Parko and the Bird

I did say this blog would discuss all things surfing, so this week let's take a little break from discussing boards and meander into the world of competitive surfing.  In terms of full disclosure, I have never competed in a surf competition.  The whole idea of "competition" and surfing seems a bit odd to me, but I admit that I love watching the best surfers in the world battle it out.  Last week was the first ASP tour event of the year taking place on the Gold Coast in Australia and it did not disappoint.  First, because it was a Quiksilver event you got ASP tour dropout, competition hater, and free surfer extraordinaire Dane Reynolds in the show.  If you weren't aware, in December 2011 Dane posted his "Letter of Independence."  It was a letter of resignation from the ASP tour.  I have to admit, I loved it when Dane walked away (unlike many other surfers).  It just seemed that he did it for all the right reasons.  For me, here was the paragraph that said it all:

and so here i am. 26. officially off tour. wasted talent. blown potential. refusing responsibility. ‘all he wants to do is sit at home and play with crayons and ride fucked up boards.’ but wait! but wait! that’s not true! don’t listen to chris mauro. he’s a dinosaur. doesn’t get it. this may be the end as a wct contender, but its also a new beginning. i feel like a baseball. the skins been carefully pried off and there’s a thread and i’m gonna pull it and i’m gonna end up a pile of string on the floor. but then maybe i’ll be knit into something more useful, like a sweater. or perhaps something beautiful, like a hand embroidered masterpiece of a deer and two fawn drinking cold clear water out of a creek. but you never know. i hope to achieve some sort of balance. yeah, i do like riding fucked up boards, but i also like doing airs and taking some aggression out on a cutback. and competings rad if you can stay inspired, but rankings and trophy’s mean very little to me. i wanna learn, i wanna make things, things of purpose, be productive. travel. new experiences. new sensations. and most importantly explore the outer limits of performance surfing. i’ll still compete. but its not going to consume me.

So Dane is not the best writer and a little quirky, but he is honest and one hell of a surfer, so I was stoked to see him at the Goldy, even if it was because Quiksilver probably held a paycheck over his head.  Tour dropout or not, Dane is still a big draw.  Yes, I thought it was great that Dane walked away so as not to be consumed by the competitive nature of the ASP, but I still love to watch him surf.  And when he does "compete" it looks more like he is in a free surf session with a buddy or two at some of the best breaks in the world.  Who wouldn't love to watch that? Eventually eliminated in the third round, it was still fun to watch him score some fantastic waves.

Then there was the side of competitive surfing that Dane was trying to avoid; the side that brings out the self-interested ass that exists within us all.  The finals came down to current tour champion Joel Parkinson (Parko) and the 11-time tour champ Kelly Slater.  It was an epic battle, but as you watched the heat it just seemed that Kelly had the upper-hand (what else is new).  So as Parko dropped in on a big, throaty barrel that he said had "12 points written all over it,"  it seemed inevitable that Kelly, with priority, would drop in down the line.  So he did and there is the source of the picture--Parko looking down the line flipping Kelly the bird.  Absolutely classic!  The picture goes viral and Parko gets tagged with the sore loser label and shows the dark side of competitive surfing; the side that has lost its soul.

But everything is not what it appears to be.  Parko was obviously frustrated, but even in the moment the gesture seemed good natured.  When asked about it after the contest Parko said, "its all good, that's what it is, competitive nature but all in a good environment."  Apparently Kelly told Parko that he should have given him the bird back--now that would have been good.  So here's my question--why are we trying to make these guys into mortal enemies? Why do we need some grand rivalry filled with disdain (but still respect) to make surfing better?  I just don't get it!  I thought Parko's response was brilliant and something we should all take to the line-up.  The reality is that we have all been dropped in on--sometimes by a buddy, sometimes by a newbie, sometimes by someone just trying to be an ass.  So what.  It may be frustrating in the moment, but it is just that, a moment.  Another wave will come and one after that too.  Isn't the point of surfing to have fun in the water? Some of the best days are those sessions where it is you and bunch of your buddies dropping in on one another, pushing each other off waves, flipping birds, and laughing the entire time.  If you ever find yourself in the line-up with a bunch of Matador/BoneYard guys you better expect this.  But also expect some great waves, good laughs and big smiles through the whole session. There is so much in life to stress over, why should surfing be one of those things. Dane had it right but so did Parko.  A quick flip of the bird, a smirk and a laugh afterwards, but in the end it is all good.  And surfing continues as one of the few things in this world that can have an element of competition but remain mostly about the experience. 

Alright, enough of my philosophical rant--next week I will get back to boards to discuss outlines and tails.  And remember, surf for fun!

Ignorance May Be Bliss, But Not When It Comes to Buying a Surfboard (Part I)

Remember going to buy your first new surfboard?  Or really, the feeling of going to get any new surfboard, whether it is your first or not?  It is a fantastic feeling--knowing that you are getting a new board and hopefully the board that you really want.  There are few things in life that can rival it.  But back to the idea of buying your first board or maybe even your first couple of boards.  There are some different feelings involved in that event as well; yes, it is exhilarating knowing that you are getting a new board, but if your experience was anything like mine, it was also filled with ignorance about what you were getting. 

I will never forget purchasing my first new surfboard.  I was 19 years old (I did not start surfing till I went to college in Florida) and I bought the board while home in NJ for the summer.  To this day I could not tell you the dimensions of the board.  I remember the brand and the color (a dazzling orange that all my buddies in Florida made fun of), and I remember it looked really cool!  I mean, it looked like a great board.  So what the heck does that mean?  Well, it means that I liked the way the board looked on the rack so I bought it.  I was completely ignorant of what type of board I needed, the shape, dimensions, etc.  I basically looked at the board, thought it looked awesome and bought it.  I have since learned about these things and also learned that what makes the board work goes beyond the typical three dimensions that all boards list. 

