Surfing To A ‘T’

Aloha surfers and beachgoers!

First Wave: April is almost behind us, yet in front of us the waves roll on! We’ve had five south swells at last count and this is a really good record so far — in fact as of this writing (Monday, April 25) we expect some south swell action this weekend! Stoked!

Second Wave:Testosterone and surfing — what’s the connection? It’s not just the male ego, but a real biochemical relationship. It relates to the theory that when you win, testosterone goes up and when you lose it goes down. This molecular force of nature acts the same when you get a good rush or push your athletic prowess — it goes up! We certainly know how testosterone relates to sex, but that’s a whole other subject.

Third Wave: Let’s congratulate a he-man who got an extra dose of testosterone recently — Mr. T-Man himself, Dan Moore from the North Shore. He’s the winner of $68,000 for charging the biggest wave of the season — The Billabong XXL Award was given out Saturday, April 22, over in California. Why 68,000 bucks? Because Dan deserves it — $1,000 per foot of wave height! You do the math. This was a Macker Wave, and Mr. Moore broke his foot in the process! His front foot got stuck in the straps of the tow-board when the wave collapsed on him. Talk about “Going for Broke!” That’s him in the photo — see him? That little surfer with very big levels of testosterone. It happened Dec. 15 last year at Jaws off Maui. Dan said it was “an amazing day — just massive.”Yeah, no kidding. Take a look yourself on SURFNEWSNETWORK.COM and click the Billabong Banner. Your levels of “T” will rise! Seriously, studies show even spectators who witness their team winning (e.g. football game) or extreme athletics (the XXL above) show a rise in testosterone. Amazing! Now this doesn’t mean go out and start surfing 30- foot Jaws just to increase your “T” levels — going to the gym is much safer. But thanks for the inspiration, Dan — you da man! By the way, Dan Moore is almost 50.

Fourth Wave: What about our wahine? They’re doing just fine, thank you! In fact, Rochelle Ballard is currently ranked No. 5 in the world after tying for third with local gal Megan Abubo in the third event of the season. And Rochelle is one of Earth’s best women ever riding the tube — see the photo here for proof. The contest was held in Fiji off a dreamy Island named Tavarua. Now Tavarua has two main breaks that look easy to ride because it’s so perfect, but it’s shallow and fast — not for beginners. Rochelle narrowly missed a world title in 2004, ending runner up. She’s hungry, so let her eat. She’s always been a contender since she began 14 years ago. Another incredible female talent is No. 2 rated Abubo — and she’s right behind the current champ Sofia Mulanovich. Both our girls will be chasing the Peruvian ripper on their way to a hopeful first World Title. Megan has a good chance at more than just one title. She’s won eight World Champion Tour events in 11 years as pro and finished second in 2000. Yet Megan is just 26. Now that deserves the surf accolade of “Freak Surfer.” I love this sport and all the people in it!

Last Wave: Legendary singersongwriter Jackson Browne was spotted surfing the North Shore a couple weeks ago with lifeguard and bodysurfing legend Mark Cunningham. Legends stick together, and you can bet that neither was Running On Empty with testosterone!

See you where you belong — in the water and back here next week. I’m GQ dropping in for you!

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