The "is surfing a sport?" debate laid to rest forever!
The sun set at its normal time last night and Michael Ciaramella came over to examine a bee colony currently infecting the roof of my home’s guest unit. I had noticed the bees a few weeks ago, maybe a month, flying in through a vent. Worldwide bee die-off is a serious problem, I think, so was happy to host the bees at first but then they spilled outside the roof and it is time for them to move.
Michael told me it, is in fact, past time. That the bees’ honey will drip down the walls and cause lasting damage. I entertained just giving them the whole guest unit but living next to the world’s largest hive could prove problematic.
After he left I poured another drink and scrolled through Instagram, stopping on a picture of Julian Wilson threading a very fine barrel at Cloudbreak that was shot earlier that day. I then went over to Julian’s own Instagram feed and saw that he had been home just one week ago.
And it was either the bee infestation or the other drink but it really struck me how hopelessly diseased we all our. Very infected with surfing. Julian Wilson had been on Tavarua through the final day of competition at Cloudbreak two weeks ago, having made it all the way to the quarterfinals. He then flew home and then flew back to surf some more and just because. Not for points or for glory or fame or any other reason, as far as I can tell, than just because.
The NBA season ended a few weeks ago as well and what if LeBron James, say, went straight to New York and played all day in pick-up basketball games? What if Russell Westbrook flew straight to France so he could play on some new courts?
Sure, all next level athletes train in their offseasons but Julian Wilson isn’t training for J-Bay by going back to Cloudbreak. He was, I think, compelled by a good swell and the never satiated desire for barrel.
I think this addiction that all surfers share, to some extent or another, is precisely why surfing isn’t a sport. Why it is nearer the opioid crisis than any other professional league. But what do you think?
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True, but I’d still like to sit on the panel of judges!
Not sure Julian made it back from Cloudy after the contest. (Saying this as his semi-professional stalker and postman). Haven’t seen too many signs of life around his hive until yesterday, when there was a board bag and some warm water surf gear hanging out to dry on the fence. It’s been a warm winter here, but I think he would have been contractually obliged to be wearing some rubber.
My 2 cents worth: he’s on a year long honeymoon with Ashley, the gorgeous new Mrs. Wilson, and stayed for fun in the sun. Rather than chasing swells, he just lucked in. Still hopelessly addicted though.
i would argue that any activity that requires a set of judges to determine the victor is just not a spectacle (though entertaining to watch) that should be deemed/treated as competitive in the first instance. like, nobody needs to win when you go see the ballet. skateboarding does fine with no winners at all.
I wonder what porn stars do on their days off? Can’t imagine…
Bleach their arseholes
Well that accounts for 10 minutes…
Professional surfers are the only ones who enjoy their holidays surfing I guess…
How to de-stress a professional surfer? yes… the answer is surfing
Maybe just climbers and sailors have also this hookness levels
Anything that involved judges is subjective and therefore not a sport.
Any sport that is subjective requires judges.
Shouldn’t you let the bees be what they wanna bee, do what they wanna do?
Truth be told I was out of mixer and don’t take Mike for a vodka neat kind of man. It took me a good two decades to get here.
Life Hack: Out of Mixer for your vodka? Try Laird super spunk creamer! There’s a little bit of Laird in every sip!
Brilliant.
is that a microaggression agin our Mikey?
Whoa, watch it there, that comment may be microagressive. Are you implying MC can’t handle full size aggression?
Chas implying Mikey is a lightweight. Even though he just cleaned out a swarm of bees.
Rick James know whats up…. bitch.
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
Motorbikes fall into this category to. Ever ridden a dirt bike? That shit is more addictive than crack. People who naturally crave a little adrenaline are always more affected, far more than say those kids that are pushed into it.
As for other sports? My son plays soccer and is training constantly, always playing. Never took to surfing.
And finally, pretty sure Slater did fuck all surfing after the Cloud break comp.
To be fair though, Kelly used to be much more of an addict in his younger years. These days he appears to have more going on outside of a contest jersey than just about the entire rest of the tour combined.
mountain biking and snowboarding the same. I gave up beach living for mountains and the odd surf trip. mtb is great because its one of the only things that I do that isn’t 100% tied to weather…
The drinking age is 21 in CA. Chas was being responsible.
It’s no more a sport than masturbation, I’m paraphrasing some surf sage here, can’t remember who!
This hand-me-down concept of what surfing is or should be that surfers have been conditioned into thinking has gotten so tired. The surfers ego gets its feelings hurt if society misreads our culture as sport instead of art. Why?
its neither, just an activity
Sport – an activity involving physical exertion and skill
Art – the expression or application of human skill and imagination, typically in a visual form.
Surfing
The surfers ego gets its feelings hurt just walking out the door, as far as I can tell
The amount of competitive surfers are like the 1%ers in America. If most people who practice a past time don’t compete, then I’d have to say it’s a hobby, a form of exercise,a much needed dose of endorphins and humbling beat downs. Competitive surfing seems like a sport, but a dreadfully boring one for even the most well versed. It’s a coin toss Chas. What would be to without the WSL? I don’t know if I could personally continue my existence without #Tournotes
I think that you’ve probably never played a sport.
How so?
Endurance athletes make surfers look totally sane and chill.
They’re mad about ultra-ultra whatevers around here. They make us misfits look almost well-adjusted.
stickers on their car with numbers in multiples of 26.2
I never understood the people rocking the 13.1.
shit, I won’t fuck with 6.55
My sticker says .262 , I was being chased by a neighbors’ dog but I feel that it’s an accomplishment.
Oh! We don’t get that around here.
We get stuck on the Sunday surf trip when the coastal road for 50 clicks in either direction has been blocked so that numbered maniacs can cycle/run/swim/hobble in a giant loop for several hours.
