WE ARE NOT WHO WE THINK WE ARE.
Surfing is communion with an array of natural forces culminating in a final release of energy in the form of a breaking wave. Intensely spiritual, and magic, then enter the juxtapox of crude oil and the inherent poisons to culture and the immune systems of the board builder.
It seems
to be time to start tackling the question.
HOW DO WE REMOVE CRUDE OIL FROM THE SURFBOARD BUILDING EQUATION?
Asking that question starts a landslide of other questions. For instance,
are you willing to contribute to the evolutionary process that you are
involved in as a human and as a surfer?
Oil
product substitution is not the answer. Plant materials over foam cores
and then covered with resin is no different than what we are building
today, though it is a step in the right direction becoming familiar with
new materials. Dora’s latest challenge to the tribe is what we are
talking about. This money driven, mass marketing disease that we all are
susceptible to needs to take the back seat and stay there. We are talking
about a Revolution in an industry that is a slave to petroleum products.
Introducing Non-toxic, bio-degradable materials that will accommodate
the high speeds that makes modern surfing what it is today.
We are illusionary reality creators contributing to the further evolution
of our tribe. Even if we don’t see it in completely in our lifetime,
we want to be a part of making surfboards that don’t shorten the
lifespan of the builder, that don’t perpetuate wars over crude oil.
We are against gainful employment, paying money to sleep at night, brainwashing
by the media, being encouraged to pollute, and plastic processed food.
Unsustainable living must stop.
“The
backyard revolution was arguably the most important tectonic shift ever
to occur in modern surfing history. The very idea that an enthusiastic
surfer could build, in a backyard shed or garage, a better riding board
than any put out by the major manufacturers, is earth-shaking when you
really consider it. Think about how fast things progressed from ’68
to ’74- this advancement sure as hell didn’t come from the
stuck-in-the-mud majors.
Anything other than this sort of cutting-edge, surfer-elite-led progression
is just mindless, lumbering overhead and a smokescreen of unsubstantiated
claims made by cigar chomping “innovators” who nurse the fads
and fancies from high-rent industrial condos, sweaty-assed with fear that
a backyard “skunkworks” will lead the buying public away from
their stockpiled inventory of aquatic Pintos and Pacers- and they won’t
be able to make the payments on their bass boats, Range Rovers and golf
course memberships.”
Dave
Parmenter
Phil- How did you get started shaping surfboards?
Troy- In 1989 I started working in a glassing factory, one thing led to another and before I knew it I was shaping and glassing my own boards. The shapers that worked in and around the factory were always willing to give advice. I haven’t stopped since.
Phil- What have been the strongest influences on your shaping and surfing?
Troy- I would have to say that Hamish Graham and Richard Pavel have made the largest impact on my desires as a shaper. Their work stands out due to its intense craftsmanship and that it makes a visual statement that can not be expressed in words. Other influences came from working with Peter Benjamin, Jon Wegener, and Shawn Ambrose. In surfing, my greatest influence would have to be attributed to growing up in Ventura, which is a world of its own when it comes to views on surfing. Traveling and surfing extremely large waves would also rate very high. Spending more than a month surfing perfect waves in third world country, and getting over the fear factor of waves bigger than a two story building will definitely alter your outlook on life. Dora and Lopez encourage me because the way they surf shows they have a deep relationship with the ocean. This is where good surfing begins.
Troy- For me the hardest thing is stepping into the arena that I have always had a hard time dealing with, even as a surfer. I felt that the surf industry had become so commercial and accessorized, that the focus was lost. So instead of complaining about what I didn’t like, I decided to get right in there and provide an alternative to what everyone else was doing. I don’t want the success of True North to come from a marketing technique. I want the boards to speak for themselves, and for people to know what they are supporting. It’s simple. My desire is to be part of making things better rather than just pointing my finger at what I don’t agree with
.
Phil- What would you like to influence in surfing?
Troy- Personally, I would like to see surfers develop a relationship with the ocean. Did you ever read Hemmingway’s The Old Man and the Sea? Like that. Santiago knew the ocean like a woman he’d known his entire life. It’s like you see her face and you know what she is thinking. It doesn’t seem like we have that sensitivity to the ocean. If we did, it would probably be a less polluted body. It has a lot to do with respect. I’ve noticed that few surfers really take the time to watch the ocean and learn from it. The ocean is one of those simple things that can teach big lessons in life, if we listen and watch closely.
