The last contest I ever did.

This blog seems to be more or less dead now, so lets play story time Ok? Bitchin, here we go ++

How about the last contest I ever did (or at least told myself I'd do). Rewind to 2005/2006, I just got into UCSB and Danimal was already at LMU competing on their surf team. I always sucked at contests (can't perform under pressure/I'm not competitive) but always had fun hanging out at the beach all day with friends.

Wait, rewind even more to 2002 when "Masa" TJ Ridings was always making it to the finals in high school NSSA's and he would always drive because he had his license the longest and could legally drive us. We'd always fuck around, have adventures, piss in SOBE bottles and throw them at things, get sun burnt, poop in the free Hurley wallets they give away then leave them in public places, and generally just have an awesome time regardless of the actual competition.

Back to 2005/2006 . . . I just transferred to UCSB and figured doing the surf team might be more of the same kind of fun. Competing against Danimal's school was just an excuse for us to chill more frequently. And here the story gets fun, ugly, and entertaining. So the night before UCSB surf team try out's that starts at 7:15AM, I make the typical decision to go out. And go out I did . . . until 6:15 am . . . doing things that well, keep you up till 6:15 am.

I show up to the beach without sleep stinking like booze with a 20 pound volan, glass on D-fin log (EC super sled) and do my best to surf "sands" in SB which might just possibly be the most frustrating wave in Santa Barbara to surf. I make the team. The "C" team. Basically they need 3 longboarders to compete in each competition and I think there was like 4 or 5 longboarders around at the time that wanted to surf so the captains would alternate who would do what comp. It didn't really make sense then and still doesn't now.

++First contest is at overhead barreling blacks in SD. Free surfing I have an amazing time in the morning on a shortboard. Log heats are always later. . . always. It was pretty fucking huge so I borrowed one of TJ's high pro Arrow longboards. Something that Josh Mohr would ride, not me. I rode it for the first time in my first heat, which happened to coincide with peak high tide. Lulls. Awesome. I catch two shitty waves and there's the horn. I don't advance.

++I approach the beach and my "team" mate's mom is standing there looking at me real serious, like I just lost the little league world championship by missing a pop fly or something, and she says to me verbatim "I guess that's why MY son is on the A-team". I turn, laugh in her face, say "WOW!" and walk away.
I'm thinking to myself, this is fucking bullshit, kids who shuffle to the nose, have poo man stance, and flail their arms are making heats and that's what matters? Aside from that and more importantly there is no camaraderie even within one's own team? This isn't fucking fun, I'm over it. I swore I would never compete again.

I lied to myself, surfed the next school contest at C-street Ventura, advanced to quarters where I had to compete against said "team" mate (in the same heat this time) whose mom had tried to shame me previously at blacks, and advanced to the semi's while my "team" mate did not. Neither “team” mate nor his mom would talk to me and left the contest venue with great haste. It felt good to beat someone who cared so much about competing and whose family was so invested in the scene, but that feeling dissipated quickly. I didn't want to win the contest; I didn't even think about it, I was just there to be there. That was when I finally realized I'm not a competitive person and never wanted to compete again. And especially if your friends and teammates are going to be bitter. People don't forget. It doesn't seem to "stay in the water" like all the pro's say.

With that nice little story out of the way let's talk about some REAL competitors. The US open went down last weekend and while I stayed as far away as possible many people, ahem, I mean a billion people gathered to watch all the shit go down. Amongst all the shit was the Pacifico Noseride Invitational. Tudor organized it and brought together some real exciting surfers to watch. I found a clip net surfing, pretty rad . . . Check it


I found this link HERE that has Joel talking about a couple of new contests he is organizing. From the interview it sounds really interesting and something I would really enjoy following. The crew he had for the HB thing was sick. All style hounds. I'm curious if his new contests would just be timed noseriding or overall style for judging criteria. That could be a sticky situation. Anything would be better than what is going on now because I honest to god couldn't tell you if there is a longboard circuit right now. I couldn't tell you who the current "World longboard champ" is because I, and it seems just about everyone else (except taylor jensen maybe) could give two shits. Hopping, shuffling, arm flails, and poo man stance wins longboard contests. Save it Joel, Save it!