Comments on: Cy Rant: Surfing For the Wrong Reasons

By: Aloha

Aloha — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:25:38 +0000

Kelly Slater still continues to blow me away with the skills he pulls off.

By: GDubb

GDubb — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:49:58 +0000

Great little write-up. I started surfing when I was 16, so it’s been a tough road full of kookery. Over the past few years, I’ve realized that detatching myself from the desire to surf like Kelly Slater and instead focusing on my own wave-riding ability has helped me re-connect with the uncorrupted joy I first felt gliding over a wave.

I also remember reading a Dane interview a year ago or so, and he talked about a boat trip in Indo and how his crew showed up to a break that was crowded with “kooks”. Dane accepted the fact that their surfing experience was “just as valid” as his own- always kinda thought that was pretty cool of him to say, considering he’s one of the most gifted wave riders on earth.

By: Honeybear

Honeybear — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 20:27:57 +0000

embrace your inner kook!

By: Simpletonian

Simpletonian — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 07:33:19 +0000

Everyone starts out a kook. Those that brave it through the kook stage inevitably develop hard feelings about having been a kook and taking the abuse. It takes time and dedication to not feel like a kook out there. At some point, you begin to decide who the kooks are. Comfortable in the lineup, it is real easy to pick out the kooks, almost can make you feel like less of a kook if that guy over there is more of a kook. It can seem like since you worked so hard to not be a kook, you have earned the right to judge kooks. Eventually judging kooks and your own kook level just makes you a kook again. After you kick your own ass you realize you grew up and start having fun in the water again.

Nice Post Cy

By: julie smith

julie smith — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 07:06:45 +0000

loving this!
honest, sincere and healing words. waiting for next week!

By: felix

felix — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 02:34:52 +0000

Hey Cy,

Thanks heaps for putting this out there. It is so true that those initial magical feelings of moving landward with no apparent effort get so easily lost, warped and obscured via socialization, bastardization and commercialization.

I choose my surfs, the company and the equipment – if any- that suits now. If it’s closing out and the pack is hungry I go up the beach for a bodywhomp by myself. If there’s a nice but small peak I’ll take my fish and my time and enjoy my chosen waves. Kneehigh and smaller I get out the log, can’t see the point in chophoppin’. Don’t own much label gear anymore, – second hand is fine if it does the job.

It’s all about the smile and as the late Rick Griffin said; “Going for the Gusto!”

cheers mate