Why do you Kneeboard?

frog · Post by **frog** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 8:49 am

Back in the '70. A bunch of us guys from ELA started to learn how to surf. As we were trying to learn to stand-up. I just counldn't get the hang of it. I could padded out into the line up and take off. But I could never stand up!!!..hated it.

In fact when my 8' board hit me in the mouth at Rincon on a big day. I came out of the water. As I was sitting at the point bum out!

I look up I saw this guy on a funny looking kneeboard. He was ripping up the point!!!

He was getting tube! Dropping in late on these huge waves. He was making turn up and down the face of the waves!!! He made most of the section down the line up. I was at agh....

As I sat there I told myself I could that!!!

I found out later the guy was George Greenough! "My Hero"!!!!

So when I got back home I got myself a kneeboard from this girl. I was 4'-10 twin fin square tail. My first waves I took off drop it and got tube!!!
I was hooked!!!

My friend don't surf anymore. But I never lost the love of kneeboarding. And never will. I could go on and on!!! We kneelo are differant from the rest. And I like it that way! Only a kneeboarder know how it feel. Sometime there no words to explain it When that tube fold over you...PRICELESS...

shew · Post by **shew** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 3:30 pm

I Kneeboard because I have to, I need to, and I want to. I've already missed a week because there were no waves and I'm going nuts. It always makes my day better when I get some time in the water, whether its 1' or 6', I always feel better after a surf.

budgie · Post by **budgie** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 1:15 am

I LOVE the Greenough connection to a few postings,

he has been a big insiration and I wonder if he knows it.

I have never met him, though I know some who have.

Can you have a contest in Memory of someone alive?

or

Can you have a contest and invite HIM (GG) and get to meet hm and .......

or

Does he not give a hoot about us?

George Greenough THANKS for inspiring me.

RMcKnee · Post by **RMcKnee** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 1:39 am

tomway · Post by **tomway** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 2:06 am

shew wrote:I Kneeboard because I have to, I need to, and I want to. I've already missed a week because there were no waves and I'm going nuts. It always makes my day better when I get some time in the water, whether its 1' or 6', I always feel better after a surf.

I agree with pretty much everything everyone has written so far, but I think you've got the brass tacks of it. We're all freakin' addicted... and when we don't get the fix we go around like strung out junkies until we do. Probably unlike junkies we're mostly proud of the addiction.

Did anyone read an Andrew Kidman essay about the selfishness of being a surfer a few years back? Made me feel quite uncomfortable...

bdwqld · Post by **bdwqld** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 2:43 am

You have to ask???????

Howard Lorney · Post by **Howard Lorney** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 12:16 am

Budgie, I was reading through Switch-foot the other day and found the following; George Greenough was once asked, 'What would you have liked to see if you had control over the direction of the surfing industry from the late 60's until today.'

He replied 'Wouldn't be any competitions I'll tell you that. It would be people getting surfboards and going out and having fun......'

Another quote of George was 'surfing is something you go to do for fun with your friends'

So I guess a comp is probably out of the question.

Haven't ever competed myself but dont have anything against them.

kneemor · Post by **kneemor** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 11:24 am

Because sometimes I am too lazy to stand.

southpeakbrad · Post by **southpeakbrad** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 8:15 am

I love the feeling! I often think that in a way it's kind of like the Magic Carpet Ride dreams I had as a kid. Soaring through the sky was an incredible feeling. So, maybe it's being so close to the wave, or the fact that you ride a kneeboard just like you could a magic carpet. Then, to get a wave that stands up and races down the line allowing you to drive hard off the bottom then carve off the top, or shoot out onto the shoulder and then carve a nice roundhouse, or stall into a nice tube ride (I don't remember ever getting tubed by the clouds

). Yeah, I think it's the feeling

...and the other reason is the being different part. Stand ups so often don't get it but we just

and know we've got something special

Mark Ramirez · Post by **Mark Ramirez** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 9:08 am

For me personaly, I began as a stand-up surfer. Some friends of mine were already kneeboarding, so we did the "let's swap boards" thing, and from then on I was hooked. It seemed like it was easier to learn but harder to progress, but I've been hooked ever since. At first, it felt like a really fast roller-coaster, and I just held on for dear life! Now it's like driving a Formula 1 race car but I can now control the steering and the speed. It's fun, and it's one of the greatest sensations.

kidrock · Post by **kidrock** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 9:22 am

Mark Ramirez wrote:It seemed like it was easier to learn but harder to progress, but I've been hooked ever since. At first, it felt like a really fast roller-coaster, and I just held on for dear life! Now it's like driving a Formula 1 race car but I can now control the steering and the speed. It's fun, and it's one of the greatest sensations.

That is probably the best analogy I've ever heard..."really fast roller coaster" and "easier to learn but harder to progress". I never really could put it into words, and you just NAILED it dude.

Mark Ramirez · Post by **Mark Ramirez** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 9:31 am

Why thanks kid, I didn't think that what I said was going to get posted! My computer froze on me and I had to reboote-it.

__________________________________________
original charter member of the hospital-'shoes crew!

szrbloke · Post by **szrbloke** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 10:11 am

I'm a boogie convert around 1984 or so. Started bodysurfing like we all do in Oz if you live on the coast, then a Morey "North Shore" which I instictively kneeled on.....

Then I saw Baden and Andrew Smith at North Avoca and next day went to Ricks shop in Gosford and bought an Aware Knees twin.

I do it because I love it, because its fun, its a source of great joy in my life, and because kneelos are MY kind of eccentrics...

DEZDIG · Post by **DEZDIG** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 10:01 am

This is a tough question to answer, I’ve thought about it for a couple weeks now. When I’m in the water and out, I ask myself why do I kneeboard? Or I ask myself why don’t I stand-up surf? I kind of had a thought into why I do this, besides the obvious reasons. Great work out, get to hang out at the beach all day, travel to different places, and being part of the ocean, this can be said for stand-ups also. After watching the Oceanside, Ventura, and Steamer contest it came to me. For stand-ups it’s all about the same thing or they all seem the same, shortboard, longboard, or any board it’s all the same. I watch stand-ups and five guys will get waves and they all seem the ride the wave the same way. After watching many kneelos through the contest, everyone has their own style, their own way of riding the waves. Some may be similar but still different such as an artist. You can watch five kneelos ride waves and all five will ride the wave different. There are many painters in the world, some have similar styles but different. To me kneeboard surfing is an art form; we all have our own style of riding waves. Even though stand-up has progressed quite a bit with aerials and other maneuvers, they all try doing the same as the next, coping the pro’s. We don’t have that, we all learn on our own, and progress with time in our own style, such as an artist. I have never stand-up surfed, maybe they feel this way also but I don’t think so. My stand-up friends ask me, “you kneeboard really good way don’t you stand-up, you would rip” I smile and just say “because I kneeboard”. So to me why do I kneeboard? Because it’s and art form that only kneeboarders can understand.

Anthony A.