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August 28, 2006
go figure
headed out last night for a quiet session at cliffs. long waits from 4pm-6. then it started to pick up & be more regular at dusk. over heard a funny conversation between soul sista & "Mr. go figure". we'll call him that for now and you'll see why in a few lines.
needless to say the story is like this. soul sista gets dropped in on by your typical alpha male on a regualr basis. she takes the high road everytime & shares with a big smile. she loves to surf & she loves people in general. meanwhile, these men are your typical clowns & will do this on a regular basis. now, insert entitled man "Mr. Go Figure" into the story.
he's typical in this manner... he's a local guy, surfs well w/ no leash, surfs well period.., lets hot girls take waves he doesn't want, talks to girls for the potential to hit on them or joke with them & stare at her, drops in on people when the wave is nice & he can out paddle the person next to him, also tends to only go for the set waves.
i hate to say this but i've been surfing with this guy for 2+ yrs & have figured out his style recently.
soul sista has reached a threshold in her surfing & now is charging more & more. taking bigger risks & paddling hard to fight the men off her waves. (& i'm damn proud of her that she can do that) our friend mention above now has to share. he no likey!
so last night he has a friendly chatter w/ soul sista about proper rules & who gets to do what in a good manner of sport talking. he brings up funny points & makes some general comments about dropping in, waiting turns etc. soul sista her own & brings up humor as a starting point & keeps it light w/ a couple solid quips. i couldn't help but to shut him down so i fired back w/ "well that's not true...there are at least 5 regulars out here tonight that have 30 years of surfing under their belts that drop in on people steady. such as XXX example right there 50yrds away."
Mr. Go Figure says nothing & paddles away after a minute or 2.
then later makes a comment about it's been so long in between sets that he now wonders who is in the poll position to take the first wave. in essence who is waiting the longest. so...soul sista goes "its mine but i'll share"
he looked confused w/ this comment. mind you a firecracker comment from a gal in hawaii means the general alpha man can no longer dominate & he must "pound on chest 2 show he main man monkey".
so the set waves arrive & lucky for me it's right at my spot about 40 yrds away from the dude. just far enough away but close enough for me. so...i take the wave...make the bottom turn & look up at the lip to see Mr. Go Figure shoulder hopping & dropping in on me.
WTF?
so i laugh and say..."go bra, c'mon on..no worries" as i wave my arms to let him on.
that's the ALOHA spirit....
surfing is not about how good you are at times. it's about getting along & sharing. especially on a sunday night after the swell is past & everybody is surfing small glassy waves.
next time i see "Mr. Go Figure" in the water. i'll be doing the same thing as he drops in on me.
sharing & smiling...
sf~
Posted by Single Fin at August 28, 2006 02:53 PM