Week Two Readings

My prior knowledge of surfing was limited, but now after reading these articles, I’ve realized I know so little about the reality of surfing. I guess you can say that I had the stereotypical viewpoint of surfing. Many movies and shows show so little of what really goes on with some surfers. I always believed it was just a very laid back sport that many people enjoyed for pleasure. To an extent this is true, but to many others, it was about the competition, the fame you get form being a great surfer and the ego it builds inside you.  After reading “The transformation of Tom Stone”, I had a better perspective of how the surfing life is.

            I really like the line in the article that says Stone got a glimpse of “paradise and paradise lost”.  His life was really both in a paradise and far from it. When we think of Hawaii we don’t automatically think of any bad things to say about it. It’s a place that many are dying to catch a glimpse of.  The truth is, it is not that different from the places we come from. Growing up, he was homeless with six people in his family.  He dealt with drug problems, getting kicked out of the army, and going to jail more than once.  Despite all his troubles, he managed to give up the life of drugs and ego and go for a life full of meaning.  In ’74 he refused to get out of the water for a surfing competition he was not in.  He felt he deserved to be there because he was a local. This act was the spark that ignited the attitudes of the locals being left out of the pro scene.  Two years later he quit surfing and became a lifeguard. He enjoyed helping people in the water, but still felt something was missing. In the 80s, he began surfing again and remained surfing for twenty years.  Ready to embark on a new journey, he went back to school in ’93 for a degree in Hawaiian studies.  Since then he has worked at Kapiolani Community College teaching “History of surfing  from a Native perspective” and has 16 television programs airing on Hawaiian television. 

            After reading this article, you really get a perspective on the ups and downs of surfing. Tom Stone lived both sides and came out victorious in the end. I would consider his story and inspiration to many people, not just surfers. 

            Another article I read was Warshaw’s article “The History of Surfing”.  It gives you a quick history on surfing while also discussing Felipe Pomar of Lima’s theory  on where surfing originated from.  He believed it originated from Peru. This article was very informing on the background of surfing. Story tellers would use surfing as part of their stories of love, vengeance, and honor.  Also ancient surfing was had some religious parts to it but it was mainly influenced by competition and gambling. One very amazing fact I found out was how the Polynesians had no written language, metals and did not have the wheel,yet they were able cross the ocean to settle on the new islands only using the stars and flight patterns of birds. 

                 I'm excited to see what other articles and films we will be seeing this quarter to further my knowledge on the history and beauty of surfing.