| Dane Reynolds wants to explore the limits of performance surfing |
| Thursday, 22 December 2011 10:21 |
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Dane Reynolds has decided to speak out and to explain his early exit from the ASP World Tour. The 26-year old surf prodigy from Ventura has opened his heart and mind to the fans, in the Marine Layer Productions website. "One thing to remember is that I have a heart and I have bones and muscle and skin and eyes and teeth. I have emotions. Sometimes I act according to emotions. Sometimes I think and make a conscious decision. I usually do that. In fact i usually think too much. Sorta neurotic. I make mistakes, and I deal with them. I have fears and I have anxiety and I have insecurities and I have vices which I often give in to", says Reynolds. "I also know that I'm fortunate in many other ways. Three brands support me and enable me to surf every day and travel and eat and have a house to live in. In return I represent their company in a positive way. I feel like i do a decent job. But that's obviously up for debate. Surfing is my passion in life. I always think about how lucky we are that there's even an ocean, and its not too hot or too turbulent and it's not made of acid that burns our skin off", he adds. "There are of course a number of things that get in the way of feeling this joy: crowds, twitter impostors, eggy locals, eggy surf bloggers, overzealous surf photographers, Chris Mauro and Rip Curl contests, just to name a few. That was sort of a joke, but not really, and besides, surfing isn't just about joy. It's also a sport. An industry. And we must not mix business with pleasure". "Some think that responsibility is to compete. To put on a jersey and crush my opponent. Despite a flimsy one dimensional criteria and an inconsistent playing field that causes the end result to rarely come down to performance alone. Maybe that's the fun of it. I don't know. I do enjoy it. But do i believe in it? enough to dedicate the better part of my life to it? Or is that irrelevant because it's my responsibility? I didn't have to answer this question because knee surgery in january answered for me. By the time i was healing i was already gone. Three buttons to the wind. Adventure over responsibility. Career suicide! Blowing my potential. Wasting my talent. I heard the buzz". "In order to be successful in surf competition you need to refine your act into a nice little package presentable in a 30 minute period in a number of trying conditions. you need to kill the variables. Trim the loose ends. Stay on your board. Know your equipment. Wave selection. Endlessly try to revisit motions that score the most points. There are obviously exceptions to this. Kelly slaters full rotation slob air reverse in new york. That was not a motion revisited and it was epic". "Surfing with john john this year in japan was enlightening. It was like every wave he was exploring new territory. I wanna explore new territory! I wanna unwind! By the end of the trip i felt improved and rejuvenated and then crunch! I busted my ribs at the mercy of a fresh typhoon swell. Nearly drowned. Another month out of the water. Gotta pay to play. Especially when you're trying to keep up with john john in waves of consequence". "And so here i am. 26. Officially off tour. Wasted talent. Blown potential. Refusing responsibility. 'all he wants to do is sit at home and play with crayons and ride fucked up boards.' But wait! But wait! That's not true! Don't listen to chris mauro. He's a dinosaur. Doesn't get it. This may be the end as a wct contender, but its also a new beginning". "I hope to achieve some sort of balance. Yeah, i do like riding fucked up boards, but i also like doing airs and taking some aggression out on a cutback. And competings rad if you can stay inspired, but rankings and trophy's mean very little to me. I wanna learn, i wanna make things, things of purpose, be productive. Travel. New experiences. New sensations. And most importantly explore the outer limits of performance surfing. I'll still compete. But its not going to consume me".
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