Candidate Name: Kris Marley
SW: We understand you have announced your intent to run for SLSA Director this term. What qualifications, skills, competencies, traits, etc. would you bring as a director and why are you running?
KM: This will be my 2nd stint as a Director so I'm going into it knowing what to expect really. I've been competing for 3 seasons, trained as a judge and met so many experienced people that my knowledge of how it operates and the surf scene in general is pretty good, so I know I can do the job well. I ran again obviously because I want to see the SLSA and competition surfing continue, I feel it’s a huge part of SL Surfing and used right can be one main place for surfers to go to for all Surf related information and not just competition Surfing. More importantly I knew there would be people running that are just as passionate as me and that I would be going into a really hard working and committed team of 5. To have 5 people who will work so hard and can bring so much all as Directors at one time is rare and it can really make a huge difference to how it runs.
SW: What areas of improvement do you currently see for the SLSA as an organization?
KM: It has to modernize a bit, I get the historical side of it and the nostalgia that comes with some aspects of the SLSA but you don't see cars driving around with cassette players now because once upon a time you had a cracking road trip listening to your favourite sounds on a cassette. Times change and SLSA has to progress some. Social media is huge, it needs a bigger presence there through facebook and flickr and whatever else we can use. Also for a lot of people SL is a visual experience, things like the stands probably haven't changed in years, it’s just a block of wood, the podium is a few boxes joined together and painted white. Nobody new is gonna turn up to an event and think this looks cool as hell, they gonna think they just arrived in 2007.
Then you have the judging situation, we have to get judges trained and encourage people to do it. We all love to surf, but if people don't step up and take their turn there will be nothing to surf in. As an organization we have to make it more appealing to people to want to do it, reduce the time of competitions, make them feel more part of it all, reward them better. It’s a major issue and that was shown with a competition postponement this season, it has to get looked at.
SW: What do you see as the top issues facing SL surfing in general, and what would be your first priority as an SLSA director?
KM: Judging has to be the first priority. If we can go into each month not having to worry about finding judges it allows us to focus our attention on other areas, creating a buzz around the place, more community inclusion and togetherness. We want to give the surfers something to be proud to be a part of, something they enjoy each time they attend and that will wear off on newcomers and encourage them to stick with it and keep coming back to the beach. Recently some of that buzz has been coming back to Surfing, so far this year we have had Surfari, Surf Camp, and Surfella. Surfella was a smash which everybody seemed to have enjoyed and a number of people in the community all pulled together to make possible. To have 18 different people and groups from the Surf community all turn up to help and be part of one event gives me huge encouragement. Another event was The Hummingbird Surf Challenge that Shi put on, again it was a smash with the people who competed and those who came to watch. The surfers involved in it all pulled together to make it work. The buzz is definitely there in Surfing we just have to pull it all together.
SW: When you decided to run for Director, why did you feel you would be the best candidate for this job?
KM: I wouldn't say it was ever me thinking I was the best candidate for the job, but I knew if the people running alongside the remaining board members were all on the board then it would be an energetic and passionate team. I wanted to be a part of it and try bring some of the stuff we are trying to do outside the SLSA into it.
SW: What were you most satisfied with as an SLSA member last season? What were you most dissatisfied with?
KM: I think every time you see a season completed you have to be pleased with the efforts and commitment with the people involved in making it possible. It’s a hard job and you have to take your hat off to them for the work they did. I wouldn't say anything was really dissatisfying, some things can be improved on, competitions just running on time and a bit more efficiently is something I'd like to see.
SW: Anything else you would like voters to know about you?
KM:
Give us a brief statement or opinion on some of the major issues the SLSA faced in 2017 and possible issues moving into this upcoming term (listed below):
1. Were you concerned with the low number of competitors signed up for the recent competitions? What are your thoughts on how to get more riders to participate in competitions?
Obviously you would always like to see bigger competitions but during my 3 seasons I have seen numbers go up and down constantly and from people who were surfing for a couple seasons before me it sounds like it’s not been much different for a while now. People step away from it and come back, and next season you'll likely see faces who missed out this season back in competition again. The time of competitions, you want them running smooth and efficient every single time. Things happen that you just can't control but I think if we can cut the time down as much as possible through not making mistakes people would be more willing to spend 2 or 3 hours competing. We've spoken about lessons during the off season and during each month for whatever board will be used in the competition, maybe it will encourage people to sign up for them. We also need better information around the place, too many people find it hard to work out what it’s all about so we have to fix that.
2. While there are a substantial number of surfing sims in SL these days, there is still a continuing decline of surf sims with supporting neighbor full sims for spectators. Do you believe the current two sim requirement as being viable? If so, what can be done to support the sim owners and ensure smooth running competitions? If not, what do you envision as the alternative(s)?
It’s really something out of our control in regard to sim numbers but for sure the 2 sim setup is still important. In my 2 years knowing Surfing I think only 1 full sim has dropped off of the calendar with Surf Religion not being there now. There will always be somewhere to Surf, it will never disappear as sad as it is to lose good places to Surf.
3. Some people have expressed a feeling there is an overall decreasing interest in surfing in SL, or at least a decrease in the feeling of community within the SLSA. What are your thoughts about this, and if you agree, what ideas do you have for possible improvement?
I don't think there is a decreasing interest, I've seen more people getting involved and getting together recently than I have in the 2 years I have been here. Sim groups are willingly advertising events on other sims, talking to other sim owners about organizing events and activities on the sims. That’s something we have to keep building on, not just through SLSA but the community as a whole. There are so many creative and intelligent people in the community that can keep improving the vibe in Surfing, it’s everybody’s responsibility to help create the buzz around Surfing.
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