We doubt there is anyone who types words about surfing who hasn’t made some kind of comment or 10 about Dane Reynolds and what he should or should not be doing with all that raw talent. We’re guilty. Sometimes we start thinking like old high school principals. We see Dane’s crazy, insane surfing skills, his dashing personality, and star power and we believe he has a responsibility to perform on the ASP world tour. Anything less is complete and utter waste of all that potential. Or something like that.
Thankfully, Dane has decided that rather than let all of us “twitter impostors, eggy surf bloggers, overzealous surf photographers” continue to speculate, he’ll just lay it all out in one blog post. It begins like this and includes no capital letters (shift key must be broken):
i’ve been getting some pressure from various people and/or websites to write something, sorta like an official statement concerning my exit from the world tour. my dismount. my pirouette. ‘an opportunity level with your fans.’ that’s what they tell me. people wanna know whats goin on. be up to date. i can understand that. i like knowing whats going on. i like being up to date. . . .one thing to remember is that i have a heart and i have bones and muscle and skin and eyes and teeth. i have emotions. sometimes i act according to emotions. sometimes i think and make a conscious decision. i usually do that. in fact i usually think too much. sorta neurotic. i make mistakes, and i deal with them. i have fears and i have anxiety and i have insecurities and i have vices which i often give in to. social situations enhance all of these qualities. i could probably use some discipline, and lots of things bum me out, but generally i’m happy, and i enjoy making other people happy. sometimes all it takes is a smile. sometimes it takes a lot more than that. i try to be honest. especially with myself. i know that i’m fortunate. i’m sitting here and i have a pulse and i can breath and i hear birds outside and the buzz of the freeway and the suns about to set and it’s a friday. that’s fortune. i also know that i’m fortunate in many other ways. three brands support me and enable me to surf every day and travel and eat and have a house to live in. in return i represent their company in a positive way. i feel like i do a decent job. but that’s obviously up for debate. surfing is my passion in life. i always think about how lucky we are that there’s even an ocean, and its not too hot or too turbulent and it’s not made of acid that burns our skin off. and how lucky is it that the land tapers into the ocean in just the right way so that when lumps of energy approach from a thousand miles away they gently rise up and crash at just the perfect speed so that we can wave our little arms and match their speed and hang at the crest weightless for just a second before sliding down the face. free to ride it in any way you please. and there’s not just one of them. there’s tons of them. they keep coming. all different sizes shapes and speeds. everyday they’re different. endless joy.
As usual, it’s very difficult to argue with Dane because he’s always so honest and witty and, well, right. Click the link to read the rest. We don’t want to put any more words in his mouth.
[Link: Marine Layer Productions via Stab Mag]
