Or when is the precise moment we should commit surfing seppuku?
Since today is officially Matt Warshaw Day (he is the New Yorker Talk of the Town!) let us continue to discuss him in all of his glory!
Tucked into the New Yorker profile it says this about Matt’s surfing:
Warshaw is fifty-six. Moving to Seattle from San Francisco, several years ago (his wife works for Amazon), forced him to give up his habit of surfing more or less every day. Also, he’d grown weary of witnessing his own physical decline in the water. “After forty years, I let it go,” he said. “It’s embarrassing. Now I’m a walker. I count steps on my Fitbit.”
And we’ve spoken about this together on a few occasions. In reality, he hasn’t actually “let it go” or at least I don’t think, but has reorganized priorities and only surfs on specific surf vacations instead of trying to grind out little nuggets in the unforgiving Pacific Northwest.
He has, in any case, committed surfing seppuku.
Of course you are aware of this Japanese samurai act but let me refresh your memory. The samurais lived by a severe code of honor, so much like surfers, and if their honor was compromised in some way, say losing in battle or embarrassing themselves, they would commit seppuku. My favorite new source Wikipedia describes as such:
The ceremonial disembowelment, which is usually part of a more elaborate ritual and performed in front of spectators, consists of plunging a short blade, traditionally a tantō, into the abdomen and drawing the blade from left to right, slicing the abdomen open.
Matt Warshaw has done well and right by our code in admitting, publicly in the most esteemed source, that he is embarrassing and now counts his steps for exercise. Surfing seppuku.
My question is, what is the exact moment of physical decline that a surfer should no longer enter the water on a surfboard? When he regularly drags his knee on the pop? When she gets a stiff back while waiting for sets? When he can’t catch a wave on anything other than a 8’6? When she can only glide in a straight line?
Is there an exact age or is it more a state of mind?
And should friends encourage surfing seppuku from their aging friends?
I think the question is, what’s gonna stop you.
The head local at my beach is 69 years of age and had his second hip replacement four months ago. Yesterday I saw him get an absolutely gorgeous wave. Flowed it all the way through off a lil reef section on to the sandbar where it peeled for a nice little while.
To my elder buddy, rides like this trigger all the deep body memories of six decades of surfing, while still existing wholly in the present. I remember being a little kid and watching him at 25 years of age, on a yellow 6’10” roundtail, on a warm overcast summer afternoon with one of those desert NW winds blowing, getting a wave across the same patch of water, and riding it with the same ease. Dark hair, white teeth flashing in a grin, left hand guiding the line of his turn, right hand on the water.
His hair is white now and the board is 6’6″, still a roundtail though.
If you want to experience that shit, you are gonna have to surf through the highs and lows of your life.
I need an oxy and a longneck on hand before I open the Grit these days.
So much depression!
Whats the daily step count Warshaw? Asking for friend.
We really have taken a darker turn…. I’m going to fix right now!
I think you should get a Fitbit!!
15K
Really?
I thought you’d be well over 20.
what, are you working while on a treadmill?
Lots of coffee, lots of pee breaks. It adds up.
If we all just rode 8’6″s and glided in a straight line and stopped fooling ourselves we’d all be a whole fuck of a lot happier, I’m sure.
“You don’t stop surfing when you get old, you get old when you stop surfing”
Seppuku ? Don’t know, I’d soooo much prefer mass-murdering
amen to that
I love how Beach Grit is really taking the exact opposite approach from The Inertia theme to heart. Forget anti-depressive we got anti-inclusive! So much more interesting and entertaining.. and at times even offensive!
Line in the sand. Quit at 36.
I won my first competition and gained a full page secquence in a surf mag at 35. Peaked.
From 25-35 was the effortless golden era, reaping the knowledge of my grom years into solid surfing and set waves.
After that it’s just been a painful and embarrassing decline into lateral lines, 10 extra litres on my shortboard, speed runs on a”fun” longboard and man boob action in the car park.
Make way for the youth and help ease the pressure on the line up’s you old bastards….
Negs just do pushups in carpark before take wettie off champ
I’m just here waiting for Slates to photo shop his face on Arnold Palmer.