Outrage Over Hurley and Longboards

Rumors About Hurley Dropping the Longboard Division from the US Open of Surfing Rekindled A Passionate Debate About the Place of Longboarding in the Sport

SAN DIEGO, CA – After taking over the sponsorship of the US Open of Surfing 2009, Hurley had allegedly dropped the longboard division to further enhance the skateboard participation in the event, leading to an outrage in not only the longboard community but also the surf community at large. At the time of the first allegations, and partly in response to the many emails received on this topic, My Local Lineup contacted both Hurley and the organizers of the US Open, but there was no response. Recently, however, Hurley has officially announced the inclusion of the longboard division in this year’s US Open, but the format is still unknown.

The US Open of Surfing is held annually at Huntington Beach Pier, California and has been known for drawing incredibly large crowds, arguably generating some of the world’s biggest audience for a surf contest, with this year’s attendance projected at 500,00. The event dates back to 1959, which was then called “The United States Surfing Championship.” Later, it was renamed the “OP Pro” in 1982 for the surf wear company Ocean Pacific and in 1994 received its current name, “The US Open of Surfing.” In its early days, as expected, the event was comprised exclusively of longboard competitors, who then relied on surfboards over 9ft. long, weighing sometimes well over 30lbs. As the surfboards got smaller, through the late 60’s and 70’s, longboarding went into asylum, making a come back in the mid 1980’s, early 1990’s. Since their return, the longboard division has been an integral part of the US Open, featuring historical moments such as the hard-fought dual between world champions Joel Tudor and Colin McPhillips.

When the allegations that Hurley had dropped the longboard division began to surface, both longboarders and shortboarders started to speak not only on the topic at hand, but also the broader question regarding the place of the different modalities in the sport of surfing. For some core longboarders, the alleged drop of the longboard division came at no surprise. “They [Surf Industry Insiders] have no respect for the sport and obviously won't blink twice to have the longboard division ‘Laid Off’,” said Kevin Connelly, a professional longboarder and an icon of the traditional longboard movement. “It's sad that the sporting side of surfing is so content to discard the lifestyle side that brought it to life. Without Longboards there wouldn't be any shortboards, which doesn't mean that everyone should ride a longboard, but they should at least prioritize it as something of value.”

Although a large swath of the surf community echoed Connelly’s disappointment, some of the responses drew on a different reasoning. Some tied their discontent not only to roots but also to performance. “People are taking longboarding to some high-levels nowadays and it’s always exciting to watch and hear about it, so I say they should keep it in there,” said Mitch McCullough from La Jolla, CA. Others, like Jason Ubalde from San Diego, CA, were sensitive to the possible financial underpinnings of the decision, but were still adamant about expressing their disappointment. “As a business decision, I actually think it’s kind of a good idea, because when you think about surfing as mainstream you always think as an extreme sport now,” he said, but then added, “longboarding is as much a part of surfing as shortboarding is,” so although financially wise, “it still sucks.”

The controversy about Hurley’s alleged decision is likely to continue to draw criticism even though the company has announced the inclusion of a longboard division. “Rounding out the center stage will be a celebration of the world’s top longboarders in a soon-to-be announced format that will certainly have the crowd cheering for more,” states Hurley on the US Open of Surfing’s website. After the early charges brought against the company, Hurley is now threading a fine line. On the one hand, if it makes longboarding a part of the event but relegates it to a lower status, the company runs the risk of simply confirming the early suspicions and as a result alienating a large segment of the surf community. But on the other hand, Hurley can shed all reservations by giving more prominence to the longboard modality. Now in either case, after the initial charges were brought against the surf wear giant, the company is painted into a corner where it will need to do more than its predecessors to appease the potential detractors. And whether Hurley makes through this round of public relations, the debate about the proper place of longboarding and shortboarding will continue to draw wedges on lineups across the globe.

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