Sliding and gliding.
The great Derek Hynd is, objectively, a legend, our Surfads recently writing, “(He) has worn so many hats over the last five decades it can be hard to keep up. Competitor. Writer. Coach. Contest director. Administrator. Free friction advocate. He is a field of constant motion. A spinning maelstrom of progression.”
Ah free friction advocate and the best to ever slide sans skegs?
I think the argument both could be, and has been, made.
Hynd, or more broadly finless surfing, came up on this week’s Grit! podcast. David Lee Scales was sitting in his Orange County home. I was sitting at a bar on mainland Mexico. And we were discussing Jack Coleman surfing finless when I became angry with finless surfing altogether, raging about it being an abomination and whatnot, until recalling Danny Kim.
Do you remember Danny Kim?
The boogier who would stand up and get barreled on his BZ wearing A.P.E.’s sponsored by Op?
Man, he was effortlessly cool.
If you could trade all your shortboard talents in and be a serviceable standup boogier would you do it? I would and in a second.
Lookin’ all sick.
David Lee and I also discussed many other things though I think I called the American flag “boring” which may trigger some this Fourth of July weekend. Oh yeah, I also said if New Jersey’s Ben Gravy swapped places with Duke Kahanamoku and was surfing’s ambassador then our favorite pastime would rank the same as hacky sack today.
David Lee said it would be the same as snakeboarding.
If sensitive, don’t listen.