I'm your new eyes and ears in the NZ longboarding world, covering whatevers hot at the moment.
We're stoked to have Dan Procter writing this blog on S2, here he shows a little 'progressive' at Whangamata during the Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour event - Photo: COL/SURF2SURF.com
On following the current debate regarding traditional longboarding vs progressive, I found my self wondering, who is on the right side of the fence? The debates been going on forever, my father Moti Procter is as staunch as they get when it come to the roots of surfing, he lives by the motto “Leg Ropes are training wheels, and leave the flapping to the bird.” He has drilled into me the importance of surfings history from a young age. I guess if you wish to go forward, you must first know where you came from.
I respect both forms and love the direction some surfers are heading in, for instance I look at a guy like Trent Lillis, I rate him as the best traditional longboarder in NZ hands down, he is beautiful to watch, minimal effort for maximum effect in the right conditions. He has already figuerd out where and when he can get his hang 10 in on a wave, way before he has even stroked onto it, for me that the essence of good traditional surfing.
I also look at a proggresive guy like Mike Burling, current Hyundai Pro longboard tour champ, anyone will tell you he is amazing to watch, big turns on big boards, speed, power and aggression. I get blown away by him each surf, and know how hard it is to get a big board vertical.
Longboarding and the future - Josh Constable
2006 World Longboard Champion Josh Constable boosts on a 9'0" Longboard in small surf.
If you where to go back to the roots of surfing, back to the islands of the pacific, surfings only purpose was pure enjoyment and through enjoyment comes evolution. The Great Duke Kahanamoku himself used his foot as a rudder to change direction, go left or right, this changed surfing, it evolved.
Through the long life of the sport individual styles have come in and out of vogue, with the shift from balsa boards to polystyrene in the 1940s came hotdogging on the wave, when the shortboard revolution arrived, so did a dynamic new school approach to surfing. Now with super light materials and sharpe designs anything is possible on a longboard. Watching guys like Bonga Perkins and Harley Ingleby at the world surfing games really opened my eyes to what is possible on a longboard. These lads have the perfect blend of old school flow, with that all improtant touch of flair mixed in.
Surfing is a vehicle to express ones personality, to approach a wave with a different stokes, or spice . Its like a good receipe, mine works for me and taste damn good when things click, like many other top longboarder I like to mix it up, use the full length of my board, walking up and down, top to bottom, plus the criteria rewards those who use the full potential of a wave. I think the future is looking bright for both Trad and Prog, I personally love reading both sides of the spectrum, and enjoy looking at the longboarding experiance through others eyes.
Dan Procter signing out
Dan's Sponsors are -
New Wave, Carve Eyewear, FCS, Gorilla Grip, Gordon Wetsuits, Sticky Johnson,
Wax Bomb, Skullcandy, Freestyle watches
2009
09:57 am
Good article from a top bloke. Kia ora Dan.
- Posted by Emrico
2009
07:18 pm
Kia Ora Bro. too true...
- Posted by Charlie Brown
2009
09:46 pm
Although this article took you sometime to write you've made your point, love it babe.
- Posted by Seda Naden
2009
10:57 pm
Big ups to you bro, you have just touched the tip of the ice berg in traditional and progressive long boarding as for trent lillis HE IS POETRY IN MOTION CHEERS IVAN
- Posted by Ivan penno
2009
08:39 am
Yeh proctor dogg, mean!! that punt is dope! Power Balance Technology is too!!
- Posted by bodhi whitaker
2009
09:11 am
Id rather watch Lilis , Mcbride and King surf 2ft for 2 minutes than all of the others put togeather for a day.The difference with those guys is you really notice them -the rest just look like they got the same hair cut
- Posted by goober
2009
08:24 pm
good shit proccy! surf2surf should be paying you man
- Posted by Sam Hawke
2009
04:05 pm
All the others put together for a day - the same hair cut. I think you are mistaking a day in the surf with a shampoo rinse at the $10 Haircut joint on Queen St. There are loads of good longboarders out there - you just have to open your eyes - and think outside of the square. Good times.
- Posted by Goober\'s nemesis
2009
08:44 am
i dont see to many arguments against my very very true statement -goobers/nemisis you just get that new trad board and practice -you to will be seen while the rest of the bowl heads wiggle wack and steal 5 and tens while doing the splits to get there
- Posted by goober
2009
08:57 am
Goober - I like your blunt and honest approach to this. You really tell it like it is. Goober -He ain't no hodad Squidlips!
- Posted by Leroy the masochist
2009
12:26 pm
If the hawaiins could pull airs 500 years ago I am sure they would of, but pretty hard on a wooden plank back then. If you want to progress get a short board because longboarders are trying to pull the same moves with much more difficulty
- Posted by slater
2009
01:40 pm
Dont progress -regress and be the coolest dude at the beach !!!
- Posted by goober
2009
04:26 pm
Slater - i am a little confused as to what you are trying to say here? so you are saying it is much more difficult to perform "airs" on a longboard ? please enlighten us. I know a handful of top longboarders who pull airs at will- and more than likely they are the lucky few. As many will know - riding a longboard well is as difficult an art form as short boarding. Airs or no airs.
