  |
 |
|
|
SURFING: NOT JUST FOR KIDS ANYMORE?
The first annual Surfing Arts, Science and Issues Conference wants us to grow up |
|
|
November 1, 2001 Last Saturday morning dawned typical in Ventura: bullhorns sounded the NSSA Gold Coast contest up at the top of C-Street; mustached longboarders fought over knee-high scraps further down the point; and the boardwalk was half full with early morning rollerbladers and joggers. But there was one slight difference. Inside the Surfer's Point Holiday Inn, mingling with wedding parties and tourists, were a few dozen earnest men and women looking to change the future of surfing.
No, it wasn't clothing manufactures discussing next year's hot boardshorts, nor did it have anything to do with the ASP, NSSA, ISA, WWF or some other competition-related acronym. It was the Groundswell Society's first annual Surfing Arts, Science and Issues Conference (SASIC), organized by Surfrider co-founder Glenn Hening, Jericho Poppler Bartlow and Matt Myerson.
Up until now, the Groundswell Society has been active only in its annual publication (now in its third edition), but on the urging of Bartlow, Hening has decided to make it an actual society, which spawned the idea for the SASIC. Its new mission statement reads: "The Groundswell Society will be a non-profit, public benefit organization supporting education and community involvement in the arts and sciences or surfing. The mission of the Society will be to establish a values-based influence on the world of riding waves in an effort to counterbalance the excesses of the surf industry and the stress of competitive surfing." You won't see that in the next Volcom ad.
Some folks may read that and raise the question: are these just a bunch of aging, bitter intellectuals whining about how they can't get waves anymore? Isn't surfing supposed to be about . . .fun?
Well, yeah. But as Hening pointed out simply by way of introduction, "what is surfing worth?" Sure, we all benefit in countless ways from riding waves -- not the least of which is simple "fun" -- but, as Hening continued, "it's got to be something that we hand off to our kids -- this is about what surfing aspires to, not what it results in."
And though surfing is much bigger than the sum of its parts, the SASIC's goal was to look at and discuss as many aspects of riding waves as possible. Saturday's seminars covered more than a dozen topics, ranging from the role of women in surfing, to artificial reefs, to new surfboard technology, to surf forecasting, to law in the surf zone to surfer colonialism. And though there was no shortage of intellectuals, bitterness rarely raised its whiny head. There were even a few -- gasp! -- laughs thrown around.
Some highlights included: Marilyn Edwards, publisher of Wahine magazine, Jericho Poppler and pro surfer Holly Beck breaking down the realities of women's surfing, from the early pros of the '70s to the formation of the new International Women's Surfing Association as well as the considerable impact of women in the surf industry. "Think about it," Marilyn said. "I have four wetsuits, five surfboards and five rashguards at home -- most boys I know barely buy a new wetsuit every year. Bottom line: women shop."
But it wasn't just about competitions and shopping. When asked about the inequality between men and women surfers, Marilyn told a story about how she was speaking in front of a bunch of teenage surfers and asked the girls to raise their hands if they felt like they had equal opportunity in the lineup. "95 percent of the girls under 15 raised their hands," she said. "The kids are fine -- it's us older surfers that have to change."
During the seminar on artificial reefs, Chad Nelsen, environmental director for the Surfrider Foundation, raised some interesting points to the largely pro-reef audience. "If you figure out the numbers," he said, "200 artificial reefs in California would reduce crowds out at each spot by approximately 19 people." Whether or not artificial reefs are capable of enhancing the surfing experience wasn't the point -- every seminar raised far more questions than were answered. The point is that people who care about surfing -- but don't necessarily make money from it -- are talking about real issues in intelligent ways.
And there was no shortage of heated questions during the seminar on law and order in the surf zone. Shaun Tomson himself joined into the fray: "Local shouldn't even be a word in the dictionary," he said. "We should try to be gentlemen in the water."
Tyler Calloway, from FCS -- the only other surf industry member who attended -- added, "There seems to be less violence in the water due to the real fear of litigation."
To lighten things up a bit, longtime Venice local Skip Engblom broke out some never-before-seen Super 8 footage of the now defunct POP Pier. In the early seventies, it was one of the best waves in Los Angeles and attracted a unique blend of characters that would revel in the thick peaks breaking between the pilings. "I wanted to show a reminder of things lost," said Engblom. "You have a future -- at what point do you draw a line in the sand?"
And when Surfer magazine's Steve Barilotti talked about the questionable effects of decades of surf travel on developing countries, no one could really agree on whether it was more "culturally sensitive" to go feral, go to Tavarua or stay home, but at least it was an idea open for debate. As Barlo said, "the surf world can be a divisive place. The fact that we can come together and do this is a sign of maturation."
Maybe we have started growing up. --Marcus Sanders
For more information on how to join the Groundswell Society, email Glenn Hening at grndswel@aol.com.
|
|
|
|
:%20Glenn%20Hening,%20Matt%20Myerson,%20Jericho%20Poppler%20Bartlow.%20Photo:%20Marcus%20Sanders/Swell&height=400&width=408');)
;)
;)
;)
;)
%20Holly%20Beck,%20Marilyn%20Edwards%20and%20Jericho%20Poppler%20Bartlow.%20Photo:%20Marcus%20Sanders/Swell&height=319&width=510');)
