Two interesting articles popped up recently, both dealing with the equipment restrictions professional athletes face. One relates to surfing, the other golf.
The difference is that golfers want to expand their club options to get better, while pro surfers are afraid to think outside the box for fear of being scored lower. (Ask iconoclasts like Tommy Curren and Cheyne Horan about that.)
What's interesting about Mick Fanning's transformation into an "experimental free surfer" is that pro surfing has presented itself as the undisputed leading edge of surf design for decades. And, at times, that's been true. But pro contests have long ago de-evolved into a cookie cutter factory of both boards and riding styles...to the point where judges are judged by their ability to agree with the consensus of the other judges. Not exactly a petri dish for progressive thought, is it?
No comments:
Post a Comment