Surfing, like a lot of things, goes through phases.
Phases when certain things are cool or in style, then suddenly they’re not. But similar to the fashion world – where baggy jeans were once in, then out, now back in – trends in surfing are cyclical. Baggy boardshorts from the nineties? Back in. Straight airs? Cool, once again. Rail surfing? En vogue, like Tom Curren at Jeffreys Bay circa 1997.
One maneuver, however, that had a brief moment of popularity – think: Jordy Smith, early aughts – but slowly faded into surf obscurity is the superman air. But Jacob “Zeke” Szekely is keeping it alive, and he put his own twist on it (literally) at Teahupo’o.
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The clip shows Zeke at small-sized Chopes, which, even at any size isn’t typically known for airs. It’s more of a one-trick pony, and that being a trotting, bucking bronco of a barrel. But this is Zeke, and Zeke likes to do airs on all waves.
So, he goes for a “backflip” (maybe more appropriately: rodeo flip?) with a superman added. He stomps it, but on the lip of the wave, rather than the face. The wave subsequently passes him by without him riding out clean. A make? Not in a heat, no.
And this isn’t the first time we’ve seen Zeke bust out the zany, rarely-seen aerials. Like recently, when he teamed up with another aerialist, Kevin Meza (aka the Baja Koala) for a duel at the Waco Surf wavepool.
Fingerflips, actual flips, and supermans ensued.
So, could superman airs make a comeback?
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