An exhibition of traditional surfing by Sharp’s brewery, Offshore Pilsner.

As I arrived at the scene for Smooth Movers, the first thing that struck me was the location. Godrevy is one of my favourite places in Cornwall. For me, it’s got everything – the vast expanse of golden sand; the towering cliffs with seals resting below and the impressive lighthouse perched on an island of jagged rocks to the north.

The event gives Cornwall’s surf community an excuse to come together and celebrate the art of traditional longboarding. I’m undeniably a shortboarder; yet there’s something special about watching the slow elegance of longboarding. In fact, it was mesmerising to see some of the UK’s most talented longboarders glide through the choppy conditions, and dance along their boards with seemingly effortless grace.

Surfer: James ParryPhotographer: Bella Rose Bunce — Surfer: James Parry
Photographer: Bella Rose Bunce

After the competition, everyone moved up to Hell’s Mouth Kitchen and Bar for the awards ceremony followed by an evening of eclectic music. Hips swayed, feet shuffled; memories were made and for a fair few, forgotten. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to talk to one of the founders, Josh Daniel, about how Smooth Movers came to be, and this is what I learnt...

BA: WHY DID YOU START SMOOTH MOVERS?

JD: Good question. Four or five years ago, Sennen local – James Parry, founded a surf event called The Hip Wigglers, which had the same concept and values that Smooth Movers strives to uphold today. When James went to California, Hip Wigglers faded out; we wanted to do something cool and similar to keep it going. I came to Jack, and a few weeks later Smooth Movers was born.

BA: WHOSE IDEA WAS IT?

JD: The branding is all Jack. I had an idea that I wanted to run a traditional logging event in the UK and obviously James had kind of paved the way for that. It was very much a collective idea – the idea had been there for a while, it just needed someone to grab the bull by the horns and make it happen.

BA: HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT ORGANISING THE EVENT?

JD: A guy called Nick Holden from the National Trust was instrumental in the first year, he guided us on how to run the event. The Critical Slide Society and Wasted Talent were also integral; they sponsored the first two years and paid for it. Once we had that security it was simply a matter of networking and calling people – it’s a joint effort that stems from a community of surfers in Cornwall who help make it happen. A lot of it is about reaching out to people and pitching the idea, luckily everyone was really open to it and it’s become a concerted effort to make Smooth Movers happen.

BA: HOW OFTEN DO YOU RUN SMOOTH MOVERS EVENTS?

JD: They’re annual events and this is our third year – it takes a lot of time and is very much a labour of love, which is great and I do love every second; but it’s not profitable as an entity, so it’s quite hard to do it more than once a year. We need something like this in Cornwall. Newquay is infamous for its surf community but there’s just as much talent and great waves around Gwithian, Godrevy and St Ives and it’s nice to have a platform to showcase that.

BA: WHAT’S YOUR AIM FOR THE EVENT?

JD: Funnily enough we actually tried to scale it down this year, but it was by far the biggest and best year. The intention isn’t to make money – it’s to bring Cornwall’s surf community together to celebrate traditional, stylish surfing at its best. Competitors say it doesn’t feel like a competition and that’s what we’re trying to achieve. For it to be first and foremost an exhibition of traditional surfing, the competitive aspect is secondary to that. It’s also a chance for some of the world’s best traditional surfers to inspire each other, and it’s an opportunity for everyone to watch them surf. It motivates a new generation and hopefully Smooth Movers will be something that people are inspired to take part in one day.

BA: IT’S GREAT TO SEE THAT A WOMEN’S DIVISION HAS BEEN ADDED THIS YEAR…

JD: Although we are invitational, gender has and certainly never will be on the criteria for this. The reason we haven’t had a women’s division in the past is because it felt more exclusive to put four women together in a heat; rather than allowing them to enter into any division. There doesn’t necessarily have to be seperate divisions for men and women in surfing because it’s a genderless sport and anyone can do it. There are positives of doing an exclusive women’s division as it probably encouraged women to sign up to the event, but our ideal is that women will start signing up to all the divisions and everyone will surf together. So we’re really stoked and very much looking forward to seeing it grow next year!

BA: WHAT ARE YOUR ASPIRATIONS FOR THE FUTURE OF SMOOTH MOVERS?

JD: Smooth Movers brings a really cool group of people together, as long as it keeps doing that we’re happy. I would never want to force it to be something it’s not – it generally shapes itself.

BA: HOW DO YOU FUND YOUR EVENTS?

JD: It’s 100% funded by Sharp’s Brewery, Offshore Pilsner and ticket sales. Other sponsors include Critical Slide Society, Wasted Talent and Macho Fins. The event isn’t profitable, but this year has put us in a position where we actually won’t lose anything which is great. For the future, rather than making us money, it would be cool to be in a position where we can pay the people who help make it happen.

BA: THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO TALK TO ME, I’VE REALLY ENJOYED THE EVENT AND LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR SMOOTH MOVERS. BEFORE I GO, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD?

JD: The state of traditional surfing in the UK is amazing, people do not realise how good so many of these guys and girls surf. Look at Emily Currie today, she easily surfs as well as anyone on the world tour, like genuinely – hands down. If this brings one thing, hopefully it allows people like Emily – who deserve the exposure – to be recognised. Hopefully it will help her on her journey to becoming a full-time professional surfer, if nothing else; if it’s brought a little bit of spotlight on some talented UK surfers that would be amazing.