Frustration, Fun & Stickers

Frustration - Surfing is the most frustrating 'sport' on the planet. That is a fact.  Some days you are feeling it and some you are just not. Sometimes you take the wrong board to the beach, sometimes the forecast is wrong and sometimes the swell just does not turn up. Its hard to stay positive when you are denied your daily fix.

Fun - Fun is what you have when everything goes right. The Stoke engine is ticking over nicely, you and everyone around you are getting perfect waves. The day can not be ruined because you are thrust into the perfect mood, every cloud has a silver lining and it is almost impossible to get you down.

Stickers - Stickers are what sponsored people put on their boards, it is a way of the company whose sticker it is saying that they endorse this guy/girl. That the individual represents them as a brand. Stickers are what turns a Fun day (above) into a Frustration day (above).

What am I talking about? How can stickers on boards make you frustrated. Well, let me put it another way. If you were checking two spots for an early morning surf, one had 5 regular guys on it, the other had 5 stickered guys on it, which would you choose? The regular guys right.  Why? Because normally if you surf anywhere near sponsored riders, you get burned, shouted at and told to get out. I have heard many excuses over the years such as 'it's my job so I have to catch more waves' or 'I am using this part of the wave'. I have seen boards being thrown, smashed and snapped in tantrums, I have seen fights being picked, localism and prejudice in the water. Is this really what the surf brands want? Does this behaviour fit with their 'core brand beliefs'?.

Its all about the kids - After my small rant about stickers above and taking into account that everyone wants to be sponsored these days (apart from Dane and Craig) I feel I must clarify that I am not saying these things because I am worried about the impact it will have on the sticker provider (surf company). I am saying this for the reason that the kids look up to these guys, those are their role models of surfing.

So are shouting, smashing and fighting also something that we want to breed into the next generation of surfers? Look around you, is it too late What happened to the stoke you get by giving someone else a wave, calling them in and watching them get the wave of the day? Almost as good as getting the wave yourself?

To condense my message today. Share the stoke and if you have a sticker on the front of your board then it is your job to share the stoke with others.

I will leave you with this awesome video of some sponsored (stickered guys) sharing the stoke in Texas of all places...enjoy.