The Surf Skate Cross Over

Close the gap between surfing and skating
Ok, pay attention, I’m going to claim something right now… For many years I’ve dedicated myself to building a bridge to reconnect and close the gap between surfing and skating.

Surfing and skating were one
In my day, surfing and skating were one. there was no separation because when you skated you were emulating surfing… unless you were into “spinning” or “wiggling”, in which case, (with the exception of Rodney Mullen) you were a skater, but you were completely missing the point in my opinion.

As skating grew
Over the years, as skateboarding morphed into what it’s become… there were outside influences brought to the table, and as skating grew so too did the gap between the earlier surfing influence and the newer ultra-rad or extreme practitioners.

A new culture
It’s been my mission to bring the child back to the mother. Regardless of whether you’re a surfer or not, when you ride a skate, even in the most contemporary “street” style imaginable… you’re using the same basic body positioning and muscle memory as you do when you surf, so why the separation? I believe the blame falls squarely on the shoulders of the marketing gurus and the salesmen and women who so desired to make a living from the thing they loved most. There wasn’t enough room for all of them in one industry… so they intentionally sold the separation to their followers in order to create a new marketplace… a new culture to sell to the youth of America and the rest of the world.

A surfer who skates, or a skater who surfs
Fast forward to today and we see the result as an uneasy dynamic in which a surfer who skates, or a skater who surfs is usually unwilling to admit to being both, at least publicly. I’ve seen surfers claim skating was lame while standing in front of other surfers… then, once the surf had gone flat, surprise! It’s the same person at the skate park with a skate? I think the surfers are a bit jilted now that they have to admit to being the followers rather than the leaders.

We surfers and skaters are one in the same
Personally, I think it’s all kind of stupid, and in a way, it’s a reflection of the “society of separation” we live in. I say, if you’re a skater, you’re a surfer whether you realize it or not, and if you’re a surfer… I know you skate dude, so stop trying to act like you’re so pure. We surfers and skaters are one in the same and it’s time to celebrate it, not avoid it, or sweep the truth under the rug in the name of profit. Why not sell both to the youth? Why not sell the connection as opposed to the separation?