My friend Chris responded to my rant on competition as follows. I thought my non-surfing friends would enjoy his thoughts.
Hi Gordon,
A response to your rant:
When I started surfing as a teenager, I made surfboards for myself and friends. My mother made us individualized surf trunks. My parent's garage turned into a permanent shop with a floor covered with dried resin and walls white with fiberglass dust (toxic as hell- I can't believe I'm still alive). Surf shops sold surfboards and nothing else. Surfing was experienced as a spiritual dance with nature. The object was to flow with the wave and feel relaxed. We called ourselves soul surfers. In the late 70s commerce finally took over. Surfing was big business. The business people sponsored competitions where the surfers were judged on how well they could "shred" a wave. Riding a wave had become a competitive sport where "ripping up" a wave and doing a lot of non-functional tricks was deemed exciting to watch and worth gobs of money. Surfing now is divided into two camps. Those who "free" surf and those who are working on their shredding moves. In the later, it does not matter whether or not one rides across the face of the wave to the end, the point is to get in a big move before you fall. Most surf shops now make most of their money selling image, in the form of clothing. Surfing for me, is a personal experience.
It's good to hear from you in the form of your blob, glob, bog, whatever.
Chris
I suspect at the most basic level fly fishing and surfing have a lot in common. A way to lose one's self. It's the moment of total involvement - forgetting all in total enjoyment. Of course for me if I were surfing it'd be forgetting one's self in total terror~! At least when you fly fish you don't have to worry about drowning - unless you're my friend Leonard who wades in really strange places. Maybe Leonard gets totally involved and forgets he is getting him self in some serious trouble! :-)
Hi Gordon,
A response to your rant:
When I started surfing as a teenager, I made surfboards for myself and friends. My mother made us individualized surf trunks. My parent's garage turned into a permanent shop with a floor covered with dried resin and walls white with fiberglass dust (toxic as hell- I can't believe I'm still alive). Surf shops sold surfboards and nothing else. Surfing was experienced as a spiritual dance with nature. The object was to flow with the wave and feel relaxed. We called ourselves soul surfers. In the late 70s commerce finally took over. Surfing was big business. The business people sponsored competitions where the surfers were judged on how well they could "shred" a wave. Riding a wave had become a competitive sport where "ripping up" a wave and doing a lot of non-functional tricks was deemed exciting to watch and worth gobs of money. Surfing now is divided into two camps. Those who "free" surf and those who are working on their shredding moves. In the later, it does not matter whether or not one rides across the face of the wave to the end, the point is to get in a big move before you fall. Most surf shops now make most of their money selling image, in the form of clothing. Surfing for me, is a personal experience.
It's good to hear from you in the form of your blob, glob, bog, whatever.
Chris
I suspect at the most basic level fly fishing and surfing have a lot in common. A way to lose one's self. It's the moment of total involvement - forgetting all in total enjoyment. Of course for me if I were surfing it'd be forgetting one's self in total terror~! At least when you fly fish you don't have to worry about drowning - unless you're my friend Leonard who wades in really strange places. Maybe Leonard gets totally involved and forgets he is getting him self in some serious trouble! :-)
G
Oh to be so natural and so good.
ReplyDeleteShe does touch the heart.
Sis