Plus he turned us on to Sambazon Amazon Energy 'with love herbs.'
Top take aways from the day:
Paddling under the board gives you better power
No sand on the wax (chafing)
Sit n spin the board
Stealth changing techniques in the parking lot
an article from last week:
Young longboarder works up his brand
By LAYLAN CONNELLY
2010-06-04 12:35:07
Joe Aaron slowly inches his way to the tip of his longboard, careful to keep his balance.
As board and body move forward with the power of a turquoise wave, he reaches the board's front edge. There, with knees slightly bent and arms in the air behind him, puppetlike, he pops up on the balls of his feet.
It's hard to imagine the laws of gravity even allowing such a move. But, there it is, caught on camera and reprinted on the cover in this month's issue of Slide magazine, a New Zealand-based publication that tracks the world of longboard surfing.
"That move I created, I call it 'The Jackson 10'," says the 19-year-old Capo Beach surfer, adding that he was influenced by Michael Jackson's dance moves. "No one has ever seen it."
In the image on the magazine cover, Joe is riding a board he shaped. He's also wearing a tie-dyed T-shirt with the name of his company, "Joe Motion," splashed on the front. He even created the color-block boardshorts.
Every detail in the image is practiced and planned, with one goal in mind – building a brand.
SURFING IN DIAPERS
"I've been surfing since I was in diapers."
When most people say something like that, it's an exaggeration to make a point. For Joe Aaron, it's a simple truth.
Aaron Lybarger was surfing Old Man's break in San Onofre when he put his son, Joe Aaron, on the nose of the board. Lybarger wanted his boy to feel the water beneath them as the pair road tandem to shore.
Never mind that Joe could not yet walk.
At 4, Joe took his first wave, solo. Wearing a pink wetsuit (hey, it was the 90s), he rode the board all the way to shore, running toward the nose and ending up on the sand.
"The board was so big, it was like walking on the sidewalk," Joe says, smiling at the memory.
"I remember that rush... It was like flying."
Soon, he was entering and winning surf contests. By age 10, he had a few wins under his belt and he dabbled in shortboard surfing, just to pick up a different style. But even then, longboard riding had his heart.
"It's like the ballet of surfing. You can't walk to the nose of a shorboard. It's soulful."
His motto has always been: "Style is best."
But style will only get you so far. Even with natural talent, it takes hard work to perfect such a craft.
Joe watched old surf films to take note of other surfer's styles. His father has spent countless hours on the sand filming his son's sessions, and, later, as a family, they'd watch the videos and critique his moves.
"If you're not doing the move right, don't do it at all," Joe says.
"I want to make every move perfect."
But it's more than about just mimicking other people's eloquent styles, and doing moves like "Hang Ten" (where feet are flat, and the toes are hanging over the tip of the board) that have been done time and time again. It's about trying new things, creating new moves, and making his mark.
"I want to be outside the box. I want to take it to the next level," he said "It's good to be fresh."
LONG BOARDS, SHORT MONEY
Surfing started on long boards – huge, wooden planks ridden by Hawaiian royalty and others before being introduced to California in the early 1900s.
But surfing's roots have started to fade as the sport has evolved. These days, while the longboard surfing may be considered the most soulful — it's also surfing's toughest subculture if you're trying to make a living. Even as longboard riding has enjoyed a revival among surfers who enjoy the classic style, they typically are the first to get cut by sponsors when economic times turn tough.
Although Joe is ranked among the top 10 in the nation on the Association of Surfing Professionals Longboard Tour, and has scored three magazine covers before age 20, he has no major surf company sponsor. So he's left to hustle to make a living.
At age 15, with the help of his family and his father acting as CEO, he created the company "Joe Motion." The umbrella brand helps him to expand his focus beyond surfing.
About the same time he started getting serious about surfing, Joe realized he had an artistic streak he couldn't suppress. He'd travel to surf spots, and be inspired enough by what he saw to put it on canvas with his own artistic twist. Joe's art is splashed with vibrant, bold colors, and just like his surfing, it screams to be heard.
He realized early on a preference for bright colors. While everyone was wearing black wetsuits and riding plain, white boards, he made sure he stood out by wearing fluorescents (OK, so the maybe pink wetsuit wasn't a '90s thing).
"You have to have something people know you by," Joe says, "something that stands out."
JOE, THE MOGUL?
Joe can be found at beach fairs with a tent showcasing his work. And for years has worked on commission for Doheny State Beach's Surf-a-Rama, putting his art on signs and flyers for the event. He'll be there with his artwork on June 12.
He was recently contacted by Palisades Skateboards to have his work put on planks, alongside famous surf artist Drew Brophy.
His artistic abilities have oozed into various Joe Motion subprojects – creating clear polycarbonate flexfins that are sleek enough to keep on a mantle place as a work of art, in his clothing line – even in his long-term dream of one day creating animated cartoons, or maybe go into acting.
"I'm like a mad scientist inventor with all these ideas," Joe says. "But we need the backing to make it a legit business."
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Doheny Beach
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