localswell

    

     Well four days later and still suffering no end in site.  All we have now are hopes dreams and memories of swells past.  But this really isn’t all that uncommon for us this time of year.  Then why as I said before was it less flat in years past when we were younger?  There were just a lot more swells back then.  No? Really?  Still not buying it?  Well think back to your favorite times on the beach growing up.  In my memory no matter what time of year it was, there were always waves.  I couldn’t wait for my mom or dad to get me to the beach because I remember there were always waves for me to ride.  No matter when we got there something ride able was rolling in.  I hit the beach and before anyone else had unpacked I had stormed the water like the marines stormed the beaches of Normandy. This can’t be a coincidence!  How could it be that there were so many more swells back then then there are today.  I don’t remember the last good swell and yet reflecting on growing up at the beach I can’t picture times without waves.  So what happened to our endless summer swells?  We grew up………

        

          This will be an installment posting( going to put parts up at a time but it will make a complete posting)

          As I lazily wandered through the forums on Localswell one in particular piqued my interest.  end of flat spell.  I looked through it because like every other New Jersey native I am awaiting the arrival of something in the ocean to get excited about aside from throngs of tourists.  Well I am not that thrilled about them either to be fair, but it at least gave me something to look at for a while.  It seems as though we have been a bit wave starved lately, and not a record drought, but long enough to be antsy about when the next swell is coming.  According to the posting and several “reliable” websites there were going to be waves on Tuesday.  Thank god!   Should I call out of work, extend my long weekend?  We all waited and hoped. Then today came and went without much relief and the wait continued.  Any true Garden Stater knows that patience is a virtue when waiting for waves but I cant help starting to get the “we aren’t getting any waves any times soon jitters.”  After getting skunked for a few weeks one of the most frequently uttered phrases in New Jersey surfing is often not to far behind.  “It wasn’t like this when I was younger.  Why are there so many less swells now?”  Come on, aside from me how many of you have found you or your friends uttering that phrase?  Is there any truth to it what-so-ever?  Yes.

          “On Dec. 5, surf industrialist Grubby Clark did shut his doors, closing a 44-year-old Southern California business that manufactured the buoyant foam core of most of the world’s surfboards.”  Ken McLaughlin, Knight Ridder Newspapers, 2/6/06

            This was our equivalent of the “shot heard round the world.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote that line referring to the beginning of the American Revolution and how the world had taken notice of that historical event.  When Grubby Clark announced his closing the “surfing world” took notice.  Much like the American Revolution there was an instant panic.  People were worried about what was going to come next.  What side do we choose?  Do we look for the new foam maker to fill those shoes, or jump on the composite train?  Surf magazines devoted countless pages to who was going to step up to fill in this monumental vacancy.  Board prices rose and people flocked to the store to stock up on what was left before they were gone.  Terror reigned supreme in the land of p/u surf products and everyone walked on eggshells as we awaited our next savior.

            That was 2005, flash forward to 2008.  At my last check surfing was still becoming stronger then ever and building momentum.  Boards are still readily available and priced to sell.  Surf shops are flourishing and all the board makers, local or global, have not gone out of business. So why all the hype then?  Why did we all panic and run to build our quivers?  Simple, because as much as we pride ourselves in being individuals in a sport without teams we had all bought into the theory that Clark foam was “IT” as far as board design.  But just like the rest of surfing history all this “revolution” was, was a turning point. 

            Since the beginning of surfing there has been a “revolution” every few decades.  Long, heavy koa wood boards were replaced by lighter balsa wood boards.  Some people resisted the change as it strayed form the heart and soul of the Polynesian sport.  Balsa wood was replaced by the radical aeronautic substance fiberglass and a lot of people resisted the change as we got away from the “nature” in surfing.  Nine foot paddle beasts were replaced by much shorter, pointier, lighter single fin rockets and a huge riff developed.  Those radical single fin rockets were replaced by two, three and four fin potato chips and then we stagnated.  There was no room for revolution, unless you count the resurgence of longboards.  When the changes in shapes settled down we all grew comfortable with where we were and thought things would never change and they didn’t.  Until 2005.

