Stab High

A surf contest, mostly in the air. In a pool. In Texas!?

Surfing in Texas isn’t the first thing that springs to mind when you think of the Lone Star State. Dallas. Austin. Waco. Cowboys and trucks are a far call from the usual locations of Hawaii, Australia, California and other sundrenched, ocean-facing locations which normally spring to mind when the word surf contest is heard.

However, Stab High is a different beast altogether. And it’s in a large swimming pool, in one of the most landlocked locations in all of the USA. However not just any old swimming pool. A Wavepool.

Wavepools are quickly becoming a buzz word in surfing. Why? Well one word really, Consistency. Surfing is a difficult mistress. Waves come as quickly as they disappear. All waves are acutely sensitive to wind, size of the swell, direction of swell, strength of swell and tide. This is extenuated by the fact that each wave is different, depending on where it breaks. I won’t get too much into the ‘whys’ and the science of it, as, well it’s boring, however - this idea you have of surfers surfing the perfect wave? It doesn’t exist. Well, it does, but the amount of crappy days it takes to get that perfect wave defies belief.

As I’m sure you can imagine, this makes planning and executing surf contests a nightmare. Too many variables. Too little time. Pressure from sponsors, fans and athletes to ‘get it done’ and running heats in suboptimal conditions over a weekend to please the crowds, in turn infuriating the competitors. It also raises questions over the judging of different waves – so subjective! In essence, surf contests in the ocean whilst sometimes sublime, are more often than not a disappointment. The old adage “you should have been here yesterday bro” has never been so apt.