If you didn’t track it, does it even count?
Why did you first get into surfing? Was it because you loved the ocean? Because you watched CT contests on television and wanted to rip like the athletes that filled your screen? Maybe you wanted a fun way to get in a good workout? Regardless of your reason, it probably had nothing to do with statistics or wave count.
These days, it seems like if we don’t document it, it doesn’t count. Left your Apple watch at home? Might as well just forget paddling out. Didn’t get a photo? Did you even go, brah?
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Whatever happened to surfing for the love of surfing?
Don’t get me wrong, I love tracking my sessions. I originally got my Garmin watch for running but was a fan of the fact that it could track my surfs as well. After each session, it tells me my total wave count, maximum speed, longest wave, distance on each wave, and my total surf time. I love nerding out over the stats and keeping track of my sessions.
The author, adding another wave to her wave count. Photo: Tommy Pierucki
The Garmin Connect app also allows me to connect with my surf buddies and see their sessions when they sync their watches. I’ve found the longer I’ve had my watch, the more competitive I’ve become with my friends and myself. I want to get the most waves, the fastest max speed, and log the most sessions each week. Pre smart watches, you would have no idea who scored the most waves, unless you were keeping track. And who did that? And an even better question: does it even matter?
Sometimes, I think tracking my sessions is a good thing. It pushes me to charge harder and try to catch more waves, which will ultimately only help my surfing improve. But sometimes, I’ll sit in crap conditions to meet my self-enforced ten wave quota or one hour minimum. Wouldn’t it be a better use of my time to go home and get chores or work done so I can surf longer when prime conditions roll through? Logic would say yes, and yet, I’m still that girl sitting in 30 mph wind, shivering in my wetsuit in the name of catching one more wave.
Some days, I feel like a failure because I only caught three waves. There may have been long waits between sets and they may have been the best three waves of my life, but I’ll leave hanging my head because it was still only three waves (what will my friends on Garmin think?).
The author, stripping down and surfing naked. Photo: Beau Blake
Don’t get me wrong, I still love surfing. But lately, I’ve been thinking about my obsession for tracking my sessions and how it may not be entirely healthy. Our society is already obsessed with social media and constant comparison—I don’t want surfing to fall into the category.
So, I’d like to propose an idea: try surfing naked. Not in your birthday suit naked (you do you, though) but without your watch or any form of technology. Leave your watch at home, leave your phone in the car, and simply paddle out. Immerse yourself in conversation with your friends, sit back and drink in the view, and surf simply for the love of surfing.
"Opinion" - Google News
May 02, 2022 at 06:33AM
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Opinion: We Are Over Tracking Our Sessions - TheInertia.com
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