I was fortunate to have been born into a family with the means enough to give me the opportunity to play many different sports. I was also lucky to have been given a decent amount of athletic ability. I was never going to be the best player out there, but I was able to compete well in almost every sport I tried. As a result, I tried most every sport; team sports and individual sports alike. They all had their ups and downs, but there was only one that always gave me an overwhelming feeling of joy.
One of my favorite activities, to this day, is just having a catch with a baseball. I love the sound of the ball as it smacks into the glove, the slight sting you get in your hand when you catch a well thrown ball and the crack of the bat when you connect with the perfect swing. Baseball also conjures up memories of a beautiful spring or summer day. But, I never consistently got a feeling that would make me want to play baseball all day long. Most of the other team sports gave me this feeling as well.
Skiing comes close. There is definitely a feeling of joy when you are flying down the mountain, seemingly in complete control. On certain days, even riding up in the chairlift can be a great experience. On some mountains you rise up above the tree line and the landscape seems like something out of Star Wars. If you've ever been skiing in the Rockies, the way in which you can bounce through the newly fallen powder is something to behold. However, to me, when I'm done skiing for the day, I'm done skiing for the day. My mind goes to something else; what's for dinner, do I go with a nice hot chocolate or a cold beer, my tiredness, how my legs feel like rubber, etc
Surfing is different. Now, I am not a great surfer, nor am I even a very good surfer. I also only go about once, maybe twice a year. I can stand up on the board, get it pointed in the right direction, make a few moves that will get the board going a little faster and occasionally pull off some maneuvers that look pretty cool. It isn't even close to being the sport that I can perform best. Like baseball, it has a similar way of conjuring up images; the perfect summer morning when the reddish orange sun is just rising, there's very little wind and the ocean looks like glass. Similar to skiing you are enveloped by nature. What surfing does to me, more than any other sport, is fill me with this euphoria that can't be matched.
No, I don't subscribe to the idea that surfing gives you a life altering, earth shattering feeling as expertly explained by Bodhi from the movie Point Break. If you haven't seen it, you must. 1991 film with Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reaves and Gary Busey. It has great surfing footage, ridiculous dialogue and a small role for Anthony Keidis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. How can you go wrong? The euphoria I'm talking about is laughter. It makes me smile. Maybe not outwardly all the time, but it makes me giggle. I find myself screaming yeee-haaaa at the end of the ride. I even cheer on complete strangers if they get a good wave. I can be dead tired, cold, hungry, out in the water for hours with bad waves. But if by some chance a wave jumps up and I ride it, all of that goes away. At the end of the ride, most likely only lasting 7 seconds, I get this strong feeling that makes me want to turn around and head back out there even though I know I'm facing the same tired, cold feeling I had 7 seconds ago. Why, because it's fun.
Many of us forget why we play sports in the first place. Sometimes it feels more like a job than a sport. You do it for exercise to get back into shape. You do it for the social aspect. What happened to the fun? I enjoy surfing because it gives me that feeling you got as a kid when you woke up Christmas morning and saw the presents under the tree; pure happiness. No other sport has been able to do that for me.