David Gray Photo of Tudor
From Surfline:
Longboarding isn't dead, it's just gone underground. Or so says nine-time US Open champ and arguably the best surfer to ever set foot on a log, Joel Tudor. But after a few years of conscientious objection from longboard contests, Tudor is back with his interpretation of logging at its finest. Warning: if you've ever tried to hit the lip on a longboard, this may hurt your feelings.
SURFLINE: HAS COMPETITIVE LONGBOARDING LOST ITS WAY?
JOEL TUDOR: I don't know if it's lost its way. It's more that the competitive aspect has become pretty one-sided. The bad emulation of shortboarding gives us no identity. A lot of guys are just trying to do what the shortboarders are doing, which is kind of ridiculous.
HOW HAS THAT DAMAGED LONGBOARDING'S IMAGE?
Well, it's kind of gotten to the point where no one really cares. All of the stuff that's cool in longboarding -- and where the bar's really being raised with the kids and the next generation -- is kind of underground now. It's hard for those really good kids to want to compete now. They have very little support, barely any sponsors... "It's what separates us from everyone else: the principle of riding the front half of the board. That's where the real level of difficulty comes in."
-- Joel Tudor
WHAT IS THE "COOL STUFF" IN LONGBOARDING?
It's what separates us from everyone else: the principle of riding the front half of the board. That's where the real level of difficulty comes in. It's everything.
ARE YOU SEEING PRO LONGBOARDERS COMPLETELY ABANDONING THAT NOSERIDING APPROACH?
Completely abandoning? I think the guy who won the US Open last year was doing aerials. I'm not going to name names, but guys were trying to do Christ airs on nine-foot longboards in one-foot Huntington. You do the math.
IS THAT WHAT'S KEPT YOU AWAY FROM THE EVENT?
I've just been bored with it. I mean, I've been there the last couple years. But I think it was last year when I was standing there, watching one of the longboard heats. The waves were super bad and guys were trying to do airs. I looked over at the guy running the contest, looked over at my friend who was first alternate and said, "You can have it. Take my name off."
BUT WHAT ABOUT GROWING UP? SURELY YOU TRIED "RIPPING" ON A LONGBOARD.
Sure, when I was a kid, I tried all that. Hit the lip and shit. But I was just going through the paces of learning how to surf. That's what you do. But when I was 18 or 19, coming into my own, that was when I really started riding logs full time. You know, the 25-pound, 9'8" single fins with no leash. And from 1995 on, that was what I used to beat everybody in contests. The way those logs forced me to surf was just so different from everyone else that it kicked their asses. It was easy. Like a formula. I knew exactly what I had to do to get the score every time. Because those guys were all lip bashers. It was, like, "Guys, you're making it too easy for me to look different."
SO, TELL US ABOUT THE CORONA NOSERIDING INVITATIONAL AT HUNTINGTON.
I'm just so stoked they're finally allowing us to show longboarding what it really can be. Noseriding events exist -- they have one at Noosa every year, and I think it was Tom Morey who put together the first one back in 1965 in Ventura. But there's a whole crew of kids who've been given the right lineage to draw from, and they do some amazing stuff. They might not be able to do Christ airs, but they'll do stuff on the nose that'll blow your mind.
And so that's what this event is about. I handpicked these guys because they're the best in the world at riding the nose. I invited Herbie Fletcher as well because he's such a legend and still rips. This event revolves around the principle we're all dedicated to: maximum tip time using the most subtle, graceful movements possible. For us, to win a big noseriding event is like winning the Pipe Masters. It's the end all be all. Cause, man, to do it right, it's f--king hard.
WHO'S THE FAVORITE GOING INTO IT?
Well, some of the technical stuff these guys are doing, with switchstance noseriding, is really gnarly. CJ Nelson's raised the bar pretty high in that category. Christian Wach is incredible. Harrison Roach from Australia is amazing. But what's cool is that no matter how far we push it, a lot of what we're doing is on par with what David Nuuhiwa did 40 years ago. You put him back then in a heat today, and he'd give any one of us a run for our money. Hopefully he'll be there to watch.
WHO'S SHAPING YOUR LOG THIS YEAR?
That's another cool thing about this event -- it forces people to really think about design and what will work best. Stu Kenson will be making my board, and it's pretty much what I always ride. More than anything, I'm just stoked that good longboarding will have its day. It's not about me; I've had my day. It's more about the next kid who will hopefully have the same opportunities.
***
The Corona Noseriding Invitational will be held next weekend during the Hurley US Open at Huntington Beach Pier. A field of eight invited noseriding specialists will be competing for $10,000 in prize money and major bragging rights. The field includes:
1. Joel Tudor
2. CJ Nelson
3. Christian Wach
4. Tyler Warren
5. Alex Knost
6. Kevin Connelly
7. Harrison Roach
8. Herbie Fletcher
Two semis will be held Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and the final will be on Sunday at 11:15 a.m. Come check it out or watch it live on www.usopenofsurfing.com or www.hurley.com.
