Darrell Wong photo
It seems that everybody around at the beginning of stand up wants to claim that they were the one that started the whole thing. Who cares, no one is giving away awards for the one that is responsible for it all. There’s no cash bonuses being handed out, even if we all did agree one person is the most responsible, then what. Is there a parade, or a big sponsorship waiting? I don’t think so. Does that person get a hall pass at any surf break he wants? If so I want to be that person, but unfortunately I’m pretty sure there’s no hall passes being handed out.
Is it a matter of recognition? Maybe, but let’s examine that for a moment. The most I can ever see is an honorable mention at a future stand up hall of fame. We know there will never be an honorable mention at the surfing hall of fame, they can’t stand us. Who would that be anyway? Do you take it all the way back to John Zapotaky. While I’m sure he enjoyed it, it didn’t exactly take off from his involvement. How about back to the Duke, he’s the one that showed Zapotaky. Or do you go all the way back to the ancient Hawaiians? There’s just no question they did stand up paddle surfing. Even though there is no photographic evidence that they were doing stand up paddle surfing, they were all paddlers. Is there even the slightest chance they failed to put paddle and surfboard together? Surely it would have been done by at least a few of them, and probably the folks that stuck with prone paddling complained that they were hogging all the waves.At least they probably didn’t get grief about having dangerously big boards. ALL the boards were dangerously big.
Then there’s these guys:
The Peruvians also have a legitimate claim in their Tortoras and I’m sure they’re not the only indigenous people to discover this mode of transportation. So I guess it depends how far you want to go back to give credit. Again even if we designate one person or group prior to Laird’s involvement, the sport didn’t exactly take off.
No matter what your perspective of Laird is, to me there is no question he was the tipping point factor that got the sport to the masses. Did he do it alone, absolutely not, would it be where it is now with out him, absolutely not. You have to admit that Laird has transcended surfing and has become a bona fide celebrity. Whatever he does draws attention, whether it’s stand up or just standing on the beach. He draws a crowd and I’ve seen it first hand over and over again. And even though I was there on the first day he and I did it together, the likes of Jennifer Aniston and Pierce Brosnin aren’t going to try it because Dave Kalama does it.
The real beauty of all that is the guy most deserving of the recognition could care less about it, He’s much too busy doing it.
Is the first domino the most important or is the domino that spreads the single file line into a sprawling fan of dominos the most important. Like I said, who cares. The important thing is that the dominos are falling and spreading at an incredible rate. So try as you might to get the magnifying glass at one point, you’d be missing all the beauty of the bigger picture. I guess the people that like to argue can argue over this for quite some time because from what I can see, there is no one to give ultimate responsibility to. To some degree it really is and has been a team effort to get this message of stand up out to the world. Not so one person can wave his flag and say it started with me. Instead we can all fly the flag of this great sport and share it’s benefits to help make the world a little better, even if it’s for an hour or two, or as long as you are on the water.
Sure, I would like to say I’m the guy as much as the next guy, but even if I were, so what, I wouldn’t get a prize, I don’t get to drive in the carpool lane by myself, guys aren’t going to give me more waves because of it, fellow competitors aren’t going to let me win the race because of it, my mortgage company isn’t going to say ” Hey your all good, don’t worry about the loan, we’ll cover it for you”. It ultimately serves no real purpose. I’m just glad I’m one of the lucky ones that get’s to do this sport as my job. So while I might not be “the” guy, I am the guy that’s on the water as much as anybody, which is good enough for me.
Aloha,
Dave
Well said there, buddy!
Dave,
Sports like stand up and surfing become timeless and ubiquitous because the purity of the activity itself just takes care of everything. Its sort of like running…do we really need a “first” to know that it’s just an amazing thing to be able to do? The ones who really matter are the ambassadors – people like you, Laird and others who live the message and pass on the stories and knowledge to others.
Many thanks for this great site and your time spent on it!
Chris
Right on!
