Longboard Clinic: The Stall #2

So where did the stall come from?

Who knows for sure, surf history is a dangerously contentious topic at best and that’s a fact. No matter what you say, someone's ego will get bent out of shape, opinions often cloud facts, and deserving unknowns, as always, get left out of the mix. Better to leave that one alone. What I do know is what I remember, or at least my version of it.

Some names that instantly snap into focus for me when thinking of beautiful stalls are, Miki Dora and David Nuuhiwa in the sixties. Next in line must be Rell Sunn there are many other women but nobody has stall that matched Rell’s. Then of course there’s Tom Wegener, Dane Peterson, Joel Tudor, Jimmy Gamboa . Locally in Byron there’s Matty Yeates, Raff, Dane Thomas, Ian Williams, Mat & Mike Determan, Geoff Murray, Geoff McCoy, Erin & Leroy, Evan, Mahala & Angus, Shane & Rhettro and of course Laura and Big Joe, to name but a few. I better stop there I could go forever; suffice to say I like a good stall when I see one. I’m bloody of fond of Yoko’s and I even like my own one too.

Yes folks the stall is actually still alive and kicking in Byron Bay and many other places today, as most experienced proponents of our art form understand the virtues of the stall. However, as the contemporary arm of our collectively eclectic body blurs the line ever closer with shortboard performance levels. You may need to look a little harder to see one up close.

So why bother with stalling, I mean really, what's it all about?

Well stalling actually serves a highly functional purpose for those in the know. It's not just something one does to look 'old school cool'. There are ways and wherefores, and they go something like this.