The Soul of Slater

Kelly Slater is intriguing. All great performers are, but for surfers Kelly holds a special place within. Hate him or love him the guy has cracked open the sport like no other and continues to lead the way in ways that go over most surfer's heads. Sports Illustrated writer Gary Smith wrote as transparent a piece on Slater as I've read, painting a very vivid portrait of Slater's progression of heart, mind and soul. We idolize the individual in this culture, but are just now learning of the deeper meaning of "the oneness of No. 1."

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1155067/index.htm

"You're not comfortable being Number 1, are you? Kelly broke down. His life's quest had swept him right past his big brother, far beyond what that little boy in the cinder-block tract house had really wanted: to bring everyone together, to be a bridge. He'd kept his trophies hidden in gear bags and car trunks, loathed being the alpha male; no one had taught him about the oneness of No. 1.

Which meant he should do ... nothing, said Trevor. Awareness. Just let the light and the breeze do their work. Watch the guilt and fear and anger begin to evaporate. But what would he compete out of, once they lost their force?

Why not out of what you want? asked the Ironman. Why not out of love?"

Shane McConkey: Death of an Extreme Athlete

I was not a real follower of the freestyle skiing and base jumping scenes, but I have heard of Shane McConkey and can certainly appreciate the inspiration he was for so many around the world. Shane died this past week while filming a stunt in Italy. Evidently, his skis did not detach after skiing off the cliff, which led to an uncontrollable spin which prevented him from deploying his parachute.














A life well lived, even one seemingly "cut short," is/was a good life indeed. Certainly there is sadness for the loss of his presence on the earth, but no sorrow or shame for how he lived while he was here. Appreciating what is possible, reaching our full capacity as a human being, being the fullest versions of our selves that we can be while we are here is something not many people do. Shane was in rare company. His inspiration lives on in the heart, gut and mind of so many. Well done Shane, well done...

Flea-hab

Fascinating account of one of Santa Cruz' favorite surfing sons, getting pitched, hitting bottom and just now surfacing for air. I actually surfed against him in amateur contests back in the day, when he earned his nickname "Flea" for being so small. I never figured he'd do the things he did. Really an amazing surfer, who has done so much for the sport and yet now seems to want to help other surfers and athletes struggling with their own demons.
http://surfermag.com/features/onlineexclusives/surfer-profile-flea-darryl-virostko/

6'1 Source Hull

Picked up a killer little board from my friend and world class shaper Nick Palandrani. Nick learned the subtle seasoning for shaping hulls from hull maestro Mark Andreini. Caught an early evening session out at Sewer Peak and 1st Peak on the Eastside. Sets were pretty consistent, with a decent angle allowing for some lined up walls. It was a packed house, with Team O'Neill riders, some female sponsored surfers (Kim Mayer was ripping!) and the usual slurry of folks riding anything and everything. Water temp is up a bit as I was comfortable without booties.

My first ride was a quick drop and then bottom turn and the 9" Greenough flex fin (shaped/foiled by Rich Sanders of Halcyon Fins) went "TWANG!" sliding out sideways and I fell right off. "Hmm..." I thought to myself, "this little board is interesting!" Got a couple smaller ones then headed to 1st Peak. Not as crowded as it should have been, so I made my way over and proceeded to pick off a few lined up walls. Couple people asked about the board too. Got more and more comfortable with it and the super-flexi and styly Halcyon 9' Greenough Fin. Fun body language to incorporate as you negotiate the drop, bottom turn, trim line and cut back.

Verdict is that this is one fun and super functional transitional shape that Nick has got dialed. I'm taking it with me to So. Cal this weekend. Rincon would be the ultimate proving ground! More to come....

Watchmen

Pretty surprised by the film Watchmen, and where it leaves you in the end. Without ruining it, there are some pretty deep questions and commentary in between all the blood, sex and bravado. Is humanity its own worst enemy, incapable of stabilizing and living in harmony with one another? For some reason, most of us still hold hope for goodness to keep evolving and spreading among us, yet history and current events are rife with evidence to the contrary.

The older I get the more I am coming up against the boundaries of the vision and values I have taken on in my life. It is not consistently "fun" to be banging up against ways of thinking and living that have seemed so solid over the years, but suddenly become more transparent and jello-like.

I had a great teacher who used to use talk about perception of reality with the analogy of thinking you know what the sun is when you've spent your whole existence living underwater. We know what is real from our perspective, but it is very difficult to really separate from our current structure of interpretation and posit that things may not be really be what they appear.

In the Watchmen, there was a battle of perception between superheroes. Both viewed humanity and life as something of value, however they strongly disagreed on how to best help humanity resolve some big issues like scarcity and conflict over resources. Is so called "evil" (war, conflict, cruelty) part of our nature and ultimately necessary for our survival? Or can we outsmart and outevolve our own human frailties? Heavy stuff!

Waves of Change

Waves of Change flow through our lives constantly. When a surfer observes a wave forming on the horizon, they evaluate where the wave will likely break and paddle into position to catch it. If the wave is big enough to break outside of where one can conceivably position themselves to catch & ride it, a surfer focuses on how to negotiate or perhaps survive the impending turbulence. Diving under or through the wave brings one to the "other side," where calm and clarity once again govern if only for a moment. Then its time for another wave!

When changes roll in from the horizon in life, how are we responding? Ignoring them? Hoping they will go away? Surrendering to the changes, taking a breath and letting the turbulence wash over us? When we are able to resurface and take a breath, do we immediately head for the safety of shore or paddle out for another chance to ride a wave?

Never Quit

Great Multi-media Story on ASP Women's Tour Pro Karina Petronia

http://www.surfline.com/video/video_player/video_player.cfm?id=17863&mv=web

With Republican Party Vice Presidential Nominee Sarah Palin
"slam dunking" her speech at the Convention in Minneapolis,
and hours after another hurricane reminded us of another
Katrina, along comes this heart felt story about pro surfer
Katrina Petroni, who comes off as ready to lead America as
Mrs. Palin. While I may not agree with her socio-political
perspective, Katrina gets my vote because she has grasped the
precious gift that life is, and appreciating every moment.