========
Newsgroups: alt.surfing
Subject: Re: My waning interest in surfing.
From: Stephen Hull <shull@cats.ucsc.edu>
Date: Fri, 06 Sep 1996 12:56:59 -0700

Shawn wrote:
> 
> Something has been happening to me lately. For that last twenty years plus,
> I OWNED the ocean. Caught some of the best waves of the day & loved it. But
> in the last year, I seemed to lose my driving desire to surf. 

Shawn,
Don't worry about it.  We are constantly changing.  Yeah, you will
continue to experience physical and personal changes that will affect
the way you feel about surfing, and everything else for that matter.  As
Foondoggy and others have said, injuries and metabolism have a lot to do
with it.  First, I would recommend that if you haven't done so, get a
complete physical, watch your diet, and listen to your body when it says
"rest".  Physical training is vital.  If you are out of shape, you will
not be able to "own the beach" like in the past.  Conditioning requires
that you keep working at it, you'll have more fun when you go out, and
when its epic you'll be ready for it.

If you are regularly into drugs and/or alcohol, stop.  They will
continue to suck you into their lifestyle rather than the one you would
choose.  If you survive, you won't be surfing anyway.

Check your equipment.  Is the wetsuit getting too tight, or
uncomfortable?  Is paddling becoming a struggle?  Keep your equipment up
to date. 

Keep challenging yourself. If you are just doing the same moves over and
over again you're in a rut.  I know guys who's goal is to try something
new every ride, and push their abilities.  This usually means they get
worked most of the time, but it also means they pull off some incredible
moves they never would have tried otherwise.

Go out where you won't get worked and can still get some good rides.
This means going to places you have dialed in, or slightly less risky
spots, but places where you can still have fun and not get too
frustrated. 

Avoid crowds, even if you have to settle for slightly less than perfect
conditions.

Second, life tends to become more complex, other interests and
priorities start creeping to your life.  No worries.  Relationships,
careers, finances will compromise your commitment to surfing.  This
requires a careful assessment of your personal priorities and making
decisions that include or exclude surfing.  

Stress can really eat into your energy and motivation to surf. 
Especially when you haven't been having as much fun in the water as you
used to.  The irony here is that a fun surf session is one of the best
ways I know of to wash cares away temporarily, and makes dealing with
them easier afterwards.  To paraphrase Dora, When there's surf, that's
all there is; and when its flat, surfing doesn't exist.

Third, at your age your friends and the crowd who gave your ego
strokes/support begin to move/fade away.  You become a relative
stranger, even at your own local spots.  This can be very discouraging
and once again forces you to evaluate why you are surfing.  If it is for
the ego/recognition, you need to know this.  You can change your
expectations and learn to enjoy surfing by yourself, find a couple of
friends who still surf and hook up with them regularly, become more
local at one spot, or hook up with one of the clubs that are springing
up all over the place.  

Always be friendly with the other surfers in the lineup.  Going out with
an aggro attitude won't produce the same results it used to.

I found coaching a surf team to be a very satisfying involvement, in
that I was able to give back something to others, and it became a
regular commitment to get to the beach that I couldn't put off.  I made
some new surfing friends in the process.

>We now have
> two killer swells & even seeing the overhead barrels from my oceanfront
> home just does not prompt me to GET THE BOARD. Is this just the normal
> process of aging. I will reach 30 in a few weeks. 

Even though I am biased, keep surfing.  It is a vital part of who you
are, and to walk away from it will always leave a void you can't quite
fill any other way.  I don't know a single non-surfer who understands me
in quite the same way a surfer does. 

The two best pieces of advice I know are:

"Know your limitations."  Start listening to "the voice" that says, its
too dangerous, crowded, etc.  At the risk of sounding like a pussy,
you'll keep having more fun, surf more often as a result, and be ready
for epic days when they come.

"When in doubt, go out."  With the exception of hazardous conditions, if
you're not really sure whether conditions are worth it, get some water
time anyway.  I've never regretted going out when I've done this.  The
timing and conditioning need to be maintained or the fun factor drops
quickly.

>I would like to catch
> a few waves from Fran before it is all said & done.

Hope you got some waves!  Keep the Stoke!

da hulk, RSO