Dont think, just surf.
An article from the archives… Still current considering Kelly Slater had been compared to Lance Armstrong, the only contender in any other sport for greatest athlete EVER.
More than a little awkward now that Mr. Armstrong has been unmasked as the subject of what has been called ‘the most sophisticated doping regime EVER’.
Surfers: Unsung athletes of the 21st century.
Jog on rest of the world, Kelly is king.
Since I began Surfing I have encountered much scepticism regarding its sporting credibility. I have always been a serious athlete and, applying this attitude, treated Surfing no different from any other sport. And during my second year at University, I was given the chance to take part in an experiment to test the stresses on the body during Surfing. To find out for myself if Surfing can go toe to toe with any mainstream sport...
There is no doubt, these days, that Surfing is a legitimate sport.
Or at least there shouldn't be, considering that there are now professional Surfers making a living out of competitive Surfing, with countless sponsors, corporations worth billions built on the sport, and a world title. Not to mention a plethora of literature, scientific research, University degrees... etc.
But Surfing is an art as well as a sport, and therefore (to outsiders) will always have an element of the intangible, the indescribable, of some mystery about it.
So, unfortunately, there is a lot of ignorance where Surfing (as a sport) is concerned. This is in part due to the sports misspent youth. California, where Surfing 'came of age' so to speak, was going through the 'youth movement' (or drug movement depending on who you ask) and Surfing’s carefree attitude, roots in nature and openness to expression fit into the popular ethos, and boomed... As a spiritual practice for some and a drop out lifestyle for others. In most cases both.
And so the art fell deeper into sub-culture obscurity within the media, but the sport developed and athletes wanted to take it to the next level. And did.
Now that we are at that next level and have been for some time, why do we still encounter this disdainful attitude towards Surfing?
During Kelly Slater’s heat against Owen Wright at the 2011 Hurley Pro (Kelly then went on to win his 11th World Title) the judges, in between sets, were discussing a radio show that they had been interviewed on. The DJ had played down Slater’s recent 10th world title, stating that Surfing was not a real sport. Therefore the fact that no other sportsman or woman had achieved such a feat over a lifetime career, did not apply. I personally encounter this unfounded, cynical attitude towards my sport, daily.
This attitude, I believe, comes from misconceptions about the level of ability and athleticism needed to Surf at a high level. Last year I was part of an experiment with the University of Plymouth, in which the subject (i.e. me) wears a heart rate monitor and GPS tracker while being subjected to blood lactate sampling (you are pricked for blood samples repeatedly) and stress hormone sampling (from saliva). All of this data shows that Surfers operate well beyond their blood lactate threshold and experience high stress levels (in significant Surf).
I myself paddled over two kilometres in the half hour experiment, achieving 85% of my maximum heart rate in solid 6-8 ft swell. All of this puts Surfing up there with any Olympic sport, in regards to stress on the body. But the purpose of this study was to prove that Surfing is self-regulating, meaning that a surfer will only work as hard as he or she wants to, rather than the power of the waves dictating how hard one works; e.g. in larger Surf you will take less waves in a session, rest for longer out back and take longer to paddle out, as opposed to smaller Surf where you would do the opposite. This would suggest that an athlete is always working sub-maximally while Surfing.
This study is just one of many conducted on Surfers in the last decade and there will be many more. Hopefully these will help to dispel the stigma surrounding the sport and encourage a fairer appraisal of these athletes’ achievements.
Words by Josef Williams
Editor: UKPSN