18
MLBLUE
SPRING2017
FIELD
NOTES
I first shot photos of Great Lakes surfers back in2008 at a place called Envy. It’s one of the best breaks aroundwhen it
works. Lake surfingwas a different sport then; therewas barely anyone doing it. Itwas a secretive brotherhood. Being
toldwhere a newbreakwas,meant youwere in the club. But you couldn’t tell anyone else. Each surfer had their own
varying code of ethics, but if youbroke that code,well, youwere out. Itwas ameanworld. People didn’t likeme taking
photos of it; they thought a publishedphotowouldmake the sport toopopular and ruin thewaves. I suppose they
envisioned truckloads of newbies showingup,making the breaks too crowded to surf.
There are certainlymore lake surfers than ever before, but it’s not because a couple
photos appeared in
Mountain Life.
It’smore likewe reached the tippingpoint:wetsuits
became better andmore readily available, forecasting technologies improved and
awareness of an actual surf scene grew.
Butwhat’s amazingabout theGreat Lakes surf scene is that it didn’t getmeaner.While thewaves aremore crowded, the
scene isn’tmore cut-throat. In fact, theexact oppositehappened; it’s friendlier thanever.Therearemoreguys andgirls in
the lineupandmost of themareall smiles. People like LarryCalvero, JamesCarrickand JoshMadrygaare stoked to share
waves.Their positivity andopenness is inspiring.They’ll often firemea textwhen the surf is pumping.Theywantme there.
Heck, theywant other surfers there.Theywant to share the stoke.
Sure, theguyswhowanted to smashmy camera are still out there; they’re disgruntled at having to share theirwaves,
andhonestly, they sound like grumpy oldmenway before their time.
Thatmicrocosm and evolutionof theGreat Lakes surf scene is an important analogy for us here in southernGeorgian
Bay. Because you knowwhat?Thewhole area is experiencing a similar growth; the people are coming.They’re riding
our trails, skiingour powder, surfingourwaves and fishingour rivers. Simply put, the secret is out: Collingwood and
surrounding area is an awesome place to live. People from theGTA are selling their overvaluedhomes anddrivingup
local real estate prices.
These people aren’tmovinghere because they’ll makemoremoney.They’re coming to ride bikes, jump snowboards and
fly kites.They’re comingbecause of the trails, theBay, the hills, the lifestyle. Itmeans that places likeThree Stage, the
Swamp and Envywill seemore traffic than ever before.
What canwe do about it? I see twooptions.
We canbepissedoff about it.We cangripe about it and fight the incoming tide.
Orwe can embrace it.We can take a cue from the newgenerationof Great Lakes surfers, andwelcome peoplewith
smiles and shouts of encouragement.More ridersmeansmore trail builders.More surfersmeans better forecasting.
More climbers leads tobetter access.
Themigrationof lifestyle-focusedpeople to this area is inevitable.What you
can
choose, is how you react to it.
—Colin Field
SHARING
THEBREAKS
Rob Jenkins dropping in at the Pumphouse. COLIN FIELD
That microcosm and evolution of
theGreat Lakes surf scene is an
important analogy for us here.
