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Faking It
justal - 1-11-2002 at 07:10

I've never seen this program myself, but I have heard of it...Apparently next weeks episode is about surfing..

One guy (who is a complete beginner) gets 4 weeks to learn to surf before trying to fool judges of a surf competition that he's a 'pro'...

He doesn't stand a chance. The worrying thing is in previous episodes the 'faker' has fooled the judges and hasn't ben spotted. I'm sure no one can do that with surfing, but its gonna make us look pretty silly if he does... I for one wouldn't stand a chance a chance in a competition (probably) and thats after 16 years of learning to surf!!

Al.

adam - 1-11-2002 at 12:21

Yeah I thought the same. I think he's being taught by Guts Griffiths, so he may be entering longboard comps, and I guess it depends what level of competition he's entering too; whatever I don't think he'll do it. Could be fun to watch though.

justal - 1-11-2002 at 16:56

I suppose if he enters a club beginners level longboard comp he could get away with it, especially if he's had 4 weeks of surfing every day with a professional coach at his side in decent surf... I think he'd still have trouble winning the comp though.

If I could surf in decent conditions every day for 4 days then i'd improve quite a bit too.

He'd obviously stand no chance in a top class surf comp. But then, nor would any of the members of this forum!

One things for sure though. No matter how he does, he'll be hooked on surfing by the end of it.

Al.

justal - 1-11-2002 at 18:00

Just found an article with the details of the 'Faking It' program:

quote:
here's the details behind Channel Four's "Faking it" episode where they've taken a non-surfing computer programmer based in the city and attempted to convert him into a convincing surf "dude".

Here's Channel Four's take ('scuse the pun) on events and I'll leave you all to make your own comment on the forum. The programme is to be shown on November 6th, that's next Wednesday. Personally I think the general concept is quite an interesting one, whether it turns out to be a crash course in 'gnarly dude, yeah radical' or something a little deeper...well, we'll just have to wait to see the programme to find out.


Stuart before"Elan's webmaster, Stuart Matheson, is to be transformed from an IT surfer to a long board surfer when he takes part in Channel 4's hugely successful documentary series, Faking It, to be televised on November 6th. The aim of the programme was to see if Stuart could 'Fake It' as a professional surfer in front of a panel of judges. To find out whether he succeeded or not you will need to watch the show.

>Stuart, who has worked for Elan for two and a half years, had never surfed prior to the filming - and in fact was not very active at all, only playing the odd game of tennis now and again. He is now an avid surfer, travelling down to Cornwall most weekends.

Whilst in Cornwall, Stuart was taught by European Long Board Surfing champion, Guts Griffiths and James Hendy from Surfers Against Sewage. A typical day was completely different to his normal working Elan day, and was based mostly on physical exercise. This included cycling, sit ups, press ups and yoga as well as the actual surfing. Says Stuart: "Learning to surf was exhilarating but also physically tiring. Like my role at Elan, I had to work to tight deadlines and perform under pressure. Obviously it was a lot different in the sense that my work is mostly desk based, and the rigorous exercise regime was something new for me. I had to really get into the part by having my hair cut, buying new clothes and picking up surf lingo. It was definitely a sharp learning curve making me more confident and giving me the drive to develop myself more. Surfing is now an integral part of my life."


Al.

Burgy - 7-11-2002 at 13:52

Did anyone watch it? I saw it & there was no contest as to who was the beginner. Poor bloke didnt even make it outside the break.

Looked like a months Surfing changed his outlook on life though mind you if I had 4weeks on the beach solid I dont think I could go back to work either.

Should have used someone with some experance in board sports though but I guess thats not what the progs about. Nice to see surfing on UK TV though.

Later

Steve

justal - 7-11-2002 at 21:03

I didn't get to see it, but hopefully Sarah will pst a videoed copy of it to me soon.

Sounds as though our predictions were right though...he'd have no chance in the competition, but would be hooked on surfing by the end of it...How was the rest of the surfing in the program?...And did his learning experiences bring back any painful memories for anyone?

Al.