Born to rumble
I am wandering the streets of Lisbon and it is v. v. early in the morning. Iam in Barrio Alto and it is a grand neighborhood. More bars than I cancount. More Portuguese than I can shake a stick at. Fantastic design. But itis early Too early, in fact. And then I get the sick feeling in my stomachthat all this fog business is finished. That a swell is coming. That I haveto go to work. I also get a feeling that my stomach is full of mojito andthis is day two on the mojito. I don’t know why. It is not Portuguese.
And I think to myself, “Let us go back to fair Peniche and do some work. Letus watch some surf and speak with surfers.”
So I drive north and feel depressed.
But when I arrive at the beach I hear the thunder of massive waves and knowthat I made the right decision. There is an early crowd of crazedspectators. A younger boy foaming at the mouth. Two girls beating each otherin the face with sticks. Mad revelries in worship of power. The power ofdetonating barrels.
Earlier in the week, I thought Owen Wright had a shot at winning the wholecontest. I watched as he punted airs and got mini-tubes and then came in forconsultation with his father, who looks exactly like him, btw. And then Iwatched him in the expression session and I thought, “This child-like blondcan win the whole thing.”Today he paddles out against Dane Reynolds. He paddles into a screamingrighthand barrel and flies to the lip. He beats Dane, who,uncharacteristically, shrugs and says, “Whatever. Who the fuck cares aboutthis shit.” And I think, “This tanned nubile you will win the whole thing.”But then. Then the Hobgood curse strikes! In his quarterfinal heat againstDamien, Owen drops into a magical beast. Big and beautiful. But somethinggoes terribly wrong and he wipes out. He takes the next wave on the head,wobbles to shore, then wobbles around the beach. Medical staff are in apanic, as is their want, and rush around frantically. Later it is said thatOwen ruptured his eardrum and most likely won’t surf in the semi-finals.Against Mick Fanning.
What is the difference between broke and ruptured?
And why did Owen Wright make a liar out of me?
Mick Fanning wins his round three heat against Freddy P. He wins hisquarterfinal heat against Timmy Reyes. He looks athletic as he surfs. A manin control of his body and mind. I watch as he goes left, dropping down theface and then using his musculature to catch a rail and drive through ayawning barrel. He doesn’t raise his arm in celebration afterward. He hasother things on his mind. Like vitamins and dumbbells. And maybe just maybea showdown against his new arch-nemesis Joel Parkinson.
A teenaged Portuguese boy named Joao asks me, when Fanning is surfing, if hehas a halo around his head. I respond, “No, young man, that is simply hisshorn blonde hair.” He then asks if Mick and Joel were in a bar fight, whowould win? I don’t have the heart to tell him neither so I say, “both.”
Joel wins his round three heat against Kai Otton, barely. He wins hisquarterfinal heat against Bobby Martinez, handily. And Joel looks goodagain. He looks like he belongs in this chase for glory. He has a rightbarrel that is so long I drink an entire espresso and finish a cigarettebefore he emerges in a shower of mist. His yellow singlet almost looksgolden. His attitude triumphant. The beach erupts in pure pleasure when Joelpumps his fists. The girls drop their sticks and one wipes a bleeding nose.He seems to be a favorite.
Jordy surfs good all day until he comes up against Bede Durbidge, whodispatches the South African with a nonchalance. Bede surfs like he hasnothing to lose. Because he doesn’t have anything to lose. He lost hissponsor, MADA, because they went out of business. And as a double-bummerpart of his deal included the Australian rights to the brand. The wretchedfates. I ask him what happened? I tell him I liked MADA product. He answers,“Yeah, it sucks doesn’t it? The retailers just didn’t pay.” I ask if he willlaunch anyhow and he answers, “I’m not sure what I’m gonna do.” He is goingto surf like a man who has had everything stripped from him. A man who hadto watch his family burned alive. Or Vince de la Pena robbed by cruelretailers.
Bede will go up against Joel in the semifinal tomorrow. Mick will go upagainst Owen but Owen won’t show because he is insisting on making me aliar. Bede will make Joel feel his pain. The pain of loss. And then Mickwill beat Bede because he takes vitamins and has a sponsor. And Rip Curlwill have her belle.
I tell my theory to Dane and he says, “Why the fuck are you still here?” - Charlie Smith
Posts: 17
Reply #17 on : Tue November 03, 2009, 06:35:09