The words are uttered so often that they tend to carry little weight: “(insert activity here) is more art than sport.” Or some variation of that logic, reminding us that getting on a board can be a form of self expression first and foremost, rather than another generic form of exercise.
I’m reminded of the latter more times than the former every time I surf. Very few people really try to deviate from the norm. Same old turns. Similar postures. Shit, for the most part we’re all on the same equipment, ultimately attempting to do exactly what the guy next to us is doing. Like I said, it’s generic.
But every once in a while somebody catches our eye in the lineup, cruising down the street or the hill, with a little bit (or a lot) of that magic word: style. It’s inspiring. It makes you look at a wave completely different, or whichever craft it is you ride. But I don’t think “style” even does this guy justice. It does, however, bring us back to the philosophy of getting on a board and creating art – something for the rest of us to sit and appreciate. And there’s nothing cliché about that for once.
