Let
me start this by bringing everyone into the know. A grommet
is a young surfer usually under the age of 17yrs and very
much fitting into the obsessed surfer category (lives,
eats and breathes surfing)
The
term is believed to have come form the fact that in some coastal
areas there are huge groups of a small fish variety that hang in
packs, playing in the waves and acting in a strange manner, sometimes
beaching themselves these fish are Grommets. See the similarity?
Grommet
surfers fit in the surfing chain somewhere near the back, often
given a hard time by the older surfers, being dropped in on, getting
their bikes hidden up a tree or having their heads flushed in the
local public toilet. This is typical grommet abuse at any local
beach. If you ask someone why they dish out this abuse you will
get a universal answer, "because we use to get it done to us,
now it's their turn
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Now we have their bikes where should we hide them?
Work,
there it is a four letter word that has us all using many other
four letter words when we are in traffic looking out at a couple
of groms crossing the road for an all day session of waves whist
on one of their many school holidays.
If it isn't holidays they have a pupil free day, teachers strike
or study leave. We never had these things when I was at school I'm
sure!
Grommets
have a schedule built for surfing. When they do go to school it
is usually right near the beach and starts at 9am, perfect for the
early.
Wheels on the bus go round and round, while the waves pump!
This is a Grommet Fish, see the resemblance?
Let's
take a closer look at why grommets cop these hideous hidings from
grown men (and some times women). I'm pretty sure we could quite
easily put it down to jealousy. Yes jealousy! Grommethood is the
best time of life. We all wish we could be there all our lives.
For
those grommets that are reading this, read on and just appreciate
how good things are in the grommet world and for the rest of us
lets take a step back and look at how things have changed.
As
surfers we want to maximise our surfing time but this is not always
possible as adults, a few 'grown up' things seem to get in the way.
Grommets on the other hand have a simple life.
Typical Grommet
Then
school finishes at 3.15pm, leaving heaps of time for the arvo session
even in the depths of winter where the sun goes down at 5 o'clock
you can still squeeze an hour and a half in!
Combine this with the fact that schools insist on having sport days,
religion and excursions. All perfect times to squeeze in another
surf without any major penalty.
When
we are able to surf we are usually doing it with everyone else who
has a day off and is desperate to get wet. Instant crowds! Due to
this school time table groms do most of their surfing at times when
no one is out and when they are out there with us, they are 3 times
as fit and catch all the waves anyway!
This is what it is like when the rest of us are on it
Social
Occasions are a killer for cutting into surftime. As adults we insist
in taking advantage of the fact that we are able to consume alcohol
legally. Surfers are a social bunch and will use any occasion as
an excuse for a piss up. 'John has just bought a new ute, Lets have
a barbie to celebrate!" We all end up having a huge night and
feel like a pile of dinosaur remains the next morning.
You
can't move, everything aches and something is banging inside your
head trying to get out. The only thing you can make out clearly
is the cheerful sound of the radio surf reporter exclaiming how
that out of nowhere we have 6ft of swell and everywhere is pumping!
A bad case of the morning after the big night. 'Damn Jonnho, wish
he hadden bought that ute!'
he
other issue of course and the one we have to tip toe around is the
other half, that member of the opposite sex that we love deeply
but they tend to cut into our surfing time. Some of you maybe lucky
and have a partner that loves surfing and will be out there as much
as we are but with the rest we have this issue of carefully balancing
time as not to offend. This often means a compromise situation,
which inevitably means less surfing.
Once
again groms have it easy. The biggest issue they have to face is
that the geeky kid that sits in the front row of your maths class
has a crush on you. If this gets out you will be given a hard time
by all! When it comes to relationship trouble well, if they like
you they will come to the beach and find you, better yet they will
sit and watch you surf!
So,
for the groms out there, live it up and enjoy as these years don't
last for ever except in your memory. Remember, theses beating you
get are because the rest of us are jealous so don't retaliate as
you know you have already won just because you are living the grommet
dream. As for the rest of us, keep dropping in and keep flushing
those toilets it really does make you feel better!SURFit
This is what the surfs like when the grommets are on it
This
doesn't happen to grommets. Yeah groms party but it is usually a
gathering at a beach or some poor kids house who's parents are away
for the weekend. These parties usually consist of everyone drinking
half an plastic cup of cask wine that someone had stolen from the
old mans bar fridge and one twist top that one of the boys had to
beg his brother for.
Grom
parties always attract the attention of the next door neighbors
who are trying to watch the Saturday night movie, they call the
police, the police come, break it up and everyone goes home by 11pm
thinking they had a huge night. No problem getting up at 6am for
the early!
