Is surfing CORE anymore? As a whole, absolutely not. The “global home of surfing” that is the Woz is so far from CORE they are just now able to see the concept through the James Webb telescope. I don’t even know exactly what CORE is or means, but I know that is not it.
None of the supposed 2 million new COVID surfers are CORE. Hardly any ‘surf’ brands are CORE. Shit, there barely are any surf brands. Each one now offers a fashion line, skate team, snow gear, camping essentials, etc. Most of them owned by some Massive Corporate Juggernaut.
The good news is, there are still CORE surfers. In order to find out how I could tell a CORE surfer when I see one, I reached out to one of my favorite up and coming brands right now @corelords on Instagram.
- Who are the top 5 or 10 corelords of all time?
“Top 10: Andy Irons, Sunny Garcia, Mason Ho, Rick Massie, Jay Adams, Pottz, Todd Chesser, Brock Little, Archy, Bobby Martinez.” – @corelords
Here are a few common denominators I see within this group:
- They all rip in any condition. (Dedication and years of commitment)
- They all bear a unique personality.
- Surfing was their passion.
- None of them quit surfing. (Lifelong pursuit)
As you can see, most of the corelords listed are OG’s. Older guys who grew up living a different kind of lifestyle. Even Mason was presumably taught and brought up in a similar manner. Surfing was so much better without the Soul Stealing iphone. Surfers lived and breathed surfing, not content.
Are there corelords of today? Personally, I believe so. 10 that come to mind right off the bat: Creed McTaggart, Albee Layer, Noa Deane, Dion Agius, Craig Anderson, the Mcnamara family, Billy Kemper, Balaram Stack, Timmy Reyes, Clay Marzo.
Are there any CORE brands today? Very few, but a couple worth mentioning: Octopus, Epohke, Former.
So that’s where we are today as a whole. Surfing, the collective, is the opposite of CORE. But, there are a few slivers of hope out there.
Surfing will only become CORE again when the corelord rate rises. I mean think about it, with the weekend warriors and Adult Learners studying from the likes of JOB and Ben Gravy, soft tops and ‘fun boards’ have already started clogging lineups world wide.
To be CORE you need to support local surf shops and shapers. Buy your gear from “endemic” surf brands. You need to commit your life to surfing. Do whatever it takes to spend as much possible time in the water. And not just to chase some clips for your social media page. Not just to hangout with friends, but to surf.
Become CORE, and maybe one day you can be a corelord.
Cheers,
-hwilsin
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