Inaugural Mat Session Coming to a Break Near You

No, I'm not using the word "inaugural" because of our new president. Why doesn't anyone ever use that word in instances when they're not discussing the new guy in the White House?

Inaugural = marking a beginning: first in a projected series.

I'm feeling that the time is right for the mat. The lineups, especially during the week, are hardly crowded. The direction of the recent swells is giving a little juice to the point breaks. Finally, the lifeguards aren't there to kick me out of the water. (If you're going to kick me out of the water, dudes, you're going to have to jump in and get me. I'm not dumb enough to fall for the rope-a-dope of orders barked through a bullhorn.)

I think the surfmobile will be carrying a mat and fins in addition to all of my other surf gear.

No cameras, please. I truly have no idea what I'm supposed to do. I've read the mat forums, lurked on the mat blogs and watched mat riding on YouTube. I'm a bit confused by all of the kicking vs. paddling and kicking, more air vs. less air stuff. I'll go out there, flail around, take mental notes and then start asking PG, Kendog, pranaglider and 23 breaths for tips.