            Back to 2008 and almost tweny nine and a half months later we are all still hanging in.  Well not hanging in but flourishing.  The much resisted and often maligned surftech boards have undergone vast improvements and acceptance.  The quality foam blanks although maybe not as prevalent are still available through smaller companies trying to protect the “soul” of the sport.  And maybe the best part of all of this is the innovation in new products.

            Aside from creating Clark Foam, Grubby Clark’s greatest achievement may be inspiring surfers and shapers to open their minds to what a surfboard really can be.  By closing he freed us from the confines our own comfort zone and forced us to look at alternatives.  Epoxy, composite, wood and many other vessels have shown up in the water lately.  We are free to experiment and explore what works best for us instead of just riding what we were told was the best.  From finless wooden boards under Dan Malloy, to recycled aluminum boards under Rasta we are seeing barriers broken down all over and the revolution is beginning all over again.

            Many people saw Clark’s closing as a tragedy and it shook our sport to its very foundation.  Well I pose the question to you now two and a half years later.  Would we be progressing and changing at such a pace if it weren’t for this forced exploration of the choices around us?

            It is about that time of year again.  The time when the never ceasing influx of untanned, ill-mannered, think we own the place, trash it when we leave renters and day trippers begins their migration “Down da Shaw”!  Our once tranquil and serene beaches buried under an avalanche of loud music playing, football throwing, picnic bringing, non-english speaking, swimming in their jeans and shoes, changing in the bathroom, parking in front of your house to avoid meters, beach trashing humanity.  Our streets are now choked with what resemble low flying airplanes flying 7 miles per hour down the strip with their systems thumping like a fat man’s heart.  Doesn’t it just fry your brain?  IT MAKES ME SO MAD!  Well, it used to.

            There was a time when I was like every other local resident.  Angry, pissed off, “Go Home Benny”, why are you here attitude.  But why?  If you sit back and truly take in the whole situation, no matter what time of year it is our beaches are a great place to be.  How could I possibly feel like that after all I just said?  It would seem I have just totally contradicted myself, but no.  I said there WAS a time.  Today I have learned to deal with it in many ways and I would like to share a few with you. 

            The first problem with living in a super crowded touristy area is obviously traffic.  Best solution?  Beach cruisers, fun, functional and a lot less aggravating then sitting in traffic for ten minutes to go two blocks.  My roommates and I have invested in some sweet cruisers and it just makes getting around town so much more fun.   Plus there are huge upsides to cruisers.  You can work off some of the winter insulation, avoid parking meters, stay out of traffic, people watch, and my personal favorite bike and bar tours, which the cruiser will help you avoid tragic DUI’s.(it is possible to get one, but you need to be a real prick to pull it off)

            Next is the disgusting masses of people who descend upon and trash our beaches.  It is tough to do anything about them trashing the beach except for “friendly” reminders to remind them to take off what they brought on.  However, there is some solace to be had even while sharing the beach with them.  While you are sitting there for the 24^th straight day sipping your beverage you can take comfort in the fact that you get to do all summer, and fall, what these people are shelling out a lot of money to do for a weekend or maybe a week.  Take pity knowing that this is their vacation and in one week while you are still sitting on the beach they will be stuck back in the hot summer filth that they crawled out of. 

            So take heart Jersey Shore LOCALS.  There is a light at the end of the tunnel.  I live in Seaside Heights and I get to see quite possibly the lowest common denominator of society day in and day out in the summer.  We have already started chanting “Prom 2008” around my house so much it is becoming meaningless. My Sunday nights will soon transform from peaceful and tranquil over looking the bay, to watching throngs of out of towners crowd my street while countless boats clutter the once serene bay.  But stay strong, we all know the best two months of the year are still four months away.  Just don’t spread that word around.

