Longboarding - Old School Style

Life is certainly full of adventure...

A good mate of mine arranged a rather special surfing competition this past weekend. It was called the Freedom Day Legendary Longboard Surf Contest. Normally I would have ignored this event and steered well clear of the beach. Somehow my friends enthusiasm ensured that I together with another 125 entrants were committed to some old school surfing. It was to be the biggest surfing contest ever held on this side of the bay!

Saturday morning was very dark, cold, and rainy. A perfect time for the beach dressed in a pair of baggies. Yes and a beanie that I had grabbed at the last minute. My eclectic dress sense did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of the volunteers as we got the beach ready for this legendary contest. The heavens remained wide open, which is not really a concern for surfers as one takes for granted the fact that you are going to get wet. The spectators surprised me with their awesome attitude and support. Weather aside, this was a happening event!

I surfed two heats in the mini mal division. A mini mal is a board longer than 7 foot and shorter than 9 foot with a large rounded nose. I had not the first clue about what I was supposed to be doing and so included a head stand and some switch foot jumps. My surfing was a cross between an old Michael Jackson thriller number and a dead cockroach. Understandably my scores were average to dismal and I was happy to bow out gracefully. Although the only thing graceful about my day would have been the curve of the board I borrowed as it lay calmly on the beach! I really had so much fun just surfing in my first ever competition. Making it out of the water without injuries to either the board or myself was a major win for me!

I took Luke down to the beach on Sunday morning after church. My theory was that the semi finals and finals would showcase some really great surfing. Some nut told me hurry up and get in the water. Obviously I ignored him; one does not swim in ones clothes. My mate’s wife looked shocked to see me dressed completely inappropriately for the next semi final. Surprised would be an understatement to describe my state of mind. A wetsuit was pulled out of somewhere and a board thrust into my hand and I was soon paddling around on some dismal waves. My surfing was not the kind of inspirational surfing I was hoping for Luke to see. But I had fun and left the sea with a big smile on my face! Not bad for an accidental surf!

We did see the current SA longboard champ and all of the Bings, dad and son and daughter (Deon Bing is the regular surf reporter on our local Cape radio station). They cleaned up!! Their surfing was out of this world and all of them looked like they were having a leisurely stroll on a short carpet! Luke and I are thoroughly inspired for next year!

It was great fun to interact with our local surfing community in such a different way. I think this competition may have changed the way we all surf at Strand. It is also fantastic to see a good mate come up with a far out idea and deliver it in such a successful way! Way to go Bro!

This morning while pounding the tar back into shape, surfing was very far from my mind. That is unusual as I often find myself day dreaming about these perfect waves and my perfect form as I carve them into bits. The joy about day dreams is that they are perfectly acceptable no matter how far from reality they may be. Nope, instead I focussed on smiling and complimenting my breathing like any good person would do. “That was a great breath, take another one, and another one”.....

It was just after a welcome shower that I received a text from a friend of mine, inquiring if I was as keen as him to indulge in surfing some real waves. And so I found myself in the sea surfing little waves on a nine foot long board having a glorious time. I have never had the opportunity to surf this kind of board before and this was a fantastic and fun learning experience. The real joy was there were just a handful of guys and a girl in a very calm sea simply enjoying life. And it was that simple.

The question that I get asked a lot these days is “how is the surfing?” I find it difficult to answer as I have spent so much of this wonderful time of mine on so many other activities that I have always wanted to do. I have actually not surfed very much at all. Perhaps I just write about it now with more passion.

This morning, this handful of strangers were all in the water rooting for each other. Something that does not happen too often. I certainly walked away feeling revived in body and spirit. I also walked away with a little gift, an appreciation for how blessed and privileged I am.

It is strange to think that after a lifetime spent focussed on work, I am now a pilgrim in that same life. Every day I try and take all of the opportunities that present themselves. I have some serious long term goals that guide my choices but I still have this surreal feeling of being led somewhere. I am already in a place I could never have daydreamed about. I think it has come about through being open to opportunity, having a better understanding of myself and feeling life for the first time. It is not my daydream of perfectly carved waves but something so much better. It is a place filled with love and joy and life.

Deep within me somewhere, it is all right!