Got out there today. Too much party yesterday - so tired...
Tough day for me. I surfed on the wrong board, but that wasn't the problem. I just surfed really shitty, on edge, sketchy and not a lot to offer. Yeah, I'd like to make excuses… The truth is that I don't know why I surfed like that, I have no excuses. It was still a super fun day with probably the best waves that we saw all year on our little gimmick tour. My 5th versus Jay's 3rd are not representative of how we surfed. Jay surfed very solid but, but in the end I think he was handicapped by his 2.5 move repertoire as it seemed the judges eventually got tired of seeing the same moves out of him. I know he is confident and hopefully, this lights a bit of a fire under his ass to figure out how to add a variation or two to his portfolio. He has consistency but not enough variation and function to his surfing to really compete against Yari and as such he'll be relegated to slug it out for second place as long as YV is in the game.
In the end, Jay pushed Yari to the repo, where I struggled to get through with a 3rd in that heat, just outdoing some very nervous newcomer. But Yari? He knew it all along. He'd win. He always does. He can surf within himself and almost guarantee a win; he varies his surfing, both on the forehand and backhand enough to take down anyone. His surfing is functional, stylish and powerful. Even when he picked off the small insiders, when it seemed like he was panicking because he hadn't caught a wave with only 5 minutes left in the heat (Jay's heat), be he wasn't panicking, he knew that he'd do enough. That quick bottom-turn, that tail release, that snap. He's too good, he stands alone. Can he be beat? Certainly, they are 15 minute heats so anything can happen. Jay beat him in that heat with a close decision (1 judge had Yari winning), but is anyone better than him in our division? Absolutely not. Jay was excited after our finals heat, I did not see his waves, but I saw 2 of Yari's and from the back and I knew the competition was for 2nd place. At one point a right was coming for us (me and Yari) and he calmly asked if I wanted it, probably knowing that it did not matter. I was beaten; I had nothing left, so I just said "No" and watched him dismantle it. He was in the right spot but was willing to give it to me. Knowing that it was rightfully his, I could not say, "Yeah, I'll take that from you." I just couldn't and I didn't have anything left anyway. I'm surprised I got 5th to be honest. I'm very happy with my result to be certain.
Munsterman, Penning and Mezak are probably in the second tier. Wolfe is a wild card for certain. He could be at the bottom or the #2 guy on any given day. His surfing is powerful and probably more functional than anyone else's (he can make it around sections and link turns better than anyone). He saved Jason from getting a 6th place finish in the Open Men's with a nuclear meltdown. I don't know if it was drugs or what, but he just started snaking people. It made it entertaining to be sure! I'm down in the next tier, probably just me and Salick. My surfing is too erratic too all over the place to truly contend. Can I get lucky? Of course, I ride big gnarly as well as anyone out there, but that is not what wins these contests. Maybe a lucky heat with a barrel or something, I can win. That won't stop me from trying!!! I'll keep getting better, certainly I will, I'd like to be in the 2nd tier. Jay probably needs add a tailslide and a functional cutback to his bottom turn and blast / floater bag of tricks to get out of the second tier. The judges made it clear that 2 moves are not enough… Maybe Yari will lose interest. Maybe we'll get better when we are 40 and seniors. We are still kids, we are still dreaming, that keeps us young certainly… I almost certainly have to go to Morro Bay now. Suddenly, I cannot wait!
Monday, April 19, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
Jason versus the volcano 28/29 - down 1
No surf today, I have to focus. I have to be in the right frame of mind for an epic showdown at Salt Creek. It is reading like a movie script, with the protagonist being the against-all-odds alcoholic making a surfing comeback. I, the antagonist have to do everything in my power to try and undermine the improbable comeback of our hero. I'm the spoiler. I'm underhanded and backstabbing. Crude, rude, tough and mean. None of the other peripheral characters know this, but you do, the movie goer, the reader, the hopeful onlooker. Even our hero takes me at face value, but then again, he can only see the good in people. He is completely blind to the underhanded tactics that the enemy is employing, it is just his personality, and it is the reason why you root for him. In the shadows, I lurk, doing everything I can to keep the unlikely from happening. It is up to me, to keep the alcoholic from making his heroic and historic run to the top of the leader board, stopping him dead in his tracks from doing something that will be passed down in surfing lore or in an against-all-odds sequel. That is why I won't surf today. To let my body rest, to be fit and ready for tomorrow, to do whatever it takes to stand in his way. I want to be Butler's Duke, the one that capsizes this Cinderella story. The big stage is set for what could be the final act in this epic drama. You see it is against all odds that our hero put down the bottle, that he stood up out of the gutter, dusted off and reconnected himself to his surfboard. Misstep after painful misstep, he somehow still sits within striking distance, and this is the hook, the drama that gets the viewer attached to the outcome of the story. It would be too easy if he were to exploit his talent from day 1 and dominate the scene like he should. He is our Tom Cruise, he should be at the top, but he'll have to get there by overcoming adversity. Were he secure in his dominance, the audience would lose the will to root for him. Missing the final by 1 wave because he didn't have a watch, forgetting to sign up for San Clemente, the nervous starts that garnered 2 last place finishes, if this was not enough, the story teller unleashes another curveball. It is the India subplot which is never really explained to the audience but looms large as an unsurpassable challenge making the reader want to concede; giving up on our hero is less painful than seeing him through to certain failure. Yes, it is almost certain that he will miss Salt Creek, he will not get the girl at the end of this feel good story. The writer wrestles with the script and struggles with scenarios that will keep him in the game. He smoked a little too much sticky green one night and he thought he had it! It would be, James Bondesque, he would charge to the planes emergency exit after it had already taken off and just as it passes over Salt Creek he would pop the emergency exit jumping out with his board and air surfing all the way down to the water just in time to make the contest. Realizing that this was a chemically induced lack of judgment, he had to go back to the drawing board. It has to be improbable, but believable. The simple randomness of the event has to be such that it creates this believability, falling under the "who could make that shit up" umbrella. Ready to go, ticketed, he is walking down the jetway to his plane, all is lost. But no! What's that? Muffled over the loud speaker, "…delayed…" Flights to Europe are delayed? What? Why? The transatlantic crossing that the Spirt of St. Louis is known for has been shut down due to Dante's Inferno rearing his ugly head on that frosty little island of Iceland! It is fitting that hell's wraith as Dante describes it is the representation. For it is the last of his nine circles of hell, that our hero will have to overcome to triumph. Yes, betrayal, the ninth, the worst of Dantes circles of hell; it is here, the symbolism that is being put forth to satisfy the writers desire for meaning over entertainment. This is the place where we lose most of the audience, but for the astute, the ones that want to get into to the mind of the storyteller, they do research and it is his hope that they realize depth of the symbolism that has been embraced to make a point. It is with these gimmicks that the writer hopes to catch a reviewers eye, and to make it a classic. It is his hope that this drama will not be forgotten, but be used to teach fundamental truths of good versus evil for generations to come. Our antagonist, the betrayer, has first been foiled by the angry Icelandic inferno and now he must create bolder more devious plans. This is where we are now. How will the next chapter play out? Will our hero win? Will the villain's tactics prevail?
