Lots of skimboarders talk about how they wish the sport of skimboarding would grow larger and become more “mainstream.” Talks of the Olympics, bigger prize purses for the pros, more legitimate coverage from larger sports and news outlets. Non-relatedly, you would think, is the dream of Giants fans for Buster Posey to win the batting title, MVP, etc. Yes, these 2 ideas seem unrelated, but let’s dig a little further.
Suppose for a second that skimboarding was as big as surfing. Look around you next time you’re at the beach skimming, how many people are you skimming with? 2,3, 8? By yourself? This weekend I skimmed the best waves I’ve had all summer. The Cove was firing in Bodega, and how many people did I fight for waves? Saturday I skimmed with Deebo, and today with Vacadoug and Deebo. Kevin almost showed up, that would have problems. I mean, waaaay overcrowded. I kid. But seriously, now think of skimming as big as surfing. 30 guys at the cove? That would be fun, on one day of the year: cramikfest. Otherwise, that pretty much blows. What about liner spots like Lefts or east side santa cruz? Forget about it.
Some skimmers want the sport to be big so they don’t feel the way I feel when people say, “you still have a blackberry?” Skimmers, especially younger ones, want legitimacy and acceptance, without realizing what they’d be getting themselves in for. Now, let’s get back to Buster. Suppose Buster wins the MVP, which looks all but assured right now, what does that do for you as a Giants fan? Sure, it gives you as a fan another bragging right, some legitimacy with the national baseball crowd. But what it actually does is make your team, the Giants suck more. Why? Because now at contract time Sabes and the Giants owners have to deal with MVP on Buster’s resume. How much more is that going to cost them? The more you pay to Buster, the less you have for the rest of the team. Sinking lots of dough into few players is hard on a team that has a limit to what they can spend, which is every team outside of the Yankees and the new Dodgers spending spree. Look what happens to the A’s every year, their great new players that they bring up every year win awards and/or gain recognition and are no longer affordable by the team. Constant turnover, with wishy-washy results. Sure they’re doing great this year and possibly next year, but after that? Impending doom.
Isn’t it good enough to skim with your friends and have great un-crowded waves virtually every time out? Wouldn’t it be great to have a very good catcher that you believe in and who is great for the team, but without the national recognition? Who needs it, really? Keep it small, keep it underground, and enjoy it for longer. So, I’ll be rooting for Buster to come in 2nd in the MVP race, go 0 for 15 in his last regular season at bats, and smile when people ask me if that’s a “boogie board” in my hand and reply, “sure is.”
Haha damn awesome rant! I pretty much agree with the point(s) you are trying to get across and i’d like to add that mainstream major league sports players for the most part are disgustingly overpaid. Also i liked your comment about the blackberry. Hopefully i didnt hurt your feelings when i was giving you a hard time about owning one lol. I was way late on the smart phone scene BTW.
Ive pretty much finally come to terms with the fact that Skimboarding as a sport will probably never really be known and or respected in the mainstream publics eye and like you said I’d rather keep it that way. Really it should all come down to fun you are having and not caring about what others might think of it. Sure it is annoying at times that the surfing community laughs at us but at the same time i laugh at the surfers in crowded lineups fighting over surfing crappy waves. Real cool bros!
Yes! so keep skimboarding like the Oakland A’s. Cheap, unknown, and still loads of fun. Otherwise you’ll end up paying $38 million dollars for the next 2 years to hope the skim at lefts will get you 14 waves in 32 outings!
OHHH Potts…i agree with you about 100%. I am so happy with how the crowds are now. i already dont like the crowds when surfing..plus i like how the skim community is a tight knit group of people. such a small community but enough to help each other.
oh yeah , SF is leading right now…SF will win the wrold series, buster posley was injured last season too..
Which is more empty, a Norcal skim spot or an A’s game?
Great story and glad you guys scored.
Your slip is gonna be nasty after getting all that off your chest aha. But I been skimming for a bit and I definitely think the sports growth is stagnant. At least I never really see sand sliders anymore, but maybe thats cause I stay away from flat beaches!
I just saw a really interesting video of Kelly Slater talking about whether or not he wants surfing to get bigger. http://freshmullet.blogspot.com/2012/09/slater-tells-it-how-it-is.html?spref=tw
Look what happens to the A’s every year, their great new players that they bring up every year win awards and/or gain recognition and are no longer affordable by the team. Constant turnover, with wishy-washy results. Sure they’re doing great this year and possibly next year, but after that? Impending doom.
potter i love this line. classic pot fodder. where was this line around the campfire this year after many many beers? Impending doom! i’m holding my belly every time i read it.
almost as funny as the fart rating system.
or the redneck mom telling the girl to hold her pee
Also BTW I am not a fan of baseball. I used to like playing it a little bit when I was younger, but it has to be the most boring joke of a sport to watch IMO. Did I mention that they are grossly overpaid for their level of talent. But goooooo Giiiiiiants! Got to jump on the bandwagon because they are from the bay area and they actually won the world series recently. Fart!
flutulence at the end. way better than a period. nice deebo
completely disagree with you on the spectator part though deebo. baseball is high on my list. then again I can watch most sports and get some entertainment value out of it. thats just me.
sorry 15 waves in 32 outings
HAHA well with enough booziness I can maybe get into it.
Bustin Pose has got some steez on that liner though. Looks like he has Kelly captivated there!
baseball and booziness is like deebo and skimboarding
looks like chad on the taco tray
“Which is more empty, a Norcal skim spot or an A’s game?” – flying fynn
Not on wednesdays…A’s game are PACKED…1$ beers lol and 5$ tickets yeeeee
and wednesdays when they make the texas rangers shit the bed and swipe the division from them. LETS GO OAKLAND!! !!!