Happy fall everyone! As we go to print on this issue, the Olympics are wrapping up in Paris and Tahiti. For those that watched, we saw surfing's second showing in the Games framed by one of the world's most beautiful backdrops albeit thousands of miles away from the host city. The notion of surfing as a sport has been contentiously debated since the day the first jersey was worn. Riding waves is often seen as more religion than sport. Still the excitement of seeing the world's best dueling against one another amidst an idyllic Tahitian backdrop is too hard to ignore - for some.
If the argument for surfing in the Olympics is to grow the audience, I'm not sure 2024 lived up to the task. The surfing audience certainly got what it showed up for, but for those that knew nothing about surfing and even less about competitive surfing, we let a lot of waves go by. I'm not one for crowding the already overcrowded lineups, but I do understand timing and opportunity. If the goal was to grow the audience, I think there was plenty more that could have been done to explain what was happening to the eager-to-learn but often-confused group of first time viewers. We witnessed much more "waiting for sets" than "surfing waves" due to the well-executed competitive surf strategy at play. Watching and waiting for a 9/10 point ride because that's what you need to win means you let plenty of lesser waves go unridden. What's the expected attention span of a non-surfer trying to make sense of things? What would it look like if the point system allowed surfers to catch as many waves as they could where every wave counted toward a limitless cumulative score? I'd imagine we'd see a lot more surfing and a lot less waiting. I honestly don't have an opinion on surfing and the Olympics, I just got overwhelmed with a lot of questions that seemed difficult to answer as I'm sure many of you did as well.
Slalom windsurfing saw the debut of the IQ Foil class in this year's Games which replaced the RS:X and One Design classes of previous years. Windsurfing has been part of the Olympics since 1984 setting the bar for standardization by requiring that every athlete compete on the same size gear regardless of weather conditions or rider size. Back in 2019, the World Sailing Council made the controversial decision to move away from the fin in favor of the faster and more dynamic foil class. They did so to capitalize on the popularity of foiling while also increasing the likelihood of running events when wind conditions might otherwise be too light to cooperate. The race formats ran the same as previous years but pushed average rider speeds to 25km/h versus 5km/h in earlier classes. Foiling has certainly proliferated in our day-to-day lives of all things water. It only seems fitting that it should be represented in the mix of the most anticipated sporting events in the world.
We've got a packed issue for you here in No 6. Greg Long is back to tell the story of his first ever yoga class and the beginnings of his mastery of the breath. TJ Thran travels to the far east to experience the goods of "JaPow" on a board consistent with Japan's cultural sensibilities of simplicity and elegance. Marcus Paladino goes coast to coast from western Canada to Nova Scotia to capture the essence of Canada's east coast surf scene and temperatures. John Anguilo reports from the MexiLogFest bringing his unique perspective of the energy fields and frequencies running through each of us and how they participate in the fostering of community. Our favorite scribe on the Irish coast, Dylan Stott drops in to share his perspective on being grateful through the lens of witnessing the hardship of a family friend. Finally, Session serial writer and comedian Steve West reminds us all of the importance of security when securing our most prized possessions from the inherent risks of possible road rash.
Lastly, I'd like to send thoughts and prayers to friend and activist Dr. Paul Watson who is currently being held captive in Greenland awaiting possible extradition to Japan. Watson, as you know, is former head of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society where he has led the fight against illegal whaling and fishing activities around the world for decades. Japan wants to throw Watson behind bars for the rest of his life. We need all of your help to make sure that never happens. Please visit freepaulwatson.org to show your support and prevent Watson's extradition.
For the love of water,
Russ
