We get no respect.
We lifelong lower-to-middle intermediates, we surfers know the immense joy but also frustration of our “sport of kings.” Nailing a pop up that don’t automatically guaranteed a poor line straight away, for example, or a bottom turn that doesn’t drain forward momentum. Getting the knees properly bent, shoulders open on a wrap-around carve already filled with hitches. Racing too far out front. Getting gobbled for being too slow.
Etc.
Surfing doesn’t generally feel easy but, apparently, it is.
For ESPN, the “worldwide leader in sports,” has just released its definitive list of “sport ranked by degree of difficulty” and where do you think our watery dance lands?
Third after Brazilian jiu-jitsu?
Fifth after Australian Rules Football?
Nope.
23rd between racquetball/squash (harder) and fencing (easier).
Ouch.
The number one game, in terms of challenge, is boxing followed by ice hockey and football (American). The simplest, badminton.
How do you feel about that?
I, for one, am happy that it made the list to begin with and those thinking they might like to try the water dance should, instead, opt for bobsledding/luge which is easier and, I’d imagine, more fulfilling.
But, quickly, when was the last time you played racquetball? I haven’t thought about it for a while, but a few years ago my very best friends toyed with making it our thing. In retrospect, I wish we would have. It’s a good time.
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If I was playing tennis daily to weekly for the last 40 years, I can guarantee I’d be a better tennis player than I am a surfer.
I HATE WRAP & DJ’s ANd DISCO…BuRN “EM DOWN then let e’m go~San Francisco/
Soccer and Alpine Skiing are harder than surfing? Reading that really hurt my feelings. So I had AI write me a poem about a love of surfing. Turns out AI loves surfing too.
The ocean roars, a symphony of might,
Salt spray kisses skin, a salty delight.
Sun-kissed board beneath my waiting feet,
Anticipation builds, a rhythm bittersweet.
Paddle out, where waves like giants rise,
Green monsters curling, reaching for the skies.
Adrenaline surges, a thrill that takes hold,
As I wait for the perfect line, a story untold.
The swell approaches, a turquoise wall,
Heart pounds a drumbeat, ready for the call.
Pop up, a moment frozen in time,
Riding the crest, a feeling sublime.
Carving turns, dancing with the foam,
One with the water, where I belong at home.
The wind whispers secrets, the sun paints the sky,
In this ocean embrace, worries all fly.
Crash and tumble, a laugh and a grin,
Another wave beckons, the dance begins again.
From sunrise to sunset, the ocean’s my stage,
This love for surfing, forever I engage.
No trophies, no medals, just pure joy untold,
A connection with nature, more precious than gold.
So let the waves crash, and the sunbeams ignite,
This surfer’s spirit, forever takes flight.
head the ship more or less than 1 degree, Scotty. then suck me~
Marriage beats them all quite easily.
Badminton got dissed beyond recognition.
American football’s days are numbered – that’s a good thing.
When the 22-year-old ESPN interns who wrote this drivel only know of surfing from their fraternity brother summer rental house, cruising with ease on a Wavestorm on knee-high waves in July at the Jersey Shore, of course surfing gets dissed too.
Badminton got screwed.
Really obscure here what level of competence they are talking about. Playing basketball badly is incredibly easy, although tiring. Ditto boxing. Surfing very badly is also pretty easy.
What sets surfing apart is the huge amount of time and effort required to get to an intermediate level, and the seemingly impossible learning curve from there to becoming an expert. If you shoot enough free throws you’re going to start hitting about half of them, but with surfing it’s so hard just to get in the right kinds of reps
The misconception of where intermediate surfing begins is one of the problems. Other sports have statistical delineation. In surfing calling yourself intermediate is a flex after learning how to go down the line.
Where do you sit on the Surf Journo surfing level scale? More Nick Carroll than Charlie Smith?
had your chance, doubled down to bigger dick
“Lower intermediate” has a real real low floor.
Turning isn’t for everyone. I’ve certainly grown out of it myself
Dick move Wade, Chas saved surfing, Most of us surf like him.
