Surfing is not a sport, It's not an art, Surfing is. There is no baseline of physical conditioning needed to ride a wave, nor is there a bar of athleticism set. You could however argue that progressive surfing demands more agility and strength, but given perfect conditions and the right equipment, even Fred Flintstone could huk into a 10 point ride. Artform? Not likely. Probably 98.9% of us that think we surf and look good on a wave would be shocked by the video replay. Surfing is...an expensive hobby. A hobby that you hopefully enjoy with friends, kids, and maybe your sig other. A part of the work/life balance chart that shrinks from the chart with each passing year because of limiting factors: age/health/time/crowds/wave access. It's time to give the sport/art garbage a rest and just enjoy the ride.
Painting with broad strokes on a blank canvas... Would like to have some open dialogue about the physical and mental demands of performing on a wave rather than riding it. I do believe the wave catches you and what you do after that brings the stoke so I open with that statement
I agree about enjoying the ride, not quite about the fitness aspect. Sure, small days at the beach are less demanding, big fall swells, you need to be in decent shape. If your leash snaps with solid overhead, strong currents, ect.. and you need to swim in, being in shape helps. As well as just paddling out on big days.
It's always been where I find my peace. Maybe there's an old hippie soul deep down inside me (which is laughable), but it's always been my "aspirin" when life hurts. Something that shows me where my life energy fits into the universe. Something that connects me to something much greater but less tangible. And I don't mean in a way that says, "yea... I'm a "surfer" and that's my identity.... how I identify myself." I mean in the existential moments of zen perfection when riding a wave... when time disappears and the physical and metaphysical become one and the same. Then suddenly it's over before you even knew it happened.
Yes. So surfing is what gets me in the ocean and the ocean washes me clean.. Even my spirit for life is rekindled .. Riding waves well that's another part of it. I know ive prepared myself physically and mentally. Its not that I'm ever trying to become something or to be noticed. O get such a rush just pulling into a wave then it elevates as things happen. You can't plan for What's gonna happen next you just have to be in the moment ...one with the wave. You never think of what just happened or what's next.. Moreover you just exist in it.
can't tell from the angle - is this before or after he lost an arm? i believe this is the same guy, before:
i was with you on the not a sport, not an art thing...though jimmy slade would highly disagree with both. but anything can be whatever an individual interpret it as. if you're the only one that interprets it a certain way though you might be schizophrenic. went too far on the non-fitness part. the better you know how to swimme the quicker you're probably going to progress bc you're probably going to be able to handle yourself in riskier situations compared to someone that doesn't. that takes some kind of baseline of fitness.
The invention of the goon cord made good swimming skills much less necessary, allowing way more people to "surf" than in years past (along with the dying art of how to hold on to one's board). My local lineup is testament to this fact.
the opposite is true here. there are a ton of inexperienced goobers in the water loosing their boards, it's a zoo
hey I'm with you there, it's crazy to see professionals from all over the world fly to Texas to surf. Those kooks. By the way, how's life on tour?
