Through the lens of a skater, they are hideous.
(Editor’s note: This story, by the Lisbon-based writer Sam Einstein, interests me because it demonstrates the perennial war between surfers who can skate, and those who don’t. Sam skates. Sam surfs. And while the tweaked slob straight airs of Noa Deane and Dane Reynolds render me breathless, Sam thinks they’re hideous. He reasons his case below.)
Airs. One day they are cool, the next they’re not. One contest everyone’s jealously sandbagging Brazilians for doing too many airs while getting a Pottz-sized hard on for (insert lighter skinned surfer)’s rail game.
The next, everyone praises Slater for aerially emasculating Jack Freestone.
“Too many reverses.”
“Not enough power surfing.”
“We need more progression.”
There was always something rather homoerotic about passionately preferring a big, strong man’s powerful, yet beautiful, aggressive, yet stylish, spray-sending rail game. I don’t know where I was going with that.
But airs and style do mix. Growing up skating vert, doing airs was the whole point. Rotations were easily distinguishable (Slater’s air was a 720 dammit) and there were clear style no-nos in regards to grabs. Things are not so simple in surfing, to the bewilderment of any other board sport patron.
Since surfing has bitten skating’s style since the early air days of the 80’s, let’s peer through its lens and examine 2015/16’s en vogue move: the tweaked slob straight air. From Dane Reynolds to Noa Deane and every ‘aerialist’ in between, this move has been making the rounds ensuring useable clips. Through the lens of a skater, they are hideous.
While I am relishing the fact that no-grab straight airs are kinda cool again (it’s all I got), the fact that between the legs stinkbug grabs are the shit in surfing is beyond me.
Call to action: grab over your front knee!
While I am undoubtedly coming across as a keyboard warrior, I am writing this as a Public Service Announcement. A proper, tuck-knee slob grab (or tuck-knee front side grab for that matter) will not only look infinitely better, but will separate you from the stinkbuggy herd.
Be the stylish slob you were born to be!
its the natural grab when you’re trying not to open that front shoulder and spin a Felipe twirl, but you can also no-grab a straight air. Bruce does the best frontside airs still.
One or two “cool” surfers starts doing some shit that would have previously laughed at (Noa Deane and front traction), and all the sudden it’s the thing to do. Posers
I prefer just to grab my actual knee when I slob shit up. I thought tjats why they invented knee grips on wetsuits no??
anyone ever seen noa or dane go around the knee? who’s going around the knee?
Brendon Gibbens
chippa and ando
Every grab should go around the knee! Ive been skating for over 20 years this article is dead on point with that scene. Everyone that stinkbugs looks like garbage!
least we put those double grabs to bed after Jordy’s superman
I was worried at first, thinking you were calling out all slob airs. Whew. But, AGREE.
I did an air once back in ’89. Just sayin
Yes!
Sam: I don’t back your hustle, but I back this article.