Searching For...
If Kelly Slater is the GOAT, then Tom Curren is the GOAT-Father. The lineage of style and flow from Tom to Kelly is direct and still the baseline for high-performance surfing today. Tom Curren was an unexpected visitor in the line up at Queenscliff today. A character renown for his aloofness, I was like a excited grommet when I looked through the lens at my local bank and saw Curren weaving and projecting with his signature style. What a treat, I had to double take!
Tom's surfboard choices have always been a subject of fascination with his shapes making our "alternative craft" look downright boring. This morning's craft looked like a hybrid of a shortboard with a foam top (for extra buoyancy??) powered by a set of elongated twin fins. Weird for sure, but he was ripping and moving with the spring of a man 30 years his junior.
Curren's in town for the 25th Anniversary of the seminal film Searching For Tom Curren which showed at The Orpheum last night (yeah I missed it too!). Well worth another look as it's just as relevant today as it was mind-blowing 25 years ago.
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Murray
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