This story and "In God’s Hands" are the best evidence for surfers to stay away from trying to be intellectual. This could easily contend for the title of worst production of all time, which “In God’s Hands” currently owns… At least this one is non-fiction.
Anyway, I'm ready to surf tomorrow, I feel pretty good, I'll pick Jay up at 5:30. Even without any drama, well have a fun day of surfing since at Salt Creek! That is why I'm not surfing today. Rest for multiple sessions tomorrow, I'm looking forward to it!
This story and "In God’s Hands" are the best evidence for surfers to stay away from trying to be intellectual. This could easily contend for the title of worst production of all time, which “In God’s Hands” currently owns… At least this one is non-fiction.
Anyway, I'm ready to surf tomorrow, I feel pretty good, I'll pick Jay up at 5:30. Even without any drama, well have a fun day of surfing since at Salt Creek! That is why I'm not surfing today. Rest for multiple sessions tomorrow, I'm looking forward to it!
Monday, April 12, 2010
25/25 - got it done and it was fun...
Got a lot done this morning, including a surf. Big windswell peaks, out of control and ended in the rain. Not a person in the water except me. I actually caught some fun ones, I think that is because I'm used to surfing shitty waves, which in this case, it wasn't that bad. I would've stayed out if I didn't have to go to work.There was a rainbow out at sea for my whole 45 min session.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
24/24 - so shitty today.
From the best day in the last 6 months to the worst. Weather was cloudy and there was some wind on it. I was a little hungover to boot. I caught 6 waves though, it was still fun. Nap now.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
23/23 Lowers - so good.
Surfed Trestles with Jay, but for some reason he decided to surf san'o instead of uncrowded lowers - I posted up... So good. Surfed for 4 hours until I buckled the nose of my board. The 3 buckle or major board trauma in 2 months...
Friday, April 9, 2010
My favorite surfer and the best of all time, but… 22/22
it still needs to be said. Yeah we know you dinged up your foot. Yeah, I'm sure you felt it, I'm sure it hurt. Dude, don't be a drama queen! You don't need to limp down the beach and then pull massive turn after massive turn and then limp back onto the sand to demonstrate how heroic you are. "I don't care if my foot falls off I'm still surfing, haha (smile)" ? You are not pulling some dude out of a trench in Afghanistan and saving his life, you are surfing. One time I put duct tape over my stitches on my stomach so that I could surf, I think I should've gotten a medal for that one, especially because I wasn't getting paid to surf…
Maybe people like these "overcoming the odds" stories, but I'm over it. Parko jacked his ankle last year and it cost him the world title, I didn't hear shit out of him. Maybe he was saying it, but I just didn't hear him making excuses. Kelly, you won the f'ing contest dude...
By-the-way, I had a good surf this morning. Wind swell, so fun.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Damn it looks good out there.
I'll be even after this sesh... I can wait to take apart some
springtime wedges!
springtime wedges!
Friday, April 2, 2010
15/15 - Good Friday - so good!
Last years post:
It was really good today. The only problem is that it was so consistent once you caught a wave it was a fight to get back out. Anyway, I surfed for a long time on this Good Friday like last year. I got thumped over and over for sure. I was thrown to the bottom multiple times, most of which included me holding onto my board as a result of a duck dive. But the payoff was a barrel fest. I got tons of barrels but only came out of 2. So fun, so good.
Yesterday was 14/14
It was out of control. I was the only one out. I made it outside somehow and then got stuck in a rip that sent me out to sea. I was able to paddle out of that back into the line up to immediately get cleaned up by a bomb set. Some how I got 3 waves in about 45 minutes, but it was not easy. Glad I did it though.
The next time I think it's hard to surf...
I'll look at this photo. Tom sent it yesterday. It is from Tahoe on Monday. You have to be pretty hardcore...
Thursday, April 1, 2010
I cannot begin to explain...
To you how bad this is going to suck. Super consistent, windy, big and
cold. My back hurts and i'm tired. Play a violin for me please.
cold. My back hurts and i'm tired. Play a violin for me please.
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