Ahh... the eternal question rears it's ethereal head again. From another thread, somebody said judging a surf contest is like trying to judge which painter paints a better picture. So... is surfing an art form, similar to some other kind of performance art? If so, how can fair competition be held? In other areas of "sport," judging is based on criteria similar to gymnastics, ice skating, or diving, where there's an aesthetic element there, and that's part of the score, but most of the scoring is based on technical execution of a given maneuver. Is that where we're at? With all this emphasis on aerial surfing, are we just becoming gymnasts on surfboards?
I've never looked at surfing as anything other than a sport. I just don't get the whole spiritual hippy crap. The only way to do a comp is judging within a pre-defined set of criteria. In the 80s it was the '3 to the beach' and that lead to really boring comp with whoever could do the most lip smacks on one wave the whole way to the sand. The more modern ASP changed that and took the tour to the best waves and added criteria (still subjective) for high-risk moves. As a result, I think comps are much better.
Yeah I do belive Surfing is art. To me anyway a person can express them self is art. Whether is Painting, Song writing, Poetry , Surfing if you express or let you surfing do the talking for you then its art. This is why I dont do that many contest cause I feel that they are judges by what is determind what is cool by masses
PRECISELY. In the case of competitions, we treat surfing as a sport, and so it is a sport. Just like NASCAR or World Series of Poker, you can take something that is definitely NOT a sport and transform it through clever marketing and formats (obviously surfing is 1000x more athletic then the other two things I mentioned). For me, and for most people with whom I surf, it's absolutely an art. The central experience in surfing is that moment when you combine your own energy with that of the wave. At that incredible moment, the two become one. On a big day, it's almost like sex, and if you've surfed some big days, then you know what I'm talking about. Matching your motion with that of the wave brings you into a whole new life experience. The only things that are possible are those that the wave will allow you to do. Until the wave is over, nothing else matters. The artistry comes into play as you learn to use your own creativity to develop new ways of riding the wave, ways that allow you to express emotion, beauty, and athleticism. If others don't see it that way, I don't really care so much. For me however, the "Is surfing art?" is not a question at all, just a fact of life.
Probably an ability thing too haha...maybe if I ripped more, I'd do some contests and call it a sport. I'd like to think my outlook would never change, though. If you look at my favorite surfers (Dave Rastovich, Christian Fletcher, Ozzie Wright...), it makes some sense I suppose. Granted, guys like Andy and Kelly are AMAZING, but it's hard for me to relate to the guys on the tour because I've never been involved in the contest scene.
no. you can express yourself in any sport w/ your own individual style, but it doesn't mean it's art. you can compare a big turn to a baseball swing a lot easier than comparing it to a painting
yeah it was me who said that in the other thread surfing has way to many varibles in it to be a standered sport big wave surfing, small waves surfing, peformance, longboard, novelty like surfing weird boards. like i mentioned in the other thread theres no right or wrong way to surf. to me surfing is more about a feeling compared to a competitive sport with A RULE BOOK! plus every surfer is always put in a difrent situation on every other wave. no two waves are the same, every wave is a once in a life time opurtunity.. with surfing you cant pick the cards you were delt,, its how you play your cards that matter. .surfing is to unique of a sport to be compared to anything else i remember reading how taj burrow was never able to win a title bc the judging critera couldnt keep upp with his surfing his style was dif from everyone else, even tho he ripped a top judge was quoted saying his surfing was too " punk rock for the real pros"
Right on! Think about the feeling when you roll up to the beach for the first hurricane swell of the year...the offshore wind and glass shacks just lining up like a painting. It's f#$%ing beautiful. The waves alone represent God's art to me. I came to believe in God only after my surfing experience in Hawaii, after realizing the sheer magnitude of the perfection that comes from a good day. The feeling we get from the perfection is what separates surfing from almost every other sport...and I say sport because I don't deny that it's a sport, just that it's art as well. Think of the feeling when you line up a good barrel ride, when you feel the face steepen way back in the pocket. You settle into that position and see the wave lift up and curl over you as you fly down the line. It's the best feeling on earth, in my opinion. Nature and you coming together in a harmony of movement and energy and beauty. To position oneself into the perfect spot on a wave requires not just athleticism and skill, but artistry...to understand not only what works, but what looks "cool". Every surfer wants to look stylish on the waves, and I think that's another indication of the artistry: to not only perform the movements, but to do so in a way that others can appreciate and enjoy. Oh, and to the guy who compared surfing to other sports...they can be art as well. Is anyone here a runner? I quote Steve Prefontaine, one of the great distance runners in American history: "Some people create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run. I like to make people stop and say, 'I've never seen anyone run like that before.' It's more than just a race, it's a style. It's doing something better than anyone else. It's being creative." In Steve's case, he would run out front and exhaust more energy than anyone else (in distance running, the "smart race" is often run by sitting back and drafting off others for many laps, saving energy, then exploding toward the end). He believed that this could bring victory on the scorecard, but the only way to truly WIN for himself was to give absolutely EVERYTHING in his body, running out front as long as possible. That too is a work of art. He took a situation that was so standardized, and he put his own beautiful twist on it. If you watch the movie "Without Limits" you'll see the famed Olympics 5000m where Steve came in fourth place, losing to the Lasse Viren. Seeing the way he ran that race, however, leaves most people with the conclusion that Prefontaine truly "won" because he ran with so much courage, in a way that no one but himself believed possible. Anyhow, just food for thought.
I personally don't think it's art. To me, it's not a sport either, but I can see how someone could argue that it is, more so then arguing that it's art. But I guess surfing is different for different people. For me, it's just something fun to do...more fun than anything else I do or have done. Addictive fun.
we need a surfing revolution The first surf comp was in the early 1900 in Hawaii, they use to compete by catching a wave and riding it in to shore, first one on the sand wins. They knew you couldn’t have a surf competition unless in race format. But over the years that changed a lot even pro surfer hate the tour bc of the stress the press and the fact that when your competing your success as a surfer is measured by your results, and the drama of losing by a POINT. No one likes having points in surfing not even the pros Surfing is a sport and as well an art form surfing can be about winning or it can be about a stylish art sport majiggy where the “wave is your canvas and the board is your paintbrush”
the judges are extremely biased towards the top surfers in the world. ive seen mick and kelly do mediocre waves and get 7 and 8's whereas some one like pat gaudaskus or adam melling will go absolutely mental and they get 6's and 7's where if kelly mick did it, they would get a ten.
Def not art Some of the best surfers have absolutely no interiority and surf for the rush/money/popularity. The may do it beautifully, but good art requires intention. Not to mention most surfers couldn't even define the word "aesthetic". Waves are sublime, and surfing is a way to participate in that divine event. However, many surfers don't surf for that reason and even with that it mind it's not art. If you're an innovative surf legend it just means you're very proficient at surfing. And that's certainly a good thing. Shapers...they're a different story.
I tell people I don't do contests because surfing is an art and I don't surf like them because thats not how I express myself. But in reality, I'm just not that good of a surfer.
I dont knwo if you can put Surfing and Sports such as Baseball or Football in the same. Sports like baseball and football have Boundries and Rules. You have to get to home the get a point or you have to get to the endzone to Win. With those sport the objective is to Win beat that person or beat the other team. Surfing is supose to be a activity or mental and physical awarness or enlightment well at least to me it is. This is why I am against companies like Nike or target Ect getting involved in surifng nothng good can come from it Actually ancient Hawaiian royalty use to have surf contest to to settle arguments between tribes , to determin what prince can marry a kings daughter, or who can be the new king of a tribe
