mc claren pool in Mc Claren park
named after the landscape arcchitect that designed and executed the plan for Golden Gate park.
the wilderness in the city went un developed until I was in junior high school
the plan pushed forward by community organizations like the visitation valley imporvement club.
the pool brought together the varigated population in the aquatics commonality of the heated pool.
I met and studied all those older than myself
to lay down a foundation for my understanding and survival to advancing age.
the likes of Carlos Magana,from el salvador the head guard who ran the pool
guards like rich blair,filthy frank matlin, al hardy, the ladies that sold tickets like pat who’s son got uremic poisoning from a severe sunburn,
the lockeroom guys like lizard,and rogers collins who played the electric
blues guitar,
all the other kids on the swim team
that melted into assorted realities like and unlike my own,
including the garibaldi brothers from the portola
that sold me my first board that I stripped in the first 1/2 hour I owned it
… the board came from Otto in santacruz…
all these elements in one life amount to be who and what I am today.
the cypress trees planted arroound the pool changed my youth’s playground
from a wilderness for wandering to a pool with endless laps
and swim meets and screaming water tag ,
evenings and walks home with wet hair in the hood.
the " get it " is we are so close to the continuium
we can deny it’s existence while we try to hold on to our concepts
established before we are empowered adolescents
the" this is a surfboard forum whine"
is an attempt to seperate the essential
realities of passing time and changing influences
on the design parameters.
As time goes by
address the changes
sociologicly as well as technique and materials
make choices
know what the choices are based upon
who made the choices and where the conceptss came from
simmions wasn’t from corona del mar
tom blake wasnt from redondo or L.B.I.
Johnny weismuler didn’t surf as good as jimmy Durante or did he?
Art Linkletter and Walt disney surfed
we were effected
only with this understanding
do we Own our progression.
To deny the roots and influences is to relinquish our
progress trends to an invisible
marketing entity that leads us by the nose
into market profitabiliy.
At our expense?
At the expense of our progeny?
Swaylocks has provided us with the oppertunity to examine
…real design,
and affect alternatives to effect positive change.
these positive changes will reverberate through time.
A yater changed my life as much as an olsen haut model
but nowhere near as much as the boards I made
on the corner of stanley and livingston
on pedro point.
That was a spring to remember
as have been the last 35 years
the shortboard revolution
was instrumental to tking back surfing
from the market share metalities
The Fallen Comrades Of the Revolution
are not Political comrades from some campagin for governor
they were athletes involved in surfing the pacific ocean
spreading a love and enthusiasm far and wide while learning
soon to be lost arts of paddling ,
fire building ,
and now selecting a good clark blank.
whats next?
Get a clue
listen carefully to the ramblings
of your serrogate siblings
in our surfing subculture
the clues to understanding each other,
the reasons why we are alike,
why the conclusions we draw are different,
and most of all how to get along with each other ,peacefully.
…ambrose…
"it isnt waikiki
or kamehameha’s pali
or the beachboy’s free with their ho’o mali mali"
that ho’o mali mali ,
I tell you braddah
az him
