WSL-esque.
Extreme sports, or X-Games, have been around for the better part of 30 years now and what a run we’ve all had, no? Surfing is, of course, included alongside skateboarding and snowboarding as the grandaddies of them all, each multi-million dollar industries today, but can you remember a time when the three were seen as signs derelict behavior? As the pastimes of bums and ne’er-do-wells?
Well, times have changed though inspiration drawn from prom the bum and ne’er-do-well lifestyle has metastasized into the dangerous and un-chill.
Take standup paddleboarding, for one, or subway surfing, for two.
The latter, where thrill seekers ride on top of trains, is currently seeing a WSL-esque numbers surge in New York City where authorities are declaring participation is up 560% this year compared to last.
According to the New York Post:
Speaking to MTA board members on Monday, NYPD Transit Chief Jason Wilcox attributed the dramatic surge in reckless behavior “somewhat” to social media.
“We have seen recent incidents of persons, mostly very young, riding on the top of or on the back of train cars. This is incredibly dangerous,” Wilcox said. “There [is] nothing fun or funny about this type of activity and we will continue to work towards deterring it.”
MTA number-crunchers recorded 449 “subway surfing” incidents between January and May of this year. The same period last year saw 68 incidents and 97 in 2020, officials said.
“I would implore anyone who is watching this, to tell your friends, to tell your kids: Do not do this,” NYC Transit President Richard Davey said during Monday’s committee meeting. “Please, please, please, do something else with your time. You’re not only going to potentially injure yourself as this poor young man did, you are delaying trains and you’re putting yourself in harm’s way.”
Knock it off, kids.
But also, which of our championship tour professionals would make it furthest in the World Subway Surf League?
Filipe Toledo?
Italo Ferreira?
Gabriel Medina?
Like the Oi Rio Pro, would any non-Brazilian crack the top ten?
WSL CEO Erik Logan has to be looking at 560% growth and rubbing his chin.
No?
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seen the movie The Counselor?…drug mafia/cartel lays cable across highway (carefully height measured) to take out the motorcyclist slightly below the helmet and above the collar…helmet rolls. but that’s nothin compared to Javier Bardon describing Cam Diaz’s character spread eagle on the windshield of his exotic car…something akin to a slow moving snail…leaving a trail…oi corona!
only when there’s blood…on the tracks, subways, back alleys, and on PM’s Wall Street…but hey! theater movies are making a come-back. let’s get back to normal and watch old surf movies…and enjoy the bloodless wipe-out reels…
Darwin remains undefeated.
Glad to say I survived my youth and hopefully middle age will treat me fairly…
This isn’t new or impressive(ok, maybe a little)! Less than 2 years before I took my degenerate, recently clean cut self to Wall Street in the early 90s I van surfed down the Vegas strip at 4am while loaded on shrooms, tequila and of course cocaine to balance the others out. NY is full of depraved, adrenaline junkies and some are even athletic just as they were 30 years ago…
viva o la vido loco?
I just googled “running a train” and my work computer flashed loads of warning lights and sirens and I think I’m in trouble now. The images were interesting.
Shouldn’t they be blaming video games?!??!??!
Especially that mobile phone game called…. “Subway Surfer”!!??!
We must learn to hold ourselves accountable as my boss, aka my wife of 31 yrs, knows we are the weaker gender and IF there is a camera or a good story to create we will do it. As I posted above this isn’t that new, but I appreciate the expanding number of participants as we need this coming out of covid
Goddam!
google ‘surfe ferroviario’…
Instead of anglo’s being angry at the suspicious semi final matchups, maybe we should watch the contest and realize that their country is one shitty beach break after another and feel blessed that we have point breaks and fit women?
Raise your hand if today’s footage makes you want to go to Brazil?
(crickets)……
Clearly heaven is in the same time zone as Brazil and god has been able to watch many heats during this comp
NY subway is fertile surf territory. Style Wars is the greatest surf documentary ever made.
North Break FTW.
It’s a hill that I’m prepared to die on.
Here’s a shot from the 27th heat in the round of 8192 at last week’s northern India regional train-surf trials in Uttar Pradesh.
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
Those New Yorkers better get training if they’re gonna make it in the bigtime Indian train-surf leagues…
Why wasn’t I invited to this event? Heads must roll!
Tom Cruise fan club: The Mavericks
Ah just up and i see all riots averted with 4 Brazzos in semis
Can script this!!!
I would like to encourage Chris Cote to pursue this activity.
He should take up base jumping. Without a parachute.