My friend who taught me how to ride a skateboard back in 4th or 5th grade was a goofy so naturally I surfed that way, too.
It is the only reason for that as I am naturally right handed. I am somewhat ambidextrous (I spelled that right without looking it up :) as a result.
The only surfing I did at that age was on a 2x4 affixed with one of my sister's roller skates. Barefoot complete with splinters. It wasn't exactly a wave pipe but that 90 degree sidewalk turn was still a little tricky.
I'm a natural righty too but I shoot a rifle lefty. Not sure what that's about. Seems easier.
On a basic training firing line that M16 ejection port being on the right popped hot brass down the neck of my field jacket. It wasn't pretty to be dancing on a live firing line with a drill sergeant whipping my ass but I'll bet it looked pretty funny. Maybe goofy too, but I digress...
I've told this story before years ago.
Apollo 11, one of the few historical events where most everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing. Like The Beatles on Ed Sullivan and JFK's assassination.
On this day in 1969 when Apollo 11 landed on the moon, I was down in Ocean City, NJ surfing at 32nd St with my buddy. A cool blustery day but still had some good waves. When we were done in the afternoon we went back to his family's house to warm up and watch the moon walk on their good old standard 19" black and white TV with rabbit ears on the stand that everyone seemed to have back in those days. We were fixated. Live ! From the Moon !
Forward to another day of surfing at the Canaveral Jetties in Cocoa Beach, we all, and the beach was full, watched Apollo 14 go up. It was the highlight of a week long group of rocket launches. One was a night launch that was really cool. You could hear them and see them to be sure, but the flipping Saturn V. Damn, not only did you hear it (for miles), it shook the ground, too. You could feel the concussion from the rocket in the air.
Years later around 2000 or so I was down in Buxton, NC (Cape Hatteras). So I'm out in the water boogie boarding and as surfers might do, struck up a conversation with another guy. We got to talking about stuff and I forget how we ended up talking about Apollo's, perhaps me bringing up surfing around Cocoa Beach and how I got to see 14 go up. We then started talking about 11 and I said, yeah I know right where I was that day. Surfing in OC, NJ. It was a holy shit moment when he said that he was there in OC that day surfing. Two complete strangers meeting some 40 years at a place far removed from an event like that and we find out that we were both in the same place that day. Never know what you're going to get with a simple hello to a perfect stranger. And if I didn't take that first step, never would've known all of this. A synchronicity ?
Apollo 11, one of the few historical events where most everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing. Like The Beatles on Ed Sullivan and JFK's assassination.
Cool story kurster . Ain't it wonderous how these experiences pop up in our lives.
On this day in 1969 when Apollo 11 landed on the moon, I was down in Ocean City, NJ surfing at 32nd St with my buddy. A cool blustery day but still had some good waves. When we were done in the afternoon we went back to his family's house to warm up and watch the moon walk on their good old standard 19" black and white TV with rabbit ears on the stand that everyone seemed to have back in those days. We were fixated. Live ! From the Moon !
Forward to another day of surfing at the Canaveral Jetties in Cocoa Beach, we all, and the beach was full, watched Apollo 14 go up. It was the highlight of a week long group of rocket launches. One was a night launch that was really cool. You could hear them and see them to be sure, but the flipping Saturn V. Damn, not only did you hear it (for miles), it shook the ground, too. You could feel the concussion from the rocket in the air.
Years later around 2000 or so I was down in Buxton, NC (Cape Hatteras). So I'm out in the water boogie boarding and as surfers might do, struck up a conversation with another guy. We got to talking about stuff and I forget how we ended up talking about Apollo's, perhaps me bringing up surfing around Cocoa Beach and how I got to see 14 go up. We then started talking about 11 and I said, yeah I know right where I was that day. Surfing in OC, NJ. It was a holy shit moment when he said that he was there in OC that day surfing. Two complete strangers meeting some 40 years at a place far removed from an event like that and we find out that we were both in the same place that day. Never know what you're going to get with a simple hello to a perfect stranger. And if I didn't take that first step, never would've known all of this. A synchronicity ?
Apollo 11, one of the few historical events where most everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing. Like The Beatles on Ed Sullivan and JFK's assassination.
How did the right foot forward stance come to be known as "goofy foot" ? I never knew myself. The wife had someone on FB share something about how it was named after Goofy, the Disney cartoon character. When he tried to learn how to surf in the cartoon he had his right foot forward. Who knew ?
For all of us goofy foots out there.
Allegedly from 1937 ...
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Well that was weird... This post and a question from a trivia page on the same day...
8. Most snowboarders and skateboarders ride with their left foot in front of their right. Seriously. The opposite type of stance, in which the right foot is in front of the left, shares a name with WHICH ANIMATED DOG?
How did the right foot forward stance come to be known as "goofy foot" ? I never knew myself. The wife had someone on FB share something about how it was named after Goofy, the Disney cartoon character. When he tried to learn how to surf in the cartoon he had his right foot forward. Who knew ?
Meet Mr. Bull Shark, one of the three deadliest to humans and they love fresh water. There was one in particular that terrorized Egg Harbor, NJ for a number of years last century.
Apparently they often swim up the Mississippi River, frequently after tidal surges from tropical storms in the Gulf - some have been confirmed as far north as St. Louis. I have a friend who is a herpetologist (but he knows a lot about other animals), who was talking to me about them recently - though our discussion had started about salt water crocodiles.
