This weeks guest post by Mary Mills (Surfsister) invites us to ‘Hang with the Tribe’ as she gets to meet surfers on the beach who were previously but names on surf blogs and forums – sound familiar? Read her every move here each Tuesday in her weekly column.
On Saturday, the family and I spent the day at San Onofre State Beach, here in California, for a gathering of surfers and shapers who love pigs. No, I don’t mean all things porcine.
I’m referring instead to pig-shaped surfboards, boards that are narrow in the nose and wide in the hips. Such boards are slowly gaining a following among a small community of longboard surfers who appreciate both the beauty and the ride of such surfboards.
In the end, the surfboards—and our shared love of them—were less important than the opportunity to spend time on land with other surfers. Many of us knew of one another through internet forums and blogs, but this get-together gave us a chance to talk to one another face-to-face.
It reminded one that a smiley face emoticon is no match for a genuine smile from a person with whom you’ve traded good-natured barbs online. The reason for the “Pig Roast” was to get a bunch of surfers, and their boards, together in a place where we could experience our version of community.
Much to my surprise, we all spent more time on land than we did in the water. That made perfect sense. As we all know, surfers don’t really talk when we’re in the water. One can’t concentrate on the waves while having a long or involved conversation. Therefore, most surfers tend not to say much while sitting on their boards.
But you get us together on the sand and all of that changes. People begin to talk story. They finally have the luxury of getting to know one another. This is why it’s good to hang with the tribe on land every so often. You find out things you never would have known.
For instance, shaper Jim Phillips came and sat next to me while I was simply looking out at the ocean. We talked for a bit and he informed me that the guy who won the first professional surf contest in the U.S. was black. Do you think we would have discussed that in the water? Of course not.
Had we been in the water, I would have told him I was going left and then surfed away. Or he might have gotten a good right, made all of the sections and ended up at a different peak.
This, as we all know, is the nature of surfing. You pay attention to the waves, not the people. So, I enjoyed spending some quality time with other surfers over the weekend. It made me realize how many genuinely nice people surf.
Don’t miss next weeks big showdown debate between Mia Legg and Mary Mills – Kooks Vs Locals, The BIG Debate! Thursday 30th June at High Noon EST. This one is not to be missed!
