I have been creating video content for more than a decade. Mainly the videos are about various exercises, how to perform movements, how to assess the body, and the intricacies of human biomechanics. My most popular video was about brain training and has received about 35,000 views on YouTube.
Since COVID emerged I have also produced two different podcasts: the Rock Fit Files and the Zelos Podcast. I typically have conversations with trainers, physical therapists, and performance coaches inside the NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and MLS. The audience has grown