Feel free to share your summer coping skills.

    As I sat at my computer on a flat day looking at all the regular surf websites I found myself becoming more and more frustrated. I was was becoming angry, tense and irritated. Three of the main reasons I surf are to clear those feelings, so why when I am trying to relax was I feeling like this? Then it hit me. As I was trying to look at surfing, I was being force fed “SURFING”. It was making me nauseous. I stepped away from the computer and tried to recognize what had just happened. My surfing, was not the “SURFING” that I was finding.

“SURFING” for the rest of this article will refer to one quote taken from Out of Order. The simple statement was “I surf!” At the time I heard it I thought it was just a funny quote on how everyone these days claims they “surf.” But looking more and more at those simple two words I have come to find that the reason I got so tense on the computer was that the surf industry is catering to the “I surf” crowd. Don’t believe me? Next time you are on the beach look how many people are wearing the Andy Irons boardshorts, or Parko’s or the New Fanning Lighting Bolt shorts. Then take a look to see how many of them have any interest in surfing. Still not convinced? How many people at your local break do you think are actually skilled enough to ride a Fire Wire board because they need the added flex of the parabolic rail? Probably the same amount that needed the new $300 dollar sneakers to be a better basketball player. No? Still not convinced? Then tell me why the most popular selling boards are soft tops or plastic molded style boards? Easy answer…because they allow the “I surfs” to cheaply afford a board they can drag around and strap onto their cars the wrong direction. (for those of you who don’t know it’s tail first)

“SURFING” has become Nike’ized! What do I mean? Look at footwear and sports clothing up until about the early 80’s. Cheap only a few choices (black or white converse) but they served their purpose. Then we got the Air Jordan’s, of which I myself was a victim. All of a sudden sneakers became $100+. Did they jump for you? Did they make you faster? No. The people who wore them were the best athletes in the world regardless of what shoes they wore. But masses of people saw them wearing these shoes and needed them so they could ” “Be Like Mike.” Sports gear became common everyday attire. It spawned sub-cultures (wiggers, hip-hops) and also became status symbols. If you could afford the two hundred dollar shoes you must be good at sports!

Flash forward 25 years and here it is happening in our sport! We went from pure sport to pure sport culture. A sport that was wrapped up in itself and its way of life has turned into the modern day whore of the sports world. We have our subcultures too. Come on how many people dress like “surfers”? That is a subculture, the people who wear it but have nothing to do with the actual sport. What is so amazing about skate shoes that they cost $80? Why do flip flops cost $45? Because they have a bottle opener in them? Here is a hint. Buy the twenty dollar flip flops and a $.99 sent opener, save twenty five dollars and fill up your gas tank and enjoy a beer that wasn’t opened by a flip flop that may have stepped in dog S@#T! Why has so much of our once close knit surf culture become so far out of reach. Because we are popular now! The Fanning’s, Taj’s, Parko’s, Irons’s and Slater are our Jordan and LeBron. I guess what sent me over the top was after seeing all of this stuff on the computer I turned around and my brother was wearing Volcom basketball shorts. The meshing, literally, of our sport and sports culture had become complete.

I guess the point of my massive rant is that I love surfing. I love going surfing, I love photographing people surfing and I love to talk about people surfing. I hate seeing surfing whored out to the highest bidder. I respect people who surf for the pure love of it and I am envious of anyone who can make a living doing it. Just keep in mind what you are representing when you sign your soul and the sport of surfing’s soul on the dotted line.

I hope in the upcoming months I will share more of the many positive sides of surfing that I live for. But it is hard to ignore the worlds’ ugliest boardshorts constantly being thrust into my face on the computer and in the magazines. Does surfing need “Air Jordan’s”? No but “SURFING” does! Which one do you do?

(please feel free to respond even if it is just to tell me i suck because i dont care! No i like feedback, negative or positive)