Take my BoneYard Fly model (pictured above).  I ordered this board as my everyday board, hoping that it would work in everything from waist high to overhead waves.  But as a bigger guy, I needed some extra volume in the board while still keeping it nice and loose.  The Fly was the perfect model for me and the shape provided me all the elements that I was hoping for.  If you look at the usual three dimension--height, width and thickness--the board appears suited for my larger frame.  The board is 6'5" x 20.5" x 2 3/4".  But the beauty of this board goes beyond those numbers.  Let's talk about one of these elements, rails.

One element that people do not consider enough is the rails.  In order to get a little more volume, the Fly carries the thickness through most of the board, especially up front.  So instead of only having the width listed on the board existing in the middle, it carries a lot of this to the nose and the tail. The result is more volume to help me get into the wave sooner--and remember, if you can't catch a wave, you can't surf the wave.  If you want a more performance-oriented board, then look for something that thins as you move to the nose and the tail.  But remember, this type of rail cuts down on the volume of the board which makes it more difficult to paddle and less stable as you take-off and head down the line.  These are two factors that anyone starting out needs to seriously consider. 

The other aspect of the rail to consider is the shape.  Is it a hard rail (often called a down rail) or a soft one (round)? Or does it flow from a softer to harder rail?  On the Fly, the rail is fairly soft in the middle but hardens as you move towards the tail.  On the board I was discussing last week, my biscuit shape, the rails remain soft throughout the board, only hardening to some degree in the tail.  Now there are lots of nice diagrams you can find that discuss all the different variations on this (50/50 rails, 60/40 rails, rolled rails, etc)--the diagram to the right gives some indication of the different rails.  But if you want to get a real sense of the shape, just grab the board and feel the rails. It will be fairly obvious what type of rails the board has from the first touch.  Is it nice and rounded with no edges?  Or do you feel the rail turn into a hard edge?  And remember to feel the rails throughout the board, not just in the middle.  What the hard edge does is provide the board with more maneuverability and hold in bigger, steeper waves.  It will give you a rail that is easy to sink into the water.  This type of rail is more performance-oriented, something we all may want but may not help our surfing.  The soft rail is forgiving, perfect for those starting out or your small wave board.  What I mean by forgiving is you are less likely to catch a rail when surfing and it provides a more stable ride that will also float over the flat spots of a wave.  Of course this can vary, with a medium rail that is often "tucked under."  This provides the best of both worlds--a rail that provides maneuverability and hold, but also is more forgiving and stable.  The Fly is a good example of this rail and so I am able to ride it in head high+ waves but still flow nicely in the smaller stuff. 

So when buying a board you need to consider what the rail will do for you and your surfing.  You also have to be aware of what YOU need in a board.  Not every surfer needs the same type of board. Ultimately, this means being honest about your ability and using that objective assessment to buy the best fitting board for you.  The right board can make all the difference in how much fun you have in the water.  Buying a board because it looks good on the rack or because it will look good as you walk down the beach is a mistake I see far too often.  Buy the board that will help you catch more waves and improve your surfing.  This means paying attention to the big three numbers (height, width, thickness) but also grab those rails and make sure they fit your style and ability as well.  And remember, surf for fun!

Potato Chip Syndrome

Ok, I know, potato chip boards were a thing of the 90s and the industry has moved beyond this shape--or at least provided us with options.  But I am surprised at how many people, when looking for a new board, still want the smallest, thinnest, narrowest board possible.  They just want a board "that shreds." Again, there are those guys/gals that can surf those boards and surf them well, but when young kids who are just starting to surf or even have been surfing for a few years look at these boards I want to scream, "DON'T DO IT."  If only they would heed the advice of North Shore soul surfer Chandler. You remember Chandler, the Obi-Wan Kenobi of the movie North Shore?  I just dated myself with two references from my childhood, but as cheesy (and utterly classic) as that movie was it still had the right idea when it came to surfing.  In case you forget the storyline, once surfing guru Chandler agrees to mentor young surfer Rick Kane he has him begin his surfing lessons on the biggest of logs--and it is literally a log.  As he masters each board, Rick is allowed to move down in board size and shape until he is finally able to surf the shortboard that he craves.  This is a lesson that all young surfers could learn from--you don't start on the shortboard, you progress to that board.

This lesson also brings me to my California trip where I saw all kinds of surfers and all kinds of boards.  But what struck me was that in the heart of the Huntington Beach line-up, in Surf City USA itself, there was a tendency towards bigger, wider, and fatter boards.  Again, I don't want to overgeneralize--there were the rippers out there on their shortboards--but so many guys had longboards, fun boards, alternative shapes, and the one thing that I can say with the utmost certainty, they were all having a blast! I brought my 6'4" BoneYard biscuit shape (custom made--have I mentioned that BoneYard and Matador boards are still hand shaped to your specs) and it was fantastic.  This board (pictured above) is generally flat, 21.5" wide, 3" thick and paddles like a dream.  What most young surfers don't think about is getting into the wave, they only think about how the board performs when on the wave.  It is important to have a board that performs, but if you can't get into the wave then you can't perform down the line.  The flat rocker, wide point of the board pushed forward and the overall volume makes this a great shape for getting in early and yes, it still performs.  The single to double concave bottom is just deep enough to provide a loose feel to a thicker, wider board.  So don't worry about losing that rail to rail feel that is so necessary for riding with style.  This shape worked in the head high+ days at the pier to the soft waist high session I had on my final day.  So when choosing your next board, avoid the potato chip syndrome and consider something with more volume--it doesn't have to be a longboard but the alternative shapes usually make for having the most fun.  It also makes the best surfer--the training of Rick Kane proves it.  And remember, surf for fun!