Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
Aren’t we all, here, #blessed to have learned to surf as small little children and/or gangly pre-teens? Yes, and we bathe in that warmth daily with stories of vulnerable adult learners who become inspired by the water dance later in life and, therefore, must learn an entire language non-natively.
I would imagine some adults are less vulnerable than others, though, and might even have so much natural skill as to not need that small childhood/gangly pre-teen experience.
Some adults like legendary professional skateboarders but, as it turns out, they are not immune to the pain, the torture.
In a recent Jenkem magazine piece, 90s skateboard legends shared their experience learning the Pastime of Kings. It is long and thorough, definitely worth a full read, but shall we sample one sentiment from each?
Chico Brenes: Sometimes I kick myself for not starting surfing sooner. But I never imagined that I would be that dude getting up at dawn because I knew the waves were gonna be good at that time. When we were young we got up at noon to skate EMB and stayed up late every night. Never in a million years did I think I’d become that guy.
Elissa Steamer: I went with my friend Lucas and got a wetsuit and paddled out that day and I got a sweet belly ride. And that’s when I got hooked. I was like, “I’m gonna do this.” I thought, “In no time I’ll be ripping.” But that’s not the case. It’s been 12 years and I still don’t rip.
Max Schaaf: I’ve stopped caring what people think and I’m on my own deal. There’s some clip that people keep sending me of a dude doing like a finger flip on a surfboard. It’s so wrong. There’s no soul in it. I think with surfing, this sounds so cheesy but there’s a soul to it. I think the rules come from a place of taste and time spent doing it.
Rob Welsh: I have a hard time sitting back and letting the wave do its thing. I feel like I need to go somewhere. I’m trying to pump it or something to get speed, tick-tack, or whatever. And you’re only riding for two seconds sometimes.
Beautiful, especially the bit about finger flipping surfboards.
No?
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These guys are kooks, I haven’t read the story, I’m just assuming
but it’s so fun! get in a bowl and just get your line going!
I doubt that skating is harder than surfing , but , it definitely hurts more , having skated on a daily basis from age 6 to 12 , sick of bashing my head on the concrete and have never gone near one ever since !
Fuk yeah Gleaming The Cube was all time..
In other news Tony Hawk, skatings very own Kelly Slater has wokenly renamed the mute grab as the Weddle grab after the unfortunatley deaf but not speechless dude who first threw it down..
seriously fuk off already Birdman
Tony hawk is skatings kelly slater!!! Especially realised this After watching “all this mayhem” full blown spoilt glory stealing nerd boy.
How good are/were the Pappas brothers.
Unbelievably good. How was that movie part they filmed completely off chops on acid and it was some of the best very skating seen. Thought that docco was brilliant. gut wrenching.
I think it’s fine. You are thinking too hard about it.
~ old skater.
I have never been accused of thinking too hard about anything mate, just think that Hawks a pretty good blueprint to how KS will eventualy swap any credibility he once had for attention..
Why don’t people learn to skate as adults. Why the fuck are they surfing? Fuck surfing
Because surfing is easy and skating is hard. They don’t make soft top skateboards. Weeds out the pussies real quick.
After all these wake surf rinks are built, surfing will be as cool as figure skating….
What really horrified me upon my move to Aus, was the amount of adults at skateparks who rollerskate, in a serious manner. Like, not even fruitbooting, but full old school roller skating.
If there is any more stupid wheeled thing than the way roller skaters spread their feet on half pipes, I don’t want to know.
Sorry for the negativity.
Haaa! VAL’s look stupid but they aren’t deterred. How do we deter!
So that wasn’t you , the stunt double for Olivia Newton John in Xanadu’s roller skating scene …… I feel so deflated .
Yes ….or golf , lawn bowls , cards , pétanque, ten pin bowling or the old coasteering .
Love it or hate it, that finger-flip is one of the few actually progressive things done on a surfboard in the last few years (with the exception of some of Albee and Meola’s stuff). I personally wasn’t a big fan, but it was more progressive than the tail slides and air reverses that still get labeled as progressive on every WSL broadcast.
It’s impressive, but it’s not good is it.
By that metric anyone put their fins in the CORRECT way is a progressive genius.
They set the bar really low
“I think the rules come from a place of taste and time spent doing it.”
That might be the best summary of how surfing works I have ever read.
Chas check out Florence marine x. The x is for exploration in case you were wondering
I just saw!
You heartless bastards beat me to it!
What you can’t see, Chas, is that Slater™️ approves and offered his congratulations.
Like any good parent, of course.
Catchy.
Imagine interviewing skateboarders about surfing and reading so much more cogent, fascinating replies?
Maybe you guys are digging the wrong ores hoping that a surfer can provide interest to a podcast? Maybe you should ask other balance athletes questions about surfing instead? Couldn’t be worse, you just might develop some interest in your poddy’s?
I’m interested in the finger flipping and if that can be used in strategic places. Maybe I should have gotten into skating instead of surfing.
SkateGrit?
new pod is called Grit Tape …. Ill be here all night.
Can’t believe Lodge Grit didn”t take off…
I wish
I would hope that Zoltan Torkos has been impaled on his fins by now.
I thought his three bong rips on one wave was way more impressive than his kickflip
Didn’t see that. Perhaps I’ve misjudged the man.
It really didn’t get the attention it deserved. There’s a lot of progression in the maneuver.
https://www.youtube.com/wat…
I take it back. That was fucking piss weak.
And fortunately would never happen in either of our Countries.
No, here cunts would actually inhale.
he’s the perfect team rider for florence marine x
What if it was actually meth!?