From: cnquinn@spectrum.cs.unsw.oz.au (Clark Quinn)
Subject: Re: Joining the Crew (finally)
Reply-To: cnquinn@spectrum.cs.unsw.oz.au (Clark Quinn)
Organization: none
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 00:56:34 GMT

In article <1992Aug24.193643.2512@nic.csu.net> mtemple@calstatela.edu writes:
>
>> Joining the Crew (finaly)

Welcome.

>
>Which crew do you mean? csula has a sponge/stand up crew
>made up of students, faculty, staff, and assoicated riff-raff

The alt.surf crew, obviously.  Sheesh, some people, putting sponges in
the same sentence as stand-ups.... 
 
>> I went surfing for the first time last week, ...
>> I have lived by the water all my life and have done other water/surf
>> sports (ie. bodysurfing, sponging etc..), 

Hooray!
 
>what do you call what you have been doing in in the water
>are you one of those that thinks that riding waves on anything other 
>then a fiberglass board shorter then 6'8" just ain't "SURFING"

Pay no attention to him, he's just jealous.
 
>> I keep slipping off my board 
 
>there is something called "wax", used on boards, both body and hard

It's more complex than that.  One of the hard things is figuring out
where on the board to be, both paddling and standing.  In paddling,
you'd like to have the nose of the board a couple of cm's (or roughly an
inch) out of the water.  To far forward, you're liable to sink the nose,
too far back and you're pushing water.  

These days, too, more people are getting rubber pads on the deck for
traction.  I may have to try it myself, had it on a used board I owned
and it didn't seem too bad.  Any comments on the stuff?  It seems like
it would be a big win for the deck, since one of the first symptoms of
board wear is deck softening under the rear foot.  However, wax does
help if you're riding a bare board.  Of course, it's a little hard on
certain parts of the body...

Standing's even harder, but you've probably already figured out which
stance you are (regular or goofy foot).  It's just a matter of putting
the forward foot probably a bit ahead of the midline and the rear foot
roughly over or slightly ahead of the fins.  Use a wide stance at
first, for stability.

>> and it is hard for me to duck under the big 
>> sets (big to me) when they come and I find myself doing the tumble!!  
>> Also, I don't feel 100% comfortable balancing (is that normal?)  etc...  
>> I just want to know if these problems are normal??  

>unless you'e skateboarded, snowboarded or stood on a log in a pond for a good 
>part of your life, it would seem perfectly normal that you feel uncomfortable 
>standing on a piece of foam-n-glass moving across the face of a wave

Or even trying to balance on one while paddling.  The minor adjustments
with your weight that become second nature as your surfing skill
progresses are not quickly acquired.  It'll take awhile and in the
meantime your legs will be spread wide trying to accomplish the same
thing.  It's perfectly natural and an (unfortunate) sure sign of a
beginner.  No worries, everyone went through it.  Tell that to anyone
who gives you grief.

>> Does anyone have a suggestion for a beginners board to start off with?
 
>hunington surf-n-sport rents 8' bz foam boards for $20/day

Not a bad idea for a beginner.  They're stable, forgiving, and soft
when you fall.  For total beginners, start catching and riding the
white-water prone until you get the position right and the feel of the
acceleration of the wave.  Since you already have that from sponging,
still ride the white water while you get the feel of standing up as the
wave starts moving you, then when you can do that reliably, start
trying to control the board moving left and right and straightening it
back out again.  Again, once that's reliable, you're ready to move
along with the curl.

That's the way I'd suggest acquiring the skills.  I'm sure someone will
disagree, but I'll throw my PhD in Psychology (with learning as one focus
area) in their face and tell them to piss off :-).  -- Clark

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 _--_|\    Clark N. Quinn
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           "A California Yankee in the Land of Oz"