Well, it is surf season. I get to see more young men urinating in public, butt cracks in Foodland, illegal & backwards parking, trash cans piled with beer bottles. The first abandoned cars will start showing up just before Christmas, next wave after the New Year holiday and a steady crop of cars starting around March. Why are these people so inconsiderate, ignorant and insensitive? There was an article this past summer in The Honolulu Advertiser that might go along way toward explaining this lack of intelligent behaviour - Surfing Groms Story -http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Jun/10/il/FP706100311.html


I have to disclose that while my family surfs, their passions have been football, soccer, basketball, swimming and my nephew the golf nut. So, while I am going to put some startling questions out there about education and surfing, it is not because I do not like athletics. I just think that surfers as a group/family have really got some issues with priorities and education.

The uneducated surfer phenomena could go a long way toward explaining the bizarre, wacko thought process of the ex pat California surfers and their kin who seem to dominate the dialogue over in the Sunset Beach area. They protest development while almost all of them who don't make money off of surfing are involved in laboring trades that involve construction and development (they probably did not go to far in their educational pursuits). They are too uneducated to understand the hypocrisy of that stance.

Instead of me running on and on I'll ask some questions and state some observations. Here we go.

- How many Pro Surfers have graduated from college? (I can't think of any men and one woman).
- How many Pro Surfers are high school grads? (I believe most are not).
- How many grom surfers with their parents blessing and encouragement have blown off school to go surf when the waves are good? Under that vein, how many basketball, football, soccer, gymnastics, volleyball, baseball, football, etc. players blow off school to go play? My guess is not many because they would get kicked off the team. Contrast that with ANY CONTEST day on the North Shore and you'll see tons of groms like the ones in the Advertiser article at the beach, when school is in session. No wonder they grow up like their parents - ignorant but very opinionated.
- How many professional surfers are able to make a decent living off of surfing? Maybe 50? Contrast that with how many athletes, organizations, schools, leagues, etc are able to sustain an economic structure in their respective sports.
- How much does the surfing professional culture give back? Almost nothing, they are more about exploitation of kids. They give them stickers and an occasional board. Can you even imagine the outcry if a freaking 8 year old football player was given MONEY and the parents were happy about it? IT IS CRAZY THAT IT HAPPENS, IT IS SINFUL THAT THE PARENTS PURSUE THIS. I have a tremendous respect for Randy R. he really tries to give money back to charities. He gives a few thousand dollars each year to Sunset Beach El for hosting Surf Night. In contrast the "Evil Empire" Turtle Bay Resort has given away almost $500,000 since 2002 from their golf tournaments alone and have done it without fanfare, look it up.
- There is no punishment for the these baby professionals in terms of being educated. They get paid if they go to school or not. If the waves are good, these parents think their kids should be in the water, not in the classroom with their peers who play other sports. Those other sports kids have to keep up grades in order to play. For many sports they have to go to college to pursue the next level. Surfers do not even have to graduate from Grammar School.
It is easy to see how this cycle of under education can be harmful. All kids dream and should be somewhat delusional in what they strive to achieve. That is healthy. But delusional parents are dangerous, especially when they damage their kids futures based on a very slim chance of success in a sport with limited opportunities.

The exploitation of the kids by the surf industry should stop. The parents who support this abuse should be arrested.

Actually, I disagree that surfers don't give anything back to the community. Surfing has created such a strong awareness for the health of our oceans. Surfers are connected to the environment more than any of those other sports players you mentioned are. of course, in every sport you have your regular losers. You are over generalizing way too much. Just because someone didn't graduate from high school means there stupid. Some high school drop outs are smarter than college grads ******* up our world. You should protest surfing not being a school sport. Why haven't school supported it and created teams? Thats pretty much what creates dropouts is the schools not supporting it.

its quite ironic that you say that surfers are uneducated, thats what the EDUCATED americans said about hawaiians too.
look around you, the things that you see and are displeased with are a result of the "educated" meddling with the world.

Most surfers I know, and I am one myself, REPECT the ocean and beach.

I did not say that surfers do not respect the ocean. I said PROFESSIONAL SURFERS are not as educated as other atheletes. Perhaps you are a professional surfer who could not or did not read the original post?

I happen to have my bachelors degree and am getting my masters degree so i can read your very enlightening analysis about surfers. With all of my education I still do not believe that a college education is the key to being educated. There are countless examples of the "educated" ******* things up for everyone else. Lets see, how about, Enron, how about the management of oaktree, and oh what about this one, our current politicians. Do not blame surfers for being undeducated because our society does not recognize surfing as a real sport. Lets see, why are surfers drop outs, maybe b/c our schools don't support it. AT least surfers have the right idea.

IN WHAT SPORT IS THERE NOT LOSERS??????? Have you been to the mainland lately????!!!! Do you see all the drugies, and thiefs, and murderers who are basketball players.
NORTH SHORE IS THE MECA OF SURFING LADY!!!!!
Yah, we get all walks of life here.

YOU THINK SURFERS ARE THE ONLY LOSERS? HAH!

I THINK THE REAL FIGHT SHOULD BE MAKE SURFING A SCHOOL SPORT SO THAT KIDS HAVE THE CHANCE TO PIRSUE THEIR PASSION AND GO TO SCHOOL. THAT IS THE REAL PROBLEM.

I THINK YOUR IN DREAMLAND, LADY, YOU HAVENT SEEN THE REST OF THE WORLD IN A WHILE HAVE YOU?

Yes I am a professional Surfer, and yes I have a college degree. I know professional surfers with college education and I know professional surfers who don't have a high school degree. Being amongst professional surfers as my peers I have to say, it does not take a college education to see the light on many issues. Most professional surfers care deeply about our environment. Have you ever hear of Surfrider Foundation? There are many organizations supported by professional surfers. Yes I do agree with you about some of the issues us Kamaainas have with the Malahinis who move here and push their agendas on us locals. Sometimes we agree on issues and many time we disagree. Common sense will prevail as we have seen time and time again. As long as we stick together and keep fighting we will keep country COUNTRY.

To Surfergirl...

...Yes thats one of the current problem (surfing not being a school sanctioned sport). I remember back in the 80s there was an incident of oahu school kids drowning on a field trip to Chinamans hat. Ever since then the Hawaii Dept. of Education has been super strict on school sanctioned outings on the beach. The liability issue have kept surfing from being sanctioned by the DOE.