Sworn enemies coming together?

There was a time in our surf history, and not long ago, that high school jocks and high school surfers were the swornest of enemies. Jocks representing “the man,” surfers representing rebellion against him. The two groups would meet in parking lots, late at night, and pepper each other with insults like “meathead” or “drop-out.” Sometimes these gatherings would take a violent turn, a jock, say, stomping the the bare toes of a surfer, and whole towns would become terrified of what revenge might take place. A surfer, say, spray painting the word “fashist” on a jock’s pickup truck.

Well, it’s a new day and while the rest of the world pitches further and further into polarization, the proud State of Hawaii is set to vote on unity this wednesday, marrying jocks and surfers.

House Bill 133, authored by House Majority Leader and North Shore Rep. Sean Quinlan, will be brought to the Honolulu statehouse floor to be voted upon by the 51 other representatives. If approved, it will provide $685,000 for each of the next two years thus officially establishing surfing as a high school sport.

Recent graduate Sunny Kazama testified last week on the Senate floor and told Hawaii News Now, “I see the money going toward coach salaries, equipment, any logistics they have to work out, and then any costs with officially making it part of the ILH or OIA. That’s where I see the funds going and I’m really excited to see it happen.”

Quinlan shared, “There were a lot of concerns about injury rates. We know from Maui (where surfing is played in high school) that the injury rates are negligible. There’s a lot of concern about the cost of insurance. The cost of insurance is very low. Surfing is an extremely safe sport when done properly.”

He added, “When you look at sort of the broader landscape of the WSL (World Surf League) and professional surfing, we want to give our homegrown talent every single opportunity they can to compete and thrive on that worldwide stage.”

If approved, Hawaii’s Governor Josh Green will sign the bill into law and the marriage will be consummated.

Are you pro unification or do you prefer enmity?

"It was one of the days where you think you might not go out but I had the music in my head..."

Very famous singer/songwriter Eddie Vedder and his affection for the surfing life are already well and truly known. The baritone is close friends with Kelly Slater, barrelled at his Surf Ranch and even attended the Eddie Aikau opening ceremony. Legendary lensman Steve Sherman was there, in 2006, to capture the moment and shared with Surfer Magazine:

To everyone’s surprise, Kelly cruises to the event with Eddie borrowing one of his guns to paddle out for the ceremony. It was quite a moment. I’m on the beach shooting as all the invitees walk into the water when Kelly and Eddie stroll up getting ready to paddle out, just then Taylor Knox walks up to Eddie and surprises him! Taylor and Kelly are super good friends with Ed, so this is a great moment.

Later that night Pearl Jam played a small gig for 200 people up in the valley at the park while security roamed the bushes all around keeping people from sneaking in , it was like seeing Pearl Jam at a high school dance. They rocked the joint with Kelly sitting in on the last couple songs. Kelly had just won his eighth world title and they presented him with a guitar with the number eight painted on it. It was a musical night the North Shore won’t forget.

Entirely wonderful though did you know Vedder did not hail from the Pacific Northwest and instead came to Pearl Jam via a surf-inspired song?

The rugged 60-year-old sat down with CBS Sunday Morning, not terribly long ago, and shared his origin story, doing midnight shifts as a San Diego security guard, going for a foggy surf, becoming inspired whilst floating in the brine, running home, pressing record et voila.

History made.

But where does Pearl Jam rank on your favorite grunge-era bands of all time?

Please don’t forget to include Melvins.

Isabella Nichols delivers a fairytale ending.

One of the most gut-wrenching stories of this month was certainly the tale of Australia’s Isabella Nichols missing her twin sister’s wedding. The 27-year-old Australian was in El Salvador, you see, but not why you might think (locked into a mega prison after overstaying a US tourist visa by 30 minutes). No, the former World Junior Champion was in the country competing in the longest surf contest in history, one that dragged out over a grueling nine days.

Nichols attempted to put a brave face on the familial devastation after coming in 2nd, declaring, “I love coming back here (to El Salvador). The people are amazing, and the waves are beautiful. It’s just an incredible part of the world, and I just have so many people to thank. Especially my family for understanding that this is part of the job, and I was there (at the wedding) in spirit. As athletes and anyone really working on the road, there’s sacrifices that you have to make. This one was probably the biggest sacrifice I’ve had to make. My parents, my sister, George, and everyone at home, I just wanted to say I hope you have the most wonderful day today. I’m dedicating this one to you, Helena.”

Well, what do you gift a broken-hearted twin sister after missing one of the biggest days of her life? Apparently a 63-year-old bell inside a mid-sized wooden box with no walls. Nichols went straight from the longest surf contest in history to the longest running surf contest in history, the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, and proceeded to stomp countrywoman Molly Picklum then Brazil’s Luana Silva on route to a stunning victory.

“The process for this win has honestly been a 15-year process,” Nichols stated afterward. “I’ve been coming here since I was 15 years old. All the trips down here, three times a year to come down and work on my technique and it’s all paid off. To have a bell, honestly this does not feel real. I’m speechless.”

Oh shoot. Maybe she isn’t gifting it to her twin. It sounds like she’s just straight up keeping it. Possibly doesn’t match the marital home’s decor?

In any case, Nichols is now number four in the world after nearly giving up professional surfing altogether.

A fairytale run.