Rediscover the stoke!!I have been surfing 20 years and I lost interest and lost the stoke the last 5-6 years.
I got into kiting instead and loved the camaraderie and excitement again of being into something that few understood with only a small group of people, walking round all day with smiles on our dials, like we are on drugs and had our hand in the cookie jar! Now kiting unfortunately is becoming a bit like surfing did over the last 10 years, the agro/agressive, competitive side has entered the sport as people compete for space and attention (Not in Tassie fortunately, but when i go on holidays definately!) and surfing even in Tassie has got this way now too. The stoke of surfing a new wave or with some people you never met before and having a ball has all gone and its like WHO ARE YOU! The stare etc. You know what I mean, crowded and frustrated!
Now I dont know what it is about SUP, maybe it brings you back to the core awesome experience of simply picking up a wave before its even started to break and riding this amazing piece of energy for as far as you can and I think the perspective of being upright the whole time makes you appreciate the whole experience more when you are paddling back out. It could also be the incredible variety of places I can ride and experience as new that is attractive, rather than being limited to the short supply of crowded spots that work.
Or
It could be that I am 35 now and I dont give a **** about Mr agro 18-25 year old and his attitude anymore and I am just going to let him melt in the line up. While I paddle down to the next peak and smugly catch my FIFTY! waves!! to his FIVE stressed victories! and simply say to my self, I dont care if you judge me because the happiest man/woman wins in the end! Oh and lots of waves makes me happy!
Read Tim Wintons (great Oz author) section of HIGH SURF by Tim Baker too it makes you appreciate surfing from a whole new perspective.
SUP has the potential to make a lot of cranky old surfers rediscover the reason we all started in the 1st place.
Lets hope it doesnt get too crowded with,
Born again Suppers though. It would be like,
no you 1st, no you go, I'll get the next one, no its yours kind of thing. Could get ugly! Good thing the
Cookie Monsters still lurking in me some where counting the cookies going,
have another one! Go on its yours! and theres 50 more where that came from!!LOL
Ben
Excellent title by the way! Laurie should make it a sticky me thinks, could be like puppetonastrings, you know you are addicted when 681 replies and counting here goes!
) they had it wired on flat water.
