Two Saturdays ago I found myself arriving home around midnight, after more than a couple celebratory IPAs and an ill-advised whiskey nightcap. Sleep was in major need but not gonna happen, as I was still buzzing from my friend Keanu Asing’s requalification on the Championship Tour. So I decided to throw on one of my favorite movies of all time, Platoon. One of the great scenes in the movie is when Tom Berenger’s vicious Sgt. Barnes walks in on a group of soldiers plotting to kill him. The scene ends with Barnes muttering the iconic line “Death…what you all know about DEATH???” Now let me offer a little background to explain this morbid reference being the motivation for the title/sentiment of this blog:
I absolutely HATE the word Grind. It is BY FAR the most shamelessly overused term on social media today, especially in the Sport and Training worlds. And it is not simply that I don’t believe in the notion of grinding, it is how it is constantly BASTARDIZED in posts and hashtags for what Westside Barbell legend Dave Tate brilliantly stated “doing what you are SUPPOSED TO DO!!!” The major issue is that there are those select FEW that actually are GRINDING- constantly persevering in the face of endless obstacles to eventually achieve success in their journey, that are lost in the shuffle. And I believe if you look at the last year of Keanu Asing’s life you will AGREE is one of those select few:
GRINDING is overcoming the fact that you are the first professional surfer to EVER to win a Championship Tour event and STILL fail to re-qualify for the next year’s World Tour
GRINDING is losing your major sponsor, and having to fund your travel around the world to compete on the Qualifying Series
GRINDING is being the ONLY recent CT surfer at multiple 1000 and 3000 pt events, putting your head down and WINNING THEM
GRINDING is being the constant underdog in EVERY SINGLE HEAT surfed against another CT surfer, which the announcing teams are always quick to declare to the audience
GRINDING is training whenever possible, but even more importantly taking your nutrition, supplementation and recovery as seriously as anyone in the sport
GRINDING is coming to grips with the fact you may not be as talented/radical as many of the other competitive surfers, and yet can rely on your preparation, heat strategy, mental toughness and consistency to earn victories
So was all this GRINDING worth it?…..