The Tamarack Takeover looked like a wild success. A success, at least, to those involved. If you happened to be a person who was not there for a wildly good time with a bunch of people falling over themselves on foam boards, you probably didn’t have the best time, but hey, can’t win ’em all. The ocean is for everyone and all that. @Kook of the Day, however, had a bit of an issue with @Team Wavestorm. A big issue.
“Word has it some of your team riders left their trash behind!!!” they commented on the video you see above. “Not kool!”
Team Wavestorm responded in a reasonably measured manner. “@kook_of_the_day definitely not cool,” they wrote. “These team riders will be held accountable. Fifteen-minute penalties at the next takeover for all guilty parties.”
@Kook of the Day, however, wasn’t in the mood for jokes. They fired back with the big guns. “Fifteen-min penalties?” they wrote. “More like go back to your trash hole and never come back if you leave your fucking soft top down on the shoreline thinking mommy’s gonna come down and get it for you… don’t make me share the photo!”
It went on from there for quite a while (which you can read in the comments if you so desire), but as one might expect when people argue from behind a screen, things got a little heated.
“Comment sections are definitely a weird place and people get fired up and speak without thinking, as generally there are no repercussions,” wrote Nathaniel R., who runs @TeamWavestorm, in an email. “…It’s just the nature of how people act online under a shield of anonymity.”
It should be noted that the TeamWavestorm Instagram account is unaffiliated with Agit Global, the company that manufactures the Wavestorm surfboard. “My views and opinions are my own,” he continued, “and totally unaffiliated with theirs.”
In short, the whole web-scuffle began because someone thought somebody else left boards on the beach. “This is based on a single picture which was taken while there was daylight left so it is entirely possible that someone just had their board there and was still in the water at the time of the photo,” Nathaniel surmised. “No proof that someone actually just left their board on the sand and bailed, although that is possible also. If that is the case, then it is completely wrong of them. Littering of any form is wrong.”
Nathaniel, who set up the Tamarack Takeover, says he spoke with the PTC and agreed that all trash would be properly disposed of at any future events. “No one likes dirty beaches,” he wrote, “and I think cleaning up our beaches is something we can all agree on.”
@TeamWavestorm and @Kookoftheday haven’t spoken beyond their comment battle, but Nathaniel is sure they’d agree on one thing: “I’m sure we would both agree that beach cleanup and stewardship is important to instill in the surfing community. I think through respect and leading by example are the best ways to help people see the importance of your opinion—as opposed to intimidation and telling people to go back to their trash holes.”
Whatever side you agree with, when all is said and done, we can all agree on something simple: pack your trash, no matter what team you’re on.
