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| post_id | thread_id | thread_title | post_number | author_username | post_date | post_date_iso | post_body |
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| 292702 | 16537 | Learning to accept that you don't rip | 73 | shadydave | Sep 23, 2023 | 2023-09-23T06:41:09-0400 | Zenzen said: Good thread, some really cool perspectives. I've been surfing for 40 years, and was a pretty good shortboard surfer for much of it. Not pro level, but a decent surfer who could certainly hold my own. In my mid 40's I started to really feel the struggle of riding a 5'9 shorty and continually trying to mix it with the kids. Paddling was harder, and frankly, I just couldn't be bothered with the hassle. I was also kind of board with shortboard surfing in general. I wasn't ripping, and nor were any of the guys my age in the water struggling on the same equipment. Sooo, I went up a foot on a shorter McTavish midlength, and got bagged mercilessly by my mates, who just couldn't accept the change. But what a revelation. Surfing suddenly felt fresh again, and my then 35 years of lineup experience came into it's own with more foam, more paddle power and a much higher wave count. I can clearly remember my first session, guys were hooting, complimenting me on waves, asking what I was riding etc etc. The lesson; you have to adapt and change to equipment that will allow you to leverage your experience and know how. I spent a year on the midlength, before trying a log for the first time in my life, and everything completely and irreversibly changed at that point. I'm hooked. I tried the ride the midlength again once or twice, but it felt terrible. I don't rip on a log, I know that, I've seen the footage. But the feel of that surfboard in the water, and it's glide and flow and trim is an indescribable joy to me. It just feels so pure. I only wish I had found it 30 years earlier. Click to expand... Just wait until you experience a glider. |