It’s okay but I’d probably prefer just seeing the sticker.
nightmare. my city has a marathon, worst day of the year
Triathlons are big on the Sunshine Coast because of it being a training centre for a lot of the clowns between comps. The Noosa one is a nightmare but, with a bit of sneaky manoeuvring, and effort/legwork, you can get in to the beach when most surfers can’t be arsed. Have occasionally scored some nice waves without the usual epidemic hordes.
silver linings
Fucken lead/asbestos linings. Means every weekend the roads are cluttered with wannabes on $10 000 bikes and fat controlling Lycra.
Oh for sure and I suppose they do wild endurance things even when not competing. Are surfers and endurance athletes sisters?
Kinda? I mean, we all share the compulsion to rearrange our lives to do the thing. And we’re all chasing some kind of weird feeling that’s impossible to explain to anyone without sounding like a bunch of wackjobs.
But endurance people are… on another level. I find surf people positively relaxing in comparison. The gravity scene in mountain biking has a similar vibe to surfing, maybe.
Also, I spent a lot of years in interval land. I’m not sure that was a good life choice really.
what is interval land Jen?
I feel I should know but I have no idea.
Just me making up words — you are not the dumby here.
Ex-competitive swimmer, so lots of interval workouts — timed repeats, basically. And a lot of weird obsessing about like, everything.
Former absolutely unaccomplished NCAA wrestler here. Surfers share the shitty cornfield conservatism 9/10 times, but are otherwise more relaxed than most Olympic sport athletes. But high level anything requires high level focus and obsession.
..don’t get on a rowing machine then. Way too many ways to measure your failure to achieve goals.
oh man, yeah, i stay away from meters and monitors and such on the whole. too much mindfuckery there!
sounds hot
Does masturbating between set waves qualify a surfer as an endurance athlete?
That has not worked out well for me.
More like verbal masturbating…”You see that last wave bros? I went ‘pshawwww’ and the lips just crumbled, then I raced through the inside and went ‘rawwwwrr’ on the inside section and the entire wave disappeared. I almost went in but my photo guy wanted more so i paddled back out”.
You think tennis players don’t play every day? Golfers? Runners? Baseball players? High-level athletes get to be high-level athletes precisely because they’re “addicted.” Surfers are unique only in thinking they’re unique.
Yeah, I have that kind of brain. It doesn’t matter what sport I do, it’s like hello, here we are.
Baseball players aren’t even doing anything DURING a baseball game.
first you bash Coors and now baseball? what’s next, you coming after fly fishing? and here I thought we were becoming internet friends.
fly fishermen are ten times more hard core than surfers.
agreed.
This fly fishing video from Russia involves lots of guns, chainsaws, vodka shots for breakfast and big fish.
http://www.orvis.com/news/f…
My old man would get misty around the peepers hearing that Longtom. He’s never surfed but boy can my old man fish!
Don’t worry, fly fishing is great. Friends again?
Let’s get some Coors at a minor league baseball game. You will come away a fan of both.
Baseball games are tolerable because I love shitty food. And I will just about any beverage with a trace of alcohol in it. So, it’s a date!
No way and see my example of LeBron. Also, Federer, etc. train when they’re not playing, sure, but they don’t go and play full 5 game sets.
This is why I think you’ve never played a sport.
You crazy TomHouse! What do you think LeBron James is doing right now? Playing 5 on 5?
probably, in a way, he is.
also, what is this 5 game set you speak of?
Ummmm in absolutely every way he is NOT.
Ditto. Guarantee that top pros at “sports” watch as many hours of film per day as they sleep. Cousin is a former soccer pro in South America and Europe, played into his thirties, saw a sport psychologist daily for the last 7 or 8 years of his career.
Just like dudes trying to get next level barreled or aired the fuck out, it’s always on the mind.
ever seen footage of kevin durant playing at the rucker in the summer? james harden plays here in la in the drew league. nba players get a “love of the game” clause in their contracts so teams can’t even fine them if they get hurt playing in amateur leagues.
https://www.youtube.com/wat…
Love the praise! I’m probably not the best surfer on this site. Their was a time before a wicked knee injury I could handle any of you in round ball.. This brought me to tears..
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All hail KG!
A few years ago, I did some volunteer driving for a tennis tournament. (Got to fang around in a supercharged V8 Landrover for a week, win!) After doing a few airport pickups, I was at the beck and call of Marcos Baghdatis for the tourney proper. He saw the training purely as a job to be endured for the income from sponsorship. He knew he wasn’t going to win too many more majors, but was motivated by the cash to put towards his sports foundation in Cyprus to give gifted kids the opportunity to achieve what he had without making the same sacrifices he had to.
These include, but are not limited to. Leaving home at 12 years old to live in the US for the top level coaching. Not spending a xmas at home since then due to training commitments for the upcoming season. Constantly injured ankles/knees/wrists/elbows to the point where a full time physio is part of his team. When eliminated from tournaments, having to fulfill sponsorial contracts to ‘perform’ as a coach for wealthy wannabes. Having a girlfriend on the tour who he only got to see at the majors, because most of the tour is separate.
I don’t reckon Andre Agassi is the only ex-pro to throw away his racquets. Can’t imagine any ex-pro surfer not sneaking out for a session when the local is 3′ and glassy…
Hey, if you are really “Julian’s Postie” – where’s the letterbox in that photo?
It’s not his house. (It could be his mum and dads place, but I’d have to cruise past to be sure and their place isn’t on my run). Not the car he drives now either. He has a wagon, but it ain’t that one.
And don’t ask me to reveal where his house is. Postman/client confidentiality is a thing.