• Support
  • Advertise
  • Locations
  • Contact
Saturday, June 3, 2023
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTERS
Dana Point Times
  • Calendar
    • Event Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Sections
    • Eye On DP
    • Soapbox
      • Submit A Letter
    • Getting Out
    • DP Living
    • Sports & Outdoors
    • DP Surf
    • San Clemente Times
    • Capistrano Dispatch
  • Digital Edition
  • Best of DP
  • Legals & Classifieds
    • Locals Only Business Directory
    • Classified
    • Submit a Classified
    • Obituaries
    • Announcements
    • Legal & Public Notice Advertising
    • Legal Notices
  • Special Publications
    • A New You
    • Aging Well
    • Best of Dana Point
    • Crib to College
    • Dana Point Trolley Information & Route Map
    • Dolphin Football Preview
    • Festival of Whales Event Guide
    • Go See Do
    • Good Eats
    • Holiday Happenings & Gift Guide
    • Home Improvement Guide
    • Money Matters
    • Ocean Institute Jazz Festival Fundraiser
    • Summer Camp Guide
    • Swallows Day Parade & Mercado Event Guide
    • The Green Issue
    • Turkey Trot Event Guide
  • DP Guide
  • Real Estate
    • South County Real Estate Guide
    • Real Estate – Who’s Who
  • Calendar
    • Event Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Sections
    • Eye On DP
    • Soapbox
      • Submit A Letter
    • Getting Out
    • DP Living
    • Sports & Outdoors
    • DP Surf
    • San Clemente Times
    • Capistrano Dispatch
  • Digital Edition
  • Best of DP
  • Legals & Classifieds
    • Locals Only Business Directory
    • Classified
    • Submit a Classified
    • Obituaries
    • Announcements
    • Legal & Public Notice Advertising
    • Legal Notices
  • Special Publications
    • A New You
    • Aging Well
    • Best of Dana Point
    • Crib to College
    • Dana Point Trolley Information & Route Map
    • Dolphin Football Preview
    • Festival of Whales Event Guide
    • Go See Do
    • Good Eats
    • Holiday Happenings & Gift Guide
    • Home Improvement Guide
    • Money Matters
    • Ocean Institute Jazz Festival Fundraiser
    • Summer Camp Guide
    • Swallows Day Parade & Mercado Event Guide
    • The Green Issue
    • Turkey Trot Event Guide
  • DP Guide
  • Real Estate
    • South County Real Estate Guide
    • Real Estate – Who’s Who
No Result
View All Result
Dana Point Times
No Result
View All Result

Are Wave Pools Really The Future of Surfing?

by Dana Point Times
May 18, 2018 5:00AM
in EYE ON DP, News Headlines

Kolohe Andino surfing as a member of Team USA during Qualifying Run 3 of the 2018 Founders Cup at the WSL Surf Ranch in Lemoore, CA, USA.

0
SHARES
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Thoughts from the recent WSL Founders’ Cup in California’s landlocked Central Valley

By Jake Howard

The smell of cattle and dust lingers in the stiflingly evening air. It’s 95 degrees as the sun two-steps with the horizon. There’s not a breath of wind. The local casino’s doing brisk business cashing in on regulars’ social security checks. Former world champ Joel Parkinson takes a seat at a blackjack table, with a black, 10-gallon cowboy hat perched on his head.

On the back lawn, a woman sings Waylon Jennings tunes while her backup band infuses the airwaves with a honky-tonk twang. It’s a fitting soundtrack as we’re only an hour outside of Bakersfield, home of Merle Haggard and Buck Owens. This is what Saturday night in Lemoore looks like during the inaugural WSL Founders’ Cup at Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch.

In recent weeks, the surf spotlight has shown brightly on advancements in wave pool technology. In the midst of the contest in Lemoore, another wave pool facility in Waco, Texas strategically released a string of video clips heralding their rendition of a freshwater wedge. As they say, social media’s been blowing up ever since.

Considering how bad the surf around San Clemente and Dana Point has been in recent months, both pools look like a ridiculous amount of fun, but after spending a weekend in the heart of the Central Valley at the Surf Ranch, I think I prefer a good day on the cobblestones at home.

“Call it wave-riding, but don’t call it surfing,” joked Steve Pezman, the founder of The Surfer’s Journal, a few years back when the wave pool thing was just shifting into gear.

After sitting front and center for all the action in Lemoore, it’s pretty clear Pez knew what he was talking about. Wave pool surfing takes almost all of the variables out of the sport. The last thing I’m saying is that there isn’t a time and a place for man-made waves—there absolutely is— but in my mind, the surf experience encompasses a lot more than ripping a few turns to the beach.

