Switchfoot by Jeff Clark

[Beasho]

"I was driving by this rocky spot down the coast and a friend said get it now with only two guys out. So I jumped in for 45 minutes."  Jeff Clark

Jeff posted this on Facebook with no music.  Its a touch campy but does an excellent job of introducing Jeff Clark and demonstrating how he goes both ways.  He is also on a SUP.  Somehow the waves actually look pretty impressive, even with the GoPro.  And he exits the water at the end of it all with dry hair . . . . but that's Jeff.  Surfing savant.

I added the music.  If I recall Jeff was originally a Mormon took a break and then recently returned.  He doesn't drink . . . so I hope he would be OK with the music.  Then again maybe the song is more appropriate 

[Beasho]

My SUP lineage is directly related to Jeff Clark.  I had bought a new longboard in August of 2009.  It was summer flat so I went to the only place that could possibly have waves . . . . mushroom rock. 

I am struggling to catch 3 footers (it was 0.0" everywhere else) and out paddles Cassandra Clark.  Cassandra is Jeff's wife and she was on a 9' 2" Naish SUP.  I had been intrigued by SUP, mainly because my other two friends Rich and Mark would circle around me like sharks catching 3 waves to my 1.  She says "Hi" and then takes pity and asks "Would you like to try this?"  I thought 'that's kind of weird swapping boards with Jeff's wife.'  I had been interested so I got over the weird part and said 'Yes!'

I paddled and fell 15 times in 5 minutes and remembered thinking 'I am going to figure this out.'

I walked into the shop and ordered a board that week (it took 2 months to arrive I will warn you).

To this day Cassandra takes credit for teaching me to SUP.  And she's right

I sold the longboard and still use my Jeff Clark SUP whenever its medium to bigger or nasty (like in the wind with Jelly Fish see here:  http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,26864.msg278393.html#msg278393)

[standuped]

"Brian, Todays the Day" ..... any Jeff Clark fan should know where that comes from...

[surfinJ]

Nice!  Always thought that being able to switch stance would be a valuable sus technique, primarily for the take off as you could always paddle in on the appropriate strong side for the approaching peak.

Jeff is doing it just for added fun!

[Subber]

Wow...great vid....he makes it look so easy....just casual.

[SUPcheat]

I have done the "jump switch" from standard to goofy foot a couple of times on the Vernor to force the left turn.  For me, it was just about incompetentcy and inability in making the left turn from standard stance so I jumped to goofy and did it that way.  It is a little cumbersome for a standard turning maneuver but it works.

I haven't tried it on the Prowave yet, harder to do than on the Vernor.

There is a guy who is very expert that I see once in a while at the Hook, don't know who he is, he is on a medium longboard.  He literally rides the wave on one foot and uses his back foot to tap the back of the board for turning like morse code, it is interesting to watch.

[downwinddave]

that sequence at 3:00 where he braces and pivots from backside to frontside is pretty smooth, im going to think about trying that!

[XLR8]

That was a great video with some great surfing!  And great selection of music!  I am stoked now!   And just as I was getting convinced that the GoPro on the end of the nose routine was no good...

[covesurfer]

Fantastic video. I'm sitting in front of the computer swaying around in my chair to every turn. Must have looked hilarious. You can just see the stoke on his face, every single wave.

The switch-foot, backside rights were impressive. I've played around with switching (I'm regular foot) going left so that I'm frontside but I never even thought of deliberately going backside! Anyway, I REALLY enjoyed that vid! Thanks for posting.

[supthecreek]

Excellent video Beash...  good to see Jeff having fun on a SUP.
Where does SUP fit into Jeff's surf life? Is it occasional or does he prefer it on small waves?

I found another interesting Jeff Clark video that has a bunch of SUPing in it... along with another passion of Jeff's, that is certain to challenge some Zoners

[PonoBill]

Cool video. Not the most elegant footwork, but probably surf ballet is not a priority with a guy that grew up riding waves of consequence. But eeeeuw. Golf. I don't get it. But then again there's a lot of big wave surfers that play golf. I can't do it.

[Beasho]

Jeff is definitely into SUP.  I would bet 60% - 70%.  Here is a truck Full-o-SUPs that he has ready for sale.  In the 7'3" to 8'11" range.  No surprise that's all they showed of him in that video (other than fragging golf).  I did see him short boarding this week then SUP'ing the next day.

I am with Pono on Golf.  My great Aunt was Maureen Orcutt.  One of the top 5 women golfers back in the 20's and 30's.  Golf was practically beaten into me with lessons from the age of 10 - 14.  Now I get 4 holes in and start to get hives.  I would rather bale hay at that point.   

[PonoBill]

It would be fun if you could play it on a dirt bike, and hit the ball on the run.

I did version 2 of the ultralight mount today, I gave up on finding the one I did before. This one has some improvements. I used 1/8 stainless rivets and filed the center bar of the mount so the rivets tuck in further. The bar serves as a stop, so the previous ones were jamming at full insertion of the camera clip. As it turns out if you flat file the center bar using the side guides as a stop, you'll take a little more than 1/8" off the length. The clip fits perfectly. The carbon is from a Xtuf shaft, which is unidirectional CF, so the tape keeps splinters from forming. Leave the tape in place Beasho.



This dinky project has been nothing but grief. Not only did I lose version 1, but this one I packed in a box that had an mbed micro-controller in it. After I got it all addressed and sealed I realized the serial number for the mbed was on the box, and I need it to access the dev tools. I had to shave it off with an xacto. Sheesh. My mind is going.

[Beasho]

Pono: Thank you for this.  You know what they say "No good deed goes unpunished."

After I went to the post office, having shipped Creek his GoPro, I was cleaning up my GoPro inventory on the floor picked my head up and smashed into the open window shades that swing out.  Holy schnockers I was bleeding from the top of my head and it was Friday evening.  I was envisioning stitches at the emergency room just when I wanted to sit down with my wife for the evening.  Fortunately I did the old farm routine and ignored it.  Swabbed up the blood for an hour and wished it away.  I kept thinking of this quote.

On to more favorable things.  Here is a what I have planned for that shaft mount.  You still have to carry the GoPro around and I plan to continue using the head strap stuffed in my camelbak.   A quick modification shown will allow me to 1) Use the headstrap and 2) Remove the camera from the headstrap to place it on to the paddle.

If you have ever used the paddle mount you quickly realize how bulky it is.  It's nice to be able to stow the camera away for the paddle out, get your sea legs and then start filming.  I used to keep it clipped to my chest.  I think this will offer the best range of options.  You could also attach 2 cameras to get a forward and reverse view, or head and paddle, or stick one on the board and paddle . . . .

• Headmount,
• Selfie head to arm approach
• and the best of all perspectives the Paddle-Selfie stick

[standuped]

The Lairdith golfethst thusly