1. I assess the conditions with a different eye.
2. I don't mind if conditions are big, lumpy and onshore.
3. I can be disappointed if conditions are such that I have to ride my longboard rather than a mat.
4. I now own 5 extra wave craft.
5. I also now own a second, huge, pair of fins.
6. I store my body board under the house.
7. I have slimmed down a little in the body but now have massive legs.
8. I get wet and am stoked far more often than I used to be.
9. I have made lots of great new friends all around the world.
10. I am more contented and am starting to stop wearing any footwear at all?
What are your 10?
1. It almost made me give up surfboards altogether.
ReplyDelete2. It brings a smile to my face and a giggle to my lips much faster than surfing ever has.
3. It's made me now want to take a surf trip because I know I won't have to worry about taking or renting a surfboard.
4. My once strong cyclist legs are returning as a result of riding a mat. I like that!
5. Like Ramsnake, I assess the conditions with a different eye.
6. It's made me open to new possibilities with respect to riding waves.
7. It's blown my mind in ways surfing never could . . . and never will.
8. Riding a mat has made me understand George Greenough (as opposed to just revering him).
9. It has allowed me to escape the crowded lineups and still get my fill of the waves.
10. Riding a mat has made me a better person.
A fantastic 10 Surf Sister!
ReplyDeleteWow I miss a day on the internet and I miss a great and thought provoking post @magictowel!
ReplyDelete1. riding a mat has taught me what surfing really is, not necessarily riding a short board in the air or a long board on the nose not even standing up or kneeling or riding prone or on a mat or a hand plane or body surfing. It's just surfing. Whether it's "good surf" or "bad surf". It's just surfing. To be IN the water riding the occasional wave. It's just surfing. Rocking on the bough of the bowl. It's just surfing. Riding a mat has allowed or maybe forced me to reassess what surfing is. It an adventure for each of us to discover and decide for ourselves. Then paradoxically to try to share those findings with others. Thankfully there is no Matter or Matting magazine to tell me what surfing is. Just a handful of bloggers / friends with whom to share the stoke.
Ok...
ReplyDelete1. I don't check the "cam", if the forecast is over knee high I'm going.
2. I've become much friendlier in the water as every one looks at me like a novelty instead of a threat.
3. I worry about not being able to stand on a surfboard again, but then I realize I don't really care.
4. I've put my "Surf Ego" in check, not worrying about what others think anymore.
5. My subway ride to the beach has gotten much easier, especially going through the turnstiles without a surfboard.
6. Able to surf many more places than the "surfing area" in the summer.
7. Found a muscle in my back that loves to get pulled while bear hugging the mat during wipeouts!
8. Been surfing 30 years, having way more fun in the surf now than the past 28 or so years. Feeling like a grom again.
9. I now view dropins as a challenge rather than wanting to kill the person, I usually wind up passing them or just sharing the wave with a smile.
10. Have learned what " less is more" really means
Excellent stuff so far everybody. So c'mon there are many more of you out there who I am sure have had time to reflect on the matter! Ha ha! Oh shit sorry, laughing at my own jest:-(
ReplyDelete1. Provided the intimacy with the ocean that I was searching for when I got into surfing.
ReplyDelete2. Completely derailed me from pursuing board shaping, which I had started doing in wood (including two completed surfboards and a few alaias).
3. Made me fine with the idea of not ever riding a board (bored?) again.
4. Much more confidence in the water.
5. Feeling of having arrived, and continuously arriving, instead of waiting eagerly for the next surfboard "evolution".
6. Like Surfsister said, it makes a surftrip much more feasible (but watch out for the TSA!)
7. Much less tiring to surf on a mat as you can kick when your arms get tired of paddling and vice versa.
8. No surf wax.
9. Underinflated mat can be used to block cold winds when waiting for waves.
10. Mat is a chick magnet- not, which is good for married guys.