He saw surfing as a competition against the world, but that is how we all see surfing when we are trying to be the best in the water. When I play a sport that I love I always try and be the best that I can be, so I can impress others and people can realize how much I care. So when people have the nerve to tell you that you are bad at what you love, or limit you from becoming the best the results may be a like a punch in the face. We were both out there to try and get better every day. I think the local was trying to show me a little discipline not a punishment. Making sure I not only respected the ocean but also the people on it. .
Now, I can say that I deserved that punch to help me realize that I surf for the enjoyment of being in the water and surfing, not to be better than anyone else. When we strive at something especially when we are young, our peers always advise us, "If you practice, you could become the best." Then they compare you to some great person in that particular sport. Parents or coaches engrave this persona that maybe if you try your hardest and if you love it, you can be the best. But when we don't give it our all or try hard enough, you'll never be the best. This, in my mind, is BS. I just wanted to have fun. I can now say I don't want to be the best. Opinions may be I just got scared or knocked down and I just didn't want to get up. Or, I was a wimp and didn't want to get up and give it an effort. My question is why get up if it is super comfy on the ground? I can say it takes a little smack in the nose to knock me down and to see surfing from a different perspective maybe even from the ground. Competition in my eyes was getting between my love for surfing. When it becomes there job it adds stress and practice and dedication and hate in some aspects. I can find a way to think about surfing like it is everyday life. For instance, every time a wave goes by I think of it as a cute girl walking by.