Once upon a time I truly did not.. We hate on Sam George but he can surf, Nick Carroll oh! He can surf, our once upon a time very own MC he can surf too. Longtom almost as well as MC. Ben Marcus I think he can.. Louis Samuels yes sir, Derek Hynd oh that cunt gets it done, Warshaw Yes Sir, Scott Bass vey well. It use to be a prerequisite, to get a job in surf you had to surf well. It ain’t now and part the problem. By the way I wan’t my shaper to surf well too..
ok, but im more concerned with a writer’s writing skills
I stopped caring about that some time ago. I use to gripe about the surf non journalism thing a lot before sometime ago. Almost feel like Chas is better to watch than read these days. As far as Dez just so afraid of being to critical he may try to choke me all the while his breath reeks of ass and tranny balls..
you surf tomorrow…at what time?
I had a rumble in my tummy, missed it..
work first, surf last.
the decline of sports: horseshoes>pickleball>cornholing>frisbee golf>beer pong…fun when drunk or high. PS: ditto dat and try luging on shrooms…
outlaw bike lanes
bump one biker and they fall like dominoes.
I just wanted to inform you that I have recently nominated Dane’s sushi & salsa_sauza as Beachgrit’s “Commenter of the Year”. Your prodigious daily output along with your insightful and esoteric musings have simply been unsurpassed by anyone here. You, sir, are the clear winner. Anyone that can tickle Negatron’s butt hairs and flare his hemorrhoids on a daily basis is surely deserving of this prestigious honor. Bravo.
Eugene & Dane, LLP’s practice law everyday…so you tech’s don’t have to…honorable mentions include Echo & The Bunnymen, Mike Jackson and whatever quarters to knucklehead toss into the hat, er sombrero
did I mention Hallmark Cards…in retrospect…for the kid’s?
see boatanic garden above to CHazz Michele’ Vincent…Heartbreak Kid…need a lead wife…
If my over run local point is anything to go by, surfing is easy. All you have to do is pop up and stand there as you take it all the way to the beach doing absolutely fuck all.
All fuck over here..
ESPN’s ranking of surfing compared to other sports is about as significant as yesterday’s mouse droppings… maybe even less so.
If you were to add “learnability” to that list of parameters surfing, pole vault, all things skiing, steer wrestling, fencing, figure skating would rocket to the top. Used to pole vault in HS and it was far from easy to learn. Takes about a year before you can even attempt to actually execute a vault.
Gonna have to disagree on fencing. I have a buddy who is a contractor who could teach you how to build a fence in an afternoon
Except the guys who make the 🎾 can afford to eat, surfboard builders not so much.
To be fair, it must be hard for racquetball players to always play with blue balls.
To be fair, this article appears to suck balls on the commenter scale with a dismal 13 comments. Chuck and Dez been on a downhill streak logging 13, 19, 43, 18, 31 comments lately on articles that aren’t open threads or about Ke11y. That’s a pretty ugly summary and half those comments are probably indecipherable comments from DSS.
Just need Otto to mention Trump and you and him can bring the tally up to the hundreds.
https://x.com/Twitermytweet…
Unlike the WSL, beachgrit knows what their followers want. I was greeted with 2 Trump articles this morning and the comments are coming in hot.
We are still working on it brahbara
What the fuck you on about newbie?
Newbie lol
Wait, building and/or installing fences is a sport?
I thought they were refering to selling stolen goods…
A young fencer from Arizona wins a contract to fence a wavepool off in Leemore. Excells. Flys to Maui to prove his worth to Oprah?
Staring Billy Mckinley VI, as Chandler.
And when Lahaina burns down, the fencer realizes that working for Oprah was a hollow and unfulfilling endeavor. Instead, said fencer rebuilds all the commercial and residential fences in Lahaina, starting with the fence around the historic banyan tree.
That has feel good academy award written all over it.
WSL: Re-planting the Banyon tree. Next stop lisbon…
I took racquetball as an elective one semester in community college. Good fun. Toyed with making it ” a thing” as well…that was some 25 years ago.
Alan Weisbecker (RIP) approaching Sean about a movie deal:
Sean Penn hates my sorry ass. I mean actively so.
An example: In early 2012 Penn went out of his way to kill a deal I
had brewing with HBO; a deal that arguably would have made me ‘rich and
famous.’ I was to write a pilot based on Can’t You Get Along With Anyone? A Writer’s Memoir and a Tale of a Lost Surfer’s Paradise. Listen: I know this would have been a hit. Eventually I’ll try to get into why I think that, but for now…
When Penn found out about this, my impending HBO deal…
…I’d bet a valued possession that steam was arising from the crown area of our golden boy’s skull…
Take your pick and you get the same asshole.
See if this sounds familiar:
‘I encourage you to stay [in Central America] until something that resembles death.’