Like you said “WHO CARES”
I am in it for the fun and entertainment I get from this wonderful sport.
Its certainly not the money thats for sure because I have not made any.
My addiction to SUP has cost me heaps of money in boards paddles and gear to keep up the addiction. It also cost me relationships and friendships
which makes me a SUP addict
I need a fix now see you in the water.
“You don’t need to be famous to be considered great. You just have to have heart!”
Having Heart: Vital to Achieving Greatness!”
You got it man!
For what it’s worth, Laird’s probably doesn’t drink Guinness so I never check his blog!
Love this artical, you hit it right on the head. Why is there allways so much drama around this sport! I would also like to know what you think about the Orange County SUP nightmare?
carpool lane in Maui?
No he doesn’t, but it’s worth taking a peek at now and then.
Unfortunately, I’m not that familiar with the situation.
I was thinking of the 405 in southern Cal. when I said that.
If there are people who care or are complaining about who started the SUP industry, no one is listening. >:)
Nice try on being all humble, Dave, but we all know you’re “The Man”, dude!
Funny, no I was referring to in Orange County they are starting to restrict SUP’s near shore calling them vessels have you heard any of this? Oh ya and when you said 405 it gave me chills yuck!
I think of it more in Jared “Guns, Germs and Steel” Diamond terms: the pieces were always lying around, but there had to be a couple of catalytic events. What I’d fling into the mix here is that EPS/epoxy construction and cheap carbon fiber made it possible for people who weren’t muscled-out Daves or Lairds just to lug the stuff off the board racks and onto the beach. That seems huge to me. Little five-foot-nothing yoga instructor women in Topanga or Kailua can get involved without tearing a hamstring. Another thing that comes to mind is that prone surfing has become, historically speaking, really hostile to newcomers — how many naive, trusting, starry-eyed enthusiasts have bought their first longboard, paddled out at Surfrider, and promptly been kicked in the teeth by Joe Local McAggronar? And SUP just glides you right around that — paddle out at some nothin’ beach break or some flat lagoon, and you’re having a great time without having to pay all those up-front dues of pain and humiliation and initiation, and you can ease into the whole scene and progress at your own pace. For sure, there’s the evangelism — Laird’s actually given me pointers at Little Dume, which is really kind of awesome, and you, Dave, are outrageously accessible and helpful here and at your Kamp (I wanna go sometime…) So, like everything else, people are looking for a Messiah narrative, the Promethean who brings fire to mortals, blah blah. The facts are always muddier, more subtle, with way more than enough credit to go around.
Just my two cents…
This is a great article. Really great. I once did something when I was 21 that people remark about to me even now at 60. But I can’t even relate. That 21 yr old was tough. Most 21 yr olds are tough and adventurous. But this 60 yr old isn’t even close to that person anymore. Not the same body or mind. Plus I don’t want to be attached to something I did so long ago or yesterday for that matter. I think the thrust of this article is so positive thinking about what you’re going to do today. The past dies immediately like the track of a wave that has just been ridden. A fading memory and then it’s gone. There’s only this moment… Yes absolutely. Who cares?
Dave – great post. I have a Harper’s Weekly Magazine from 1874 with an illustration of an “Indian Canoe Race” – the competitors are standing in their canoes, paddling. Islanders and inlanders alike have been doing it for longer than anyone claiming they invented it…
It’s important to respect the sport’s history and origin(s), AND it’s important to celebrate and thank those who, in the modern era, promote it and make it accessible to all comers. So even though you don’t get a prize, at least take a “thank you” for helping SUP get to where it is today.
Josh
dave,
your right, who cares! sup has made lots of people stoked, and thats what really matters, we need more stoke and aloha. Also, we met in Magnolia at your wedding. I was the bartender servering you pinot grigio on the rocks and the others cold coronas. It was a good time. I plan on paddling the molokia this year in the prone paddling class and would love some advice and also have some questions for you. Keep inspiring.
I SUP because Dave Kalama does it.
So there, Jennifer Aniston.