I was bummed reading this article about the controversy over the Mavericks surf contest.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/05/08/mavericks-surfing-contest-acrimony/
Came across this video of some women surf kayakers. I was stoked just watching them ride. Good wave riding is about the stoke. Hope that motivates the female riders to keep going and to get their place on the waves!
sing
I did that upside down, all the way to the beach, until my head dragged the sand.
Hey, just don’t be like that guy on the beach. Maybe more important than a PFD, wear your HELMET!!! Good to go!
sing
While I was racing I had the privilege to watch a couple of women paddlers who gave the sport an incredible amount of grace.
I saw that same grace on some climbing walls.
Those women did not attempt to power through what they were doing, they used their whole body to transcend that. It was truly awesome to watch and I thank them for that.
The state passed a law requiring equal prize money and participation but we all have seen how males can swoop in and take the prize money (identify as female)
I read all comments, always my favorite way to do some sampling 
Isn’t that spot just north of Santa Cruz?
Lol, Nobody’s gonna claim to be trans just to win anything, those folks get the shit beat out of them on the regular
I am all about folks - male, female, trans, or nonbinary - having access to opportunities to pursue and enjoy whatever activities or avocation that provides a sense of well being and fulfillment.
As the woman in Times story put it, she was going after exclusion:
she also wants to do this because as a teenager she was appalled by what she saw as a contest that glorified an exclusionary cabal of surfer dudes who resented women on their waves and defined the world’s best surfers as the world’s best male surfers.
Unfortunately, when competition and monetary rewards are introduced, cheating happens whether it is hidden mechnical assist in racing bikes, steroids, PEDs. Trans women seem to have an hormonal advantage. So competitive fairness may require a separate class.
However, in the day to day line up, i welcome anyone who enjoys the stoke AND observes surf etiquette.
sing
As a kid, I remember the Russians playing the chromosome game and being disqualified for cheating. It’s not exactly the same, but bicyclists played that game with artifical stimulants and got banned. Now by today’s standards, its bold, heroic, innovative. I won’t question any individual’s motives or decisions. However, the simple truth is that women are being phased out of competitive sports. That doesn’t impact me, because I have no standing on the matter. One of my young grand daughters is a member of a mixed gender team and competes well for now. Its too complicated.
The irony of this situation is that they at some point may need to make a handicapped class open to just biologically born women. That will probably be acceptable, since you need to be handicapped to participate? Am I crazy or missing something? Maybe just eliminate qualifiers and let everybody compete in the same class.
I think that is what is happening in cycling.
I don’t believe it is fair at all to live one’s life male and then swoop in and take the women’s prizes.
No, I do not support it at all.
Part of the problem is women’s sports do not raise as much in sponsorships (just a fact) and the first time the Mavericks competition went BK and now they will have even less money. But I wish her luck.
Are you bored today?
No! It I have empathy for the state of women’s sports.
Sports shouldn’t be about money and sponsorship. Last year I watched women’s cycling that followed the Tour de France. In comparison, it was like watching paint dry, but that shouldn’t diminish the value of the event. The purpose is to pit yourself against other competitors. It might be naivebof me to say this, but it doesn’t matter who is watching. It’s about the opportunity to compete. The league assembles the competitors, blocks the roads, provides the coverage and assembles sponsors. Theres the opportunity. If a racer wants infamy, push harder.
No matter how vigorous flag football becomes, it’ll never match professional football. Compare men and women soccer. Women recently had a great success, then things turned to periferal personal effusions. Play the game. Keep your personal life private and who cares what cereal you eat.
The latest distraction is comical. It’s a side show. Everyone is afraid to recall how Andy Kauffman debased women with his absurd circus act of publically humiliating women by wrestling them on SNL. It drew mixed reactions of laughs and disgust, until he got the snot knocked out of him in the wrestling ring for mocking professional wrestling. It was later played off as a staged stunt. It was staged alright. He was pile drived into a twitching mess. It’s unfortunate that women are being robbed of a venue to fully explore potential. The deck is stacked and has been replaced by an Andy Kauffman side show.
My competition is with myself. All I get is pain for my effort. If someone wants greater rewards, get another job, or bring panache to the game.
Longboat, paddle and glassy waves. She’s got moves on the wave:
Dancing before and on the waves:
Stoking vicariously. Mahalo!
sing
@sing I think kayaking is a place where women enjoy an edge or at least an opportunity to compete on equivent ground (or water).
Strive, inspire, give back…
sing
You’re have a good eye for talent.