Surfing competition had always had its detractors—Miki Dora and Phil Edwards being the best examples—but not until the late '60s did anti-contest sentiment expand into something that could be called a movement. Yes, the whole thing was splattered in hypocrisy. A lot of surfers tried to have it both ways; fly the anti-contest banner on Wednesday, then slip on the colored jersey the following Saturday. But there was also a lot of genuine and justifiable animosity toward competition, and the way it meshed—or didn't mesh—with surfing. Was it merely an awkward fit? Something to ignore? Or did contests in fact damage the sport in some way? These questions came to the fore in 1969, and stayed there until . . . well, they're still with us in 2018.

The piece below, written by photographer Barry Church, ran in the March 1970 issue of Surfing. The article title was long: "Competition: The Following Views Do Not Necessarily Reflect Those of the Magazine." The subtitle was longer: "Tired of being Number ER11474890? Then Burn Your Competition Card and Join the Revolution." By no means is this the defining anti-contest manifesto. But it does neatly capture the ambivalence of the period: "Maybe there shouldn’t even be contests—but let’s face it, many surfers like to compete." And to repeat myself, past is prologue. Competition remains the most-debated topic in surfing.

The revolution is here and we are all involved. In the last two years there has been much change in surfers' attitudes towards life and surfing. Many have dropped off the contest circuit to live the life they love, to tune their minds and bodies, and by doing so they've moved ahead of the contest surfer. Barry Kanaiaupuni and Jackie Baxter are two prime examples. Barry is powerful, radical, fluid, and a beautiful person. Jackie is right along the same lines. Neither one bothers with contests, and consequently both are years ahead of many of the best surfers.

Contests as they stand today are keeping surfing at a near standstill. Many will argue this point but let’s be realistic. Contests promote conservatism. Typical contest: “All right boys, you have 12 minutes to catch five waves, three out of those five will be counted toward your final score, and anything over five counts automatically.” Twelve minutes is not a lot of time. A surfer may go out and catch the best two waves of the heat and rip them apart, but lose to some guy who rode three bathtub bombers just to get the required wave count. Why should that guy win when it was obvious who was the better surfer? Then there are the rules on how you should surf, and which moves score the most points. I’d like to know who was the have-mercy-on-me-almighty-Kahuna who determined that one maneuver was better than another. Who is to say that a noseride should get more points than a roller-coaster? Or that a fin-first takeoff will win your heat? It’s all BS.

Surfing is freedom. Surfing is art. Surfing is a way of life. Surfing is supposed to break us away from rules and regulations. You join with the most beautiful force of nature and express yourself on a wave like an artist does on canvas, like a glider pilot does at 12,000-feet. Contests have to change! Instead of encouraging conservatism, a contest should favor innovation, radicalism, and self-expression. There should be no rules. There should be no 12-minute heats. There should be no heat winners. Let's get rid of the point system. Let's get rid of the judges. Maybe there shouldn’t even be contests—but let’s face it, many surfers like to compete, manufacturers realize a profit from contests, and the public gets a better view of the sport.

The surfers met in Huntington Beach last summer during the US Championships, and they talked about change. Here are the conclusions among many of the top surfers who are trying to solve the contest dilemma and advance surfing to its ultimate.

Instead of heat winners and finalists, we should just have categories—most radical surfer, most fluid, most consistent, most aggressive. There could also be an award for best new equipment. Maybe this type of contest is the answer, maybe not. Time will tell. Windansea Surf Club has been experimenting in this direction. They held a contest with witnesses, not judges, and figured out who won each heat not by adding up points on paper, but by simply watching and deciding among themselves. This was a step in the right direction.

The main idea with contests should be to promote surfing artists, to allow them to be themselves and express surfing as they see fit. This movement is in its infancy, and is open to all suggestions and ideas. Remember, if you know the surfing life, you will love the surfing life. Enjoy, and make love to the waves!

BURN YOUR COMPETITION CARD: THE ANTI-CONTEST MOVEMENT TAKES OFF

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