- Posted by Realistic
2009
12:48 am
Yo peeps all trippin,neva eva seem2kno what mental state yo flippin-
- Posted by B.A.BALACKA
2009
11:59 am
Realistic - try a 360 air on a longboard then, or a rodeo come on sounds like your bones are giving way
- Posted by slater
2009
12:46 pm
yo Slater -are you saying stick with short boards if ya wanna shake like jelly and with the plank if ya wanna surf tradish? - which is what I rekon-mind you I am a misrable Xmas grinch
- Posted by goober
2009
01:46 pm
Mr Slater - it appears you got lost along the way to surfing enlightenment. I enjoy to watch the new school of surfing - busting 360 airs. In fact I did see one of the worlds top Longbaords ( Justin Redman of WA - Mr Taj Burrows close friend) do a superman air once at Manu Bay. Quite impressive, truly. And if you were to witness Josh Constable surfing - of which many of us here in the NZ Longbaording community have over recent years - you will know that this man would blow most of our Top 16 shortboarders out of the water. Its about choice - you should know that after 9 World Titles and multiple WCT Victories. Big wave, small wave, longboard, shortboard. Each to thier own. I think it might be time to hang up those gloves Slats.
- Posted by Realistic
2009
05:58 pm
yo calling Enjoyment/Evolution?but ya'll paddle2da inside wit yo egotist pollution.
- Posted by B.A.BALACKA
2009
06:04 pm
rewind Ancestors skool...i see my next wave rolling in,i hoot it out
- Posted by B.A.BALACKA
2009
12:56 pm
You fullas need to chill out.....Guys like Constable respect both areas of longboarding: He cranks the moves off the tail in the pro comps and throws in the odd noserider but he also enters the noseriding division at the Noosa Festival. The issue will never be addressed as it is too subjective.... Only way to head forward in our own backyard is for NZ surfing to respect both styles and throw in a noseriding division maybe instead of SUP which seems rediculous when you consider the calibre of guys like McBride, King and Lillis not doing the comps.... I can't really think of someone on a SUP in NZ that has 1/10th of the ability of these guys... Rather than fight each other on which style is better or which move is harder or more functional, chill out and get NZ surfing to help bring some of our top traditional longboarders back to the contests by creating a division where they can be judged for their ability on the nose!
- Posted by Point Break
2009
02:56 pm
Well said Point Break , and a good point made about us loosing the great talent of the of amazing classic riders mentioned -it would be intelligent to see traditional being pushed more before we acutally loose it -I just cant understand why guys dont have more aspiration to ride like the before mentioned names -to me it is total ignorance of surfing -most guys just dont realize that traditional exists-of course all you boing boing same haircut guys that do contest surfing do but the unclean masses -ooohh my god
- Posted by goober
2009
12:57 am
...go on wit yo place name....fools-- auckland wellington duniden friken..new zealand...blah return it back to nga ingoa Maori.Dem colonials tink dem can come stop our reo and change da names of our sacred places??haha!!Shame on dem....As for surfing....yo cats so complicated(same old shizzay)..haha! da truth is HOW YOU RIDE AND WHAT YOU RIDE WHEN YOU RIDE,not your words to descibe da ride(or anybody elses fo dat matta)haha!!dem action is actions,like your money is only paper!!....fools
- Posted by B.A.BALACKA
2009
10:24 am
B.A BALACKA u liven n da pass fool .wake up and smell the soy latte !
- Posted by GOOBER
2009
10:27 am
Where that proctor -he's ment to be bloggin this isnt he --probably overseas on official surf buiss but really in Paris with his partner !
- Posted by goober
2009
01:24 am
Firstly I'd like to state that EVERYONE who reads or have read this blog are 100% entitled to their opinions, however I feel that this discussion has gotten a bit too over board with all the weighing subjects. Daniel has laid out what he thinks is his opinion on the subject and therefore doesn't have to justify anything you guys have added on about the the subject as a whole. There was a comment made about how long boarders do things with more difficulty, quite frankly coming from a non surfing perspecive don't you think that you should improve with having things more difficult then having something so simple and easy that everyone has seen been acomplished? Testing yourself to every degree and doing things never been done before is something that gives the 'wow factor'. GOOBER - you're nothing, what do you have to show for yourself with surfing, a fat shit all I'd say. Daniel has got accomplishments that you probably and actually can't dream of. A triple crown king in NZ, can you say that for yourself?
- Posted by V Naden
2009
10:31 am
vNADEN , U speks like Juan surf an bad day .por supuesto juan surf ol style an tinks mi stlilo es el only stilo thre is .modern suxs grande ol stilo rulz ok.
- Posted by JUAN KEMPS
2009
09:21 am
Vnaden -thankyou very much for your long winded and very non relevent post .Reading your post you assume a personal attack on the Proccy ??? Loook I am only 17 years old and havent done much that counts for hero status like yourself of course -hey and your good -I saw you at the beach the other day slip on your wax and do the splits -your toes happend to reach the end of the board and you claimed a 5 over !!! my post while I sit at school dreaming walking the board and styling on the end --lookin Boss
- Posted by goober
2009
03:44 pm
Goober - you must be in special education- most other 17yr olds finished school for the year about 3 weeks ago. But you must be quite smart to drop the old "Hone" digs in. Keep dreaming pal and stick to "surfing" the web.
- Posted by Big Wave Dave
2009
04:39 pm
Because I surfed so much I have to attend summer classes because as you would well know surfing makes you fick
- Posted by goober
2009
10:47 am
Stoked on your guys comments, keep em coming!!New blog will be out soon....yeah buddy!!!!
- Posted by Dan Procter
2009
12:50 pm
look proccy isnt at all offened by the brilliant bablings of a 17 year old school boy -I have just recieved 20 strokes of the cane today and enjoyed it .OOH look theres waves later
- Posted by goober
2009
04:59 pm
stay off my bar
- Posted by KEG
2010
12:37 pm
Keg needs a missus..any one keen??he is free to any home..
- Posted by Dan Procter
Daniel Procter is a Gisborne lad and proven NZ longboarder. He holds the National Crown plus numerous other Titles. He has been competing for a decade, and recently represented NZ at the World Surf Games. Daniel sees himself as a surfing ambassador, keen to share knowledge through roles as GBC contest director, and Assitant Maori development coach.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |