A Pro’s Right to Burn?
You’re in the water on a day when the forecast swell lives up to all of it’s hype and your favorite break is absolutely firing. The waves are such that it has attracted some of the top local surfers around, as well as possibly one or more of the top professionals, some of whom you’ve followed for years. You’re pumped on sharing the water with some of these guys, even catching yourself watching in awe as the beauty of seeing near-flawless surfing happen right before your eyes is always a wonder to behold. But now it’s your turn to go. You’ve patiently worked yourself into position and you’ve placed yourself in the perfect spot to take off as the incoming set wave approaches. You slip into that quiet place we all go to when preparing to drop in on as the wave sets up just as you’ve been picturing in your minds-eye all session long. You paddle, you drop, and then it happens….That surfer you watched with admiration just moments earlier blatantly decides to drop in on you without any sort of hesitation. In his eyes, the fact that his level of surfing has reached the point it has, that he gets paid to surf, and that most of the local cronies will blindly act as bodyguards in the face of the slightest sign of opposition to his wave-hording fuels his fire to burn with reckless abandon.
If you’ve surfed for any length of time the chances this or some variation of the aforementioned scenario has happened to you or someone you know. But why is that? At what point does a surfer reach a level where he somehow becomes exempt from following the unwritten commandments of surfing? There is an etiquette to surfing that all of us are aware of. All of these guys have been dropped in on before and know the feeling of having someone consciously rob a wave right out of your hands.
Overall, I would say the majority of the top level surfers I’ve shared the water with have been very cool and respectful to the basic common courtesies that go along with the sport we love. Unfortunately, there are a few that somehow believe that because they have become “it”, or because the photographers are out in force that day have somehow become the exception to the rule. It’s sad really, because when this happens it is the ultimate disrespect to the sport that provides the means for a professional to live with many of the privileges that go along with being a pro-surfer.
The truth is that no one, no matter how rich and famous, no matter how far advanced their surfing may be, is bigger than surfing and the code of respect that has accompanied it for decades on end. If you get right down to it, from the novice to the top pro’s, we’re all equal in the sense of being surfers. Hopefully those who have reaped many benefits from surfing will remember that, even if those around them are telling them otherwise.
Posted by Shaun on Thursday, July 31st, 2008 in Surfing.
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August 1st, 2008 at 9:21 am
Parko is the worst. On a recent trip to the Goldie, I found myself in the water with Parko, Mick, Occy, Bede and a few others on multiple days. I never saw anyone snake people as much as Parko. He got me twice on my two best waves of my trip, and didn’t apologize or even look back. I didn’t see any of the other pros burn even 1 person, but Parko kept screwing everyone. What a Dick!
I’m not bragging (just giving you an understanding) but I surf pretty good. Been in the water for 20 years, and I can handle myself pretty well, and I absolutely HATE getting burned by the pros. I really hardly ever snake anyone, even though I could, I’m just not that type.
I’ve gotten burned by Slater a few times at Rincon, and by a few other pros around the world, and it’s insanely frustrating. The part that gets me the most, is that these guys get to surf great waves almost every session of their life, and us laymen are only lucky to get a great wave every once in a while. We work our 40 hour week, stress about getting out early and fighting traffic, get to the beach an hour before it gets dark, luck into one good wave, and then get scorched by someone who gets paid to travel the world and surf incredible waves everyday.
And the more frustrating thing about it is that you can’t do a thing about it. If I would have punched Parko on the Goldie, I wouldn’t be alive today to be typing right now.
So, to sum it up, I find getting burned by a multi-millionaire, wave-rich spoiled pro to be one of the most frustrating things in like.
p.s.- fuck you Parko, you’ll never win a title.
August 1st, 2008 at 9:33 am
Not that it justifies what parko did but from my understanding the unspoken rule on the goldie is that if you don’t know the guy on the wave it’s ok to drop in on him. I learned this from a surfer who is from Snapper that basically says there are a 1000 guys out anytime the waves are pumping and people drop in left and right. I agree though, it’s fucked up that parko did this too you. If anything these pros should be setting the examples for all us to follow.
August 1st, 2008 at 11:31 am
The mentality of “If I don’t know, then I go” is used by too many locals and you know what a local is, right? “A local is just a dirt bag who can’t get his shit together to travel” - Owl Chapman
Now I am not going to sit here and say I have never burnt someone but 99% of the time it’s because the person was going to kook out and blow the wave or they were too deep but a blatant burn is uncalled for!!
And Snaked makes a great point; pros should be the last ones to burn people, if anything, because they are “PRO” they should know where to sit to get the best waves without burning!
August 1st, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Jamie O’Brien burns guys at G-land check the video out http://www.surfallbeaches.com/2008/08/jamie-obrien-burns-guys-at-g-land-caught-on-video/
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