10ft class?

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tha dogman said..
Nah dont agree.....

Leave it 10ft for the pureness of a gigantic block of foam that behaves badly with a paddle

Back to the roots of sup

The tanker class!!!!

Gives us pie eaters a bit of an advantage over all you fricken whippets

Yep 10' of fat foam pureness!! Long live the 10' tanker division - it look likes it is here to stay!

The original idea of the class was to help make surf comps accessible to the average guy or girl to compete and get started without being whipped by semi pro's riding the smallest board they can get your hands on - generally customs and a race to come up with a new board every few months to take out the competition.
There is absolutely a place for the open class but for the average guy or girl it is both daunting and demoralising to turn up to these events. Going under 10' defeats the original concept. There are plenty of crew who would be happy with a 10'6 division as well.
10' seemed like a nice compromise.

Basically it has to start with the clubs and events. If your club has the man power to run extra divisions then, go for it.
It will take man power and everyone has great ideas but is not always willing to sit on a chair for hours judging till 3 in the afternoon.

A the end of the day this was a small idea in one club that seems to have taken off.
If you want to grow this class and add divisions to your your club, then get on it and see where it goes. The numbers will tell the story.

If it does takes off then it will be a much stronger argument to add another division at say, the sate level.

For now though the interest in the 10' division seems to be unstoppable as it takes many of us back to why we got into the sport in the first place - wielding big junks of foam around with big smiles on our faces in any conditions!

The only "dim wits" are people without enough imagination to take in consideration any other point of view than there own.
Long live free speach!

Think weilding big junks of foam and smiles is the go, no one is questioning that. Its just a question if this can be done even better on a 9'6" or 9'0"!

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Piros said..

husq2100 said..

maybe the likes of JC and Beau Nixon arent much good on long boards.....

Serg that has to be the faux par of the year , or was that tongue in cheek ? You know they were both professional long boarders before they switched to Sup.

After reading AA's post above it has swayed me back to the 10-0+... he's right

It was to get you to think about what I think is the underlying issue for new people competing. Not just having a go, but doing so at a somewhat fair level of competition. Whether it board length, board dimensions, or custom/pop out, the only reason a person would be concerend about those, in a comp, is driven by not wanting to be made to look stupid.

Alot will say its for the stoke, for the fun, but that is not all. Hell, its a COMP after all. I have stoke and fun everytime I get my feet wet, if I were to go in a comp, I dont expect to win, but I dont want to look like a kook either! (maybe not possible )

JC or BN, wont matter the rules outlineing the comp, they will blow up on your dunny door. I know there are clubs doing these comps, but at a state titles, having the top guys/girls there and having a "community" comp for all to enter, could shy some people off.

re the board length, and this does not favour me. I say stick with 10ft

I used to have a 10'and now have a 9'7. So, I'll have to buy a new board, but I'm cool with that for the greater good of the team. This egotistical short sup thing makes me laugh and I say some look like a tosser paddling non-stop around up to your ankles and then take off on a wave and do no more than survive the drop then point down the line and that's it. I say, ditch the paddle and the shortsup and you would have had more fun on a surfboard [log], or on a 10'' sup and do some styling. So, yep, 10' sup and no bum wrigglers allowed. Some of those bums are too big for that wriggling anyways.
Could have minimum measurement too , including the 1' from tail and nose measurements to keep that wide nose. So maybe 10'x 30"x 4.5" and nose/tail measurements ?? The narrower the tail the more snappier it'll be . It's the nose that is important for those toes...all ten hanging

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warwickl said..
Is all this a longer term move to a split similar to short board and long board surfboard clubs and competitions?

maybe, unintentionally...
I think the people behind the push are genuine in their motive to get more punters involved and grow the sport. Whilst there is some similarities to prone surfing there is also a difference. In the end the bigger SUPS will be the majority, unlike prone surfing.

All this talk of 10ft etc, some of us found that this worked better for ourselves a while ago. Even to the point of getting custom long board sups made

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bradsdubs said...
The thread is actually about discussing whether we have a 10' class, or thereabouts, and thus having a point of comparison if it's mildly competitive.

That it is but you chucked in the attack on short sup riders so guess what the thread got diverted.If you have read the whole thread I posted earlier that I think it should be a bit more inclusive than just 10 ft and over, if it looks like a long board and is surfed like a long board is it not a long board?

another angle...

If my memory and experience in the mid 60s is accurate, I am pretty sure that the classic longboards were all between 9'6 and 9'8"
All that says is, the classic longboard "style" evolved because of the length and weight.
The heavy, slow turning boards, required very specific weight shifts and movement to make a snappy turn
and forward and backward movement to move from a turning point to a trim point.

Creative surfers used style and flair to achieve all the necessary movement.
Noseriding was a "trick" to push perfect trim and board control to the extreme.

Longboarding's classic style became "the" goal of every surfer
The act of making the necessary "Big" moves with maximum style and class is what define's longboarding

When I began riding the new "high performance" longboards in the 80's, style was compromise a bit because the boards were shortened to 9' and were much lighter.
Chines and better rocker made them super high performing and made it much more in line with shortboard type moves.
Vert, airs, floaters...... with some noseriding done with classic flair.
Modern high performance longboarding is a great way to surf, but I found myself losing a lot of the forced style and tempo of a larger board..... I was always in "Shortboard" mind.

Thoughts on 10'
Keeping the 10'+ rule will help keep a bit more classic style in these SUP comps, as well as keep it open to more folks.
But, 10'+ is just a number
My current 10'6 needs to be "styled" through big turns
My next LB SUP will be 10' x 29" at 139 L
So it will fit in the "high performance" class..... like I said... just a number

But for LB SUP's..... the number 10 is a aligned more with "historic" longboard surfing
9' seems like potential for a much higher level of performance..... and thus out of reach for the masses.

Agree with supthecreeks take on history of longboards and JB's follow up, immediately above. You need the line in the sand , say 10'+ [just a number, really], and then competition rules [more importantly] that facilitate more points for styling/noseriding etc which would then predetermine board style/design. [but it needs to fun competition..very important].

I do apologise to you, beerssup, if my short sup comments got the wind up you. The bum wiggling comment is an typical longboarders comment in regard to shortboarders, which probably displays nothing more than my envy of someone with such sublime shortboard skill as per Kelly Slater or Kai Lenny on a short sup..

For me, there is something really appealing about a surf sup that will float you, whereby you don't have to be paddling all the time just to stay upright or above water level while waiting for a set. Take in the environment , take time to give the time of day to other paddlers and surfers....that's why prone longboarding has grown so much..it's just fun as...

The interest that has been shown at events on 10+ class, as evidenced by people's physical presence at those events proves one thing...we need to capture the moment that involves the many, and not continue to focus from afar, on just the few....

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paul.j said...
For something that seems so poplar in NSW seems to not be so in QLD with only 6 people entered in the 10ft comp at the QLD tittles, so maybe up here something else might have to be looked at to getting more involved? My guess is the Commuinty event is the 10ft event?

I dont think a community event at a state titles is a good gage. At club level,building, i think it wouldbe more popular

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husq2100 said..

paul.j said...
For something that seems so poplar in NSW seems to not be so in QLD with only 6 people entered in the 10ft comp at the QLD tittles, so maybe up here something else might have to be looked at to getting more involved? My guess is the Commuinty event is the 10ft event?

I dont think a community event at a state titles is a good gage. At club level,building, i think it wouldbe more popular

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husq2100 said..

paul.j said...
For something that seems so poplar in NSW seems to not be so in QLD with only 6 people entered in the 10ft comp at the QLD tittles, so maybe up here something else might have to be looked at to getting more involved? My guess is the Commuinty event is the 10ft event?

I dont think a community event at a state titles is a good gage. At club level,building, i think it wouldbe more popular

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husq2100 said..

paul.j said...
For something that seems so poplar in NSW seems to not be so in QLD with only 6 people entered in the 10ft comp at the QLD tittles, so maybe up here something else might have to be looked at to getting more involved? My guess is the Commuinty event is the 10ft event?

I dont think a community event at a state titles is a good gage. At club level,building, i think it wouldbe more popular

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husq2100 said..

paul.j said...
For something that seems so poplar in NSW seems to not be so in QLD with only 6 people entered in the 10ft comp at the QLD tittles, so maybe up here something else might have to be looked at to getting more involved? My guess is the Commuinty event is the 10ft event?

I dont think a community event at a state titles is a good gage. At club level,building, i think it wouldbe more popular

Select to expand quote

husq2100 said..

paul.j said...
For something that seems so poplar in NSW seems to not be so in QLD with only 6 people entered in the 10ft comp at the QLD tittles, so maybe up here something else might have to be looked at to getting more involved? My guess is the Commuinty event is the 10ft event?

I dont think a community event at a state titles is a good gage. At club level,building, i think it wouldbe more popular

Select to expand quote

husq2100 said..

paul.j said...
For something that seems so poplar in NSW seems to not be so in QLD with only 6 people entered in the 10ft comp at the QLD tittles, so maybe up here something else might have to be looked at to getting more involved? My guess is the Commuinty event is the 10ft event?

I dont think a community event at a state titles is a good gage. At club level,building, i think it wouldbe more popular

I think the cost may have had a bearing on numbers , $65 for the main event $50 for the 10 comp + membership.So if your not a **** hot surfer like me , you may only get to surf one or two heats and your done. A lot of coin to have one or two 20 min surfs.Any way thats why i didnt enter. Looks like the swell is building so hopefully for once a comp with cracking waves.

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paul.j said..
For something that seems so poplar in NSW seems to not be so in QLD with only 6 people entered in the 10ft comp at the QLD tittles, so maybe up here something else might have to be looked at to getting more involved? My guess is the Commuinty event is the 10ft event?

Sounds like the same story we have heard before with 12'6 but in reverse. The only people who paddle them are in QLD and not in the rest of the country.

Nope, that's for another rainy day.

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paul.j said..
For something that seems so poplar in NSW seems to not be so in QLD with only 6 people entered in the 10ft comp at the QLD tittles, so maybe up here something else might have to be looked at to getting more involved? My guess is the Commuinty event is the 10ft event?

But you guys have always been slow to take things up.

After more consideration and another beer I think Jacko might be on to something. 9ft + is the go.

Simple, encompasses the majority and only leaves out the sub 9 footers who are surfing more short board like anyway. Everyone wins. (except possibly the guy on the 10footer ;)

You guys on the Goldy still always tech out and complain too much but. Haha!

Luke

They had on beach entries today for the 10-0 class , it would have been way more than 11 but conditions were just so bad. The girls got swept 300m away from the comp area in the first 5 min. It was nasty conditions and not good for longboards. I had my 14 yr old daughter there plus I was going to enter but it was a hell rip rushing across a shallow close out bank. No fault of surfing Qld morning conditions were perfect but by 10 am it all turn to hell with soft offshore winds switching to a nuking Southerly combined with the low tide.The 10 class was much later in the day.