(…  above is a great clip of the king of longboarding, and undisputed style master, Joel Tudor, showing us how it’s done!)

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My name is Kaya, and I am a longboarder. Up until the arrival of stand-up paddle boards, longboarders were looked upon by most shortboarders as wave hogs and dangerous log riders in the line-up.

Now, it would seem that both shortboarders and longboarders look upon most stand-up paddle boarders like the bastard step-child. Like I said, I am a longboarder. Ahem.I always have been; although there were periods of shortboarding spurts in my system, especially during surf trips to wicked-bad beach breaks!  I admit to having been involved in the whole “longboard vs. shortboard” debate with other surfers, and often times it results in people walking away with the same opinions they came in with, and a bit more upset than they were when they came in.

I have great respect for shortboarders though. Often times,  I marvel open-mouthed at their ability to drop late, hit the lip, and perform massively wicked roundhouses. However, I also have great respect,  and even envy, for those that are exceptionally good at longbooarding – but only those that longboard like they are “longboarders”!

All too often many people attempt to ride longboards as if they were shortboards … altogether neglecting the maneouvres which completely separate longboarding from its shortboarding counterpart. Longboarding, at its very core and essence, is about style: smooth fades, drop-knee bottom turns, walking the nose!   I’m sure that constantly improving shape and material technologies have contributed to the “longboard like a shortboarder” trend …  longboards that are buoyant to catch even the smallest ripple, while being light enough to maneuver like it’s on rails.

To all you true longboarders, please don’t follow this trend.  Take pride in the aesthetic that makes your craft beautiful and unique – longboard like a longboarder.  If you want to hit the lip, ride a shortboard!

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