Article Advise

submitted: Aug 25th 2008 | by: KathyAustin | Total views: 1 | Word Count: 578 | |

Riding waves on boards. Ancient Hawaiian tradition called it "The Sport of Kings". And it was in Hawaii that surfing was first seen to be practiced with unsurpassed skill. Captain James Cook was stunned by the way the surfers managed to stay erect on their surfboards and ride the waves at such velocities. The entry of Christianity led to the decline of the sport because the missionaries of those times frowned upon the scant way the surfers were dressed. But the sport did not die out completely and the art of riding the wave was acknowledged as a blend of athleticism and the understanding of the beauty and power of nature by the Reverend Henry T. Cheever, who documented it in 1851. Mark Twain tried it and failed in 1866.

The sport of surfing was introduced to Jack London, the author of such famous novels like the "Call of the Wild", in 1907 by Alexander Hume Ford. They, together with George Freeth and Duke Kahanamoku (a Polynesian) revived it and it was Duke that introduced it in California in 1912. Since then the sport has never wavered in its popularity.

It was in 1907 that Jack London and his wife Chairman went to Hawaii and was introduced to the joy of surfing by Alexander Hume Ford and together with George Freeth, breathed life into the Sport of the Kings. This was further followed up by duke Kahanamoku, a Polynesian known for his prowess on the waves. It was Duke who introduced it to the Californians in 1912 and since then the sport has never looked back.

The t-shirt had become a national phenomenon and one simply had to be seen in it. Men, women and children of all walks of life and of all ages had to have at least one of them. And once the idea of printing something or other on the front or back of the t-shirt was introduced, the popularity of the t-shirt simply skyrocketed.

The first Surfing T-Shirt was invented, according to Matt Warshaw's Encyclopedia of Surfing, by Gordon & Smith in 1961 to promote his brand of surfboards in 1961. Gordon and Smith asked people to bring white t-shirts and had the logo of his company printed on them free of charge. Undoubtedly, as surfing was gaining popularity, everyone was happy to sport the logo. Thus came the first surfing t-shirt.

The surfing t-shirt gained more popularity when Dave Sweet, the father of the foam surfboard printed his arrowhead logo on surfing t-shirts. This humble start, kick started the surfing t-shirt on the road to becoming the sports enduring gift to the world of fashion. As the sport of surfing gained international recognition, the surfing t-shirt also rode on its reputation and became accepted throughout the world. It is said that in 2002 an estimated 300 million surfing t-shirts were manufactured throughout the world.

Hollywood's adoption of the surfing t-shirt in 1973 when Mackenzie Phillips was seen sporting a Dewey Weber Surfboard Surfing T-Shirt in the movie "American Graffiti" and Robert Duval in "Apocalypse Now" as Colonel Kilgore further boosted the reputation of the t-shirt.

So it is time to get yourself a surfing t-shirt and wear it. Whether you know how to surf or not, you might be looked at with awe if you come back wearing it from a vacation to one of the coasts where surfing is practiced. Get yourself photographed in one, and you can boast about your prowess to your grandchildren, they won't know.

About the Author

Kathy Austin is a writer for an online gallery.Red Bubble enables you to buy surfing t-shirts, crazy t-shirts and more.

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