Snaking
Today I headed for the same spot where I was alone for a while last time. But I wasn't alone for too long. Soon a guy came out and, unlike considerate blue and white board guy, red board guy did not hesitate to paddle around me to claim the spot I had claimed. In other words, snaking. With only two people out.
I didn't know this guy. I almost said something to him. I didn't. Why not? I don't know. My thought when I saw him close up was, He's just a kid. He was, but what did I mean by that?
a) I shouldn't say anything to him because he could surf rings around me. (That soon turned out to be true.) But so what? The law of the jungle, best surfer claims the best spot? Well, that's the law of our jungle.
But then "he's just a kid" could also mean
b) I should say something to him because he needs someone older (more than twice as old) and wiser to take charge and inform him that his behavior is unacceptable.
Why not b)? Just because he knew how to surf and I don't?
Someone on a surf discussion forum once posted that old ladies (while rare in the lineup) are the best behaved, least troublesome surfers in the water. If by that he meant that we don't make trouble by speaking up when we've been dissed, then maybe us old ladies need to stop being so well behaved.
Coincidentally, later on I ended up having a discussion about snaking with a couple of other (good) surfers and they get snaked too, but they don't like it and don't take it. Snaking, they made clear, is not OK no matter who you are.
Does anyone have any ideas as to what I might say the next time I'm in this situation?
P. S. I got so many rides today, I didn't need to count them!
I didn't know this guy. I almost said something to him. I didn't. Why not? I don't know. My thought when I saw him close up was, He's just a kid. He was, but what did I mean by that?
a) I shouldn't say anything to him because he could surf rings around me. (That soon turned out to be true.) But so what? The law of the jungle, best surfer claims the best spot? Well, that's the law of our jungle.
But then "he's just a kid" could also mean
b) I should say something to him because he needs someone older (more than twice as old) and wiser to take charge and inform him that his behavior is unacceptable.
Why not b)? Just because he knew how to surf and I don't?
Someone on a surf discussion forum once posted that old ladies (while rare in the lineup) are the best behaved, least troublesome surfers in the water. If by that he meant that we don't make trouble by speaking up when we've been dissed, then maybe us old ladies need to stop being so well behaved.
Coincidentally, later on I ended up having a discussion about snaking with a couple of other (good) surfers and they get snaked too, but they don't like it and don't take it. Snaking, they made clear, is not OK no matter who you are.
Does anyone have any ideas as to what I might say the next time I'm in this situation?
P. S. I got so many rides today, I didn't need to count them!
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