this. maintaining your responsibilities while still surfing every single swell is core. & i think that may have been what beachbreak was getting at...being responsible, but setting your life up in such a way so that surfing doesn't get pushed to the back burner. b/c surfing is a part of your life, not a weekend-warrior type "hobby". water time is NEEDED to maintain a healthy equilibrium. surfing, to someone "core" is as necessary as breathing, i think. my gf hates it when we get flat spells & has occasionally suggested that we move to a more wave-rich area, such as southern california, b/c i'm such a miserable person to be around. thankfully, she GETS it.
yes.thank you.i did a poor job of explanation.when i first decided to be a surfer at 15 i knew i had to live at the beach,so i built my life there.i get sick of seeing people on this forum say it makes them a hardcore surfer because they drive so far.i can see if certain circumstances prevail,but,just my opinion,if they're such hardcore surfers then why do they live 100 miles away?and,in my case,i did make sacrifices starting at age 15 and never looked back,because no one in my world at the time understood or supported my decision to become a surfer.becoming a surfer is difficult,and living over the bridge would have been a lot easier for me.not living at the beach and checking it a million times a day would be easier,too.if i lived 100 miles inland and an un-forecasted swell popped up during an ice storm in february it would be easier,since i'd never know it happened.this flat winter had fun days in february- march people on swellinfo argued never took place.i made a poor original post.sorry
Now I see, beachbreak. Thanks for clarifying. I don't know about "hardcore"... seems like a lot of different definitions of the term. I guess I just get a little concerned when people put surfing ahead of "everything else in life," like family, responsibilities, etc. You share a deep love of surfing, like most of us here, and it's importance can't be explained to people who don't have that. It's just impossible for them to understand. But I always try to remember that surfing is a selfish endeavor. We do it just for ourselves. So to put ourselves ahead of others who we have a responsibility to care for does not make you "hardcore" or anything... but selfish.
thanks,correct,it is selfish,but wait! surfing is a healthy habit,and some people go to the gym or workout,some watch tv,sports,gamble,get high or drunk,eat like pigs and get really fat,and do all sorts of other time-consuming things that are just as 'selfish'-(i'd rather surf than go jogging or lift weights) or totally bad for you-(overeating,drugs/alcohol and laying around instead of surfing), so ok,surfing is selfish, but, like nj42 says,on the other hand,my wife loves to see me stoked out of my mind after good surfs,so,if surfing makes me happy,it's not selfish in that regard,as life at the beach can get boring without it
Yeah, I think the term "hardcore" was maybe not the right word on one side or the other. I do not consider myself "hardcore" because I moved 3000 miles away so that I could surf good waves 365... I would consider myself, maybe more "adventurous" than some, but that doesn't make me "hardcore". I don't think I would have developed into the surfer I am today had I not made sacrifices, left family, left friends, left the world that i knew behind, but at the end of the day. it was the best thing "for me"... But now, 10 years later, I have my first born, my baby girl due in less than 2 months, so all of the sudden, for the first time in a long time, priorities shifted. Thats life... So do what you gotta do. But the thing ived realized most when reflecting on where im from, and maybe going back is that jobs are hard to come by right on the shoreline, anywhere... I mean, if you are lucky in your trade, then cool. But anyone with a family and a wife and all that knows that BALANCE is the key to life. It cant all be about one thing or the other.... So while a guy like you may not be able to "live over the bridge" or what have you, there are plenty of other guys with an equal amount of stoke that go through hell and back to get wet and for that, you gotta respect them.... To each there own... I really think surfers everywhere need to lay off the snap judgements that we all have on each other... Everyone has to make their own sacrifices to get what they need out of life. Like the other guy said, luckily, I have a great wife that knows surfing is something I NEED. I mean NEED, not want. So, I know that every decision in our life going forward, she will keep that in mind. It will never JUST be about surfing... But my wife knows that i would "Do whats best for the family", but she knows that places like baltimore, or anywhere inland could mentally destroy me, while I many tell her otherwise... She knows. They all know. I dont know if that makes any of us Hardcore, one way or the other... but I feel like beachbreak may feel in a way, that ive put in "more work" or more dedication than other people... But the reward for that is that we become better surfers for it. When we dont miss those winter swells, our game is tight and theirs is not. When those other guys show up, they can't keep up... and thats the trade off. It is what it is... and it will show... So, dedication pays off, it always does, so I say we all just quietly enjoy it and keep it to ourselves. That way it is sacred.
im deffidently the most hardcore teen here. i work and support myself and my grandma bc she lost her retirement fund in some economic bs. so while working all the time to pay the bills i attend college full time. play on varsity golf bc i earned a scholarship bc i knew my grandma couldnt affored to send me through college and i surf every swell. idk any other 18 year olds that are as hardcore as that!
yeah,zach,again,i got it wrong in response to guys calling living inland hardcore,i was like 'what the?' the sacrifices made to be close to the ocean are more hardcore,but i was wrong,hardcore ain't the word.plus,you reminded me that i am also hypocritical because when my children were young i barely surfed in the Winter and in the Summer was focused on taking them surfing.sorry for that
\r\n How true. Two years ago my good friends daughter was getting married. Absolutey positively could not get out of the water with super clean stomach high peelers you could noseride forever. One of the best longboard days I ever had. I called my wife and told her to take the family and I would meet them at the church and to bring my clothes (she wasn\'t happy but shes used to it). I changed in the church bathroom. Wedding was great and the reception even better. What a great day. I think I ate everything in site.\r\n \r\n
hard core is wearing trunks when its 60*. D*ck piercings are hardcore. Face tats, gold teeth, and a lifted a55 truck, thats hardcore. Crocodile wrestlers and snake charmers are hardcore. Breaking your board over your head after the session would be hardcore. Serious jail time is hardcore. White dudes with dreads are hardcore. Hope this helps.
