WC Swami brah, course experience counts. It's all about paying dues and putting the time (quality time) in relentlessly until you've climbed the food chain to a desired height. Experience and dedication are everything and we certainly agree on that. My stance is that there are outliers that can and do emerge from atypical backgrounds, upbringings, and age/physical attributes and succeed in climbing that food chain to high elevations through passion and unquenchable thirst displayed by commitment through action. Julian lives it and always has. He is textbook of what you need to do to make the climb. It's not a coincidence his punt yesterday looked effortlessly and likely felt so to him. What I'm saying is that you don't always have to have the head start or even start "on time", as long as you make the ground up that was missed, however difficult and rare that is. Just passed the 8 month mark!!! So in 4 months they're gonna give me grandstand seats at Kentucky, Preakness and Belmont? Don't really do the horse racing thing... Can't wait to see you out there in a couple weeks Swami braddahmon!!! There IS room for the both of us in SoCal!!! Teach me the ways. 100% serious.
Maybe I was a little exagerrative (is that how you spell it?) when I said "forever". Funny story btw!
You're young and have a lifetime of surfing ahead of you. I grew up in Kansas and didnt even think about the possibility. Saw the ocean for the first time at 24. Started surfing at 30 and now 23 years later, I've surfed all over North America including Costa Rica. Great journey. I started cause I saw a 75 year old surfing Assateague. Fountain of Youth. If he can do it so can I. Just keep surfing year around and you'll be as great as you need to be!