“This is like figure skating or the floor routine in gymnastics or the halfpipe in Olympic snowboarding,” described one spectator in Lemoore. “The surfers should have to tell the judges what their routine is before they catch a wave and then be scored on the degree of difficulty.”

In each heat of the Founders’ Cup, competitors were given a left and a right-hand breaking wave to try and garner a score. There were no dramatic, last-minute rides. No strategical twists. There was no hassling for position or priority. There were no paddle battles. Heck, there wasn’t any paddling at all. Competitors waited in waist-deep water for their wave, took a couple strokes and then did their best to perform on the 700-meter race track. I still can’t figure out why they were wearing leashes? For fans of progressive surfing, it showcased the incredible talents of the athletes. For purists, it lacked the sand and salt.

Not to get too deep here, but the ocean is a source of solace. It challenges us. It humbles us. It enlightens us. It provides. It takes. It’s a retreat from the nonsense we endure on land. It’s a fountain of youth. Over the years, it’s helped soothe the souls of friends battling cancer and other terminal illnesses. It’s eased the minds of other friends battling substance abuse. It gives meaning to kids and adults with disabilities. It helps soldiers coming home from war. It’s there when you need it. It doesn’t discriminate. It’s free, and almost always, it’s good for what ails you.

“Maybe they could at least put some toothless alligators or something in there to make it interesting? Maybe a mechanical shark like the Jaws one at Universal Studios that chases the surfers if they fall off?” pondered another fan in Lemoore.

The Founders’ Cup served as a dry run to the upcoming WSL World Championship Tour event that will take place at the Surf Ranch this September—the contest that replaced the Hurley Pro and Swatch Pro at Lower Trestles. It was an opportunity for contest organizers, production crews, surfers and fans alike to work out the kinks and fine-tune the details before a world title hangs in the balance.

While there’s no shortage of squabbling going on about the place that wave pools should occupy in surfing, perhaps the legendary Phil Edwards put it best when he said, “The best surfer out there is the one having the most fun.”

Share this:

  • Share
  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr
Tags: ave poolCaliforniafeaturekelly slaterwlemooresurfwave pool
ShareTweetPin

Dana Point Times

Related Posts

Dana Wharf Whale Report: Incredible Variety of Species Delight Whale Watching Trips

Dana Wharf Whale Report: Incredible Variety of Species Delight Whale Watching Trips

June 2, 2023
Grom of the Week: Taylor Stacy

Grom of the Week: Taylor Stacy

June 2, 2023
A Quarter-Century of Cosmic Vibrations

A Quarter-Century of Cosmic Vibrations

June 2, 2023
Colapinto Takes Out Surf Ranch Pro; San Clemente Board Riders Club Defends National Title

Colapinto Takes Out Surf Ranch Pro; San Clemente Board Riders Club Defends National Title

May 30, 2023
Next Post
District Voting Finalized with Second Reading of Ordinance

District Voting Finalized with Second Reading of Ordinance

Discussion about this post

No Result
View All Result

DP Times Daily
Get important news and updates delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up here.

Subscriptions
Don’t get the DP Times delivered to your home? Subscribe today.

Advertising
Get new customers and drive traffic to your business. Advertise with us.

Support Local Journalism
For less than the cost of a couple of cups of coffee a month, become an “Insider” member and continue to get “Local News You Can Use” from the only independently owned, dedicated local news organization in South Orange County.

Contribute today.

Picket Fence Media is a proud member of the SoCal Media Network.

  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Use
  • Dana Point Times
  • San Clemente Times
  • The Capistrano Dispatch
  • DP Chamber Directory

© 2023 Picket Fence Media

No Result
View All Result
  • Calendar
    • Event Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Sections
    • Eye On DP
    • Soapbox
      • Submit A Letter
    • Getting Out
    • DP Living
    • Sports & Outdoors
    • DP Surf
    • San Clemente Times
    • Capistrano Dispatch
  • Digital Edition
  • Best of DP
  • Legals & Classifieds
    • Locals Only Business Directory
    • Classified
    • Submit a Classified
    • Obituaries
    • Announcements
    • Legal & Public Notice Advertising
    • Legal Notices
  • Special Publications
    • A New You
    • Aging Well
    • Best of Dana Point
    • Crib to College
    • Dana Point Trolley Information & Route Map
    • Dolphin Football Preview
    • Festival of Whales Event Guide
    • Go See Do
    • Good Eats
    • Holiday Happenings & Gift Guide
    • Home Improvement Guide
    • Money Matters
    • Ocean Institute Jazz Festival Fundraiser
    • Summer Camp Guide
    • Swallows Day Parade & Mercado Event Guide
    • The Green Issue
    • Turkey Trot Event Guide
  • DP Guide
  • Real Estate
    • South County Real Estate Guide
    • Real Estate – Who’s Who

© 2023 Picket Fence Media

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.