is a prime example), I paddled out at the spot, and all the old locals and young shreddas were out, and my first wave, a head high left that surprisingly jacked up when it hit the bar - I ate it on the drop, just pearl dived, right in front of two of me best surf buddies. You should have seen the look on their faces, just gleeful.
Today. Really, most days I surf, but today in particular. I pull up to the break and it's wind blown and small but I'm there so I guess I'll paddle out. All the sudden three car fulls of at least three kooks each pulls up with out of state plates. I'm talking spring suit and bootie men, soft tops, doo doo brown semi guns...they had all the marks of the kook. I'm thinking "whatever, I'm gonna ****ing own the peak today...easy pickins". Well for one, I brought the wrong board. Waves were even weaker than they looked from the beach and I was on a 5-10 performancy thruster because my fish is out of commission currently. Couldn't catch ****, when I did catch ****, I surfed like ****...bogged, dug rails, etc. These kooks were catching waves and at least stink bugging it down the line and that's more than I could say for myself, so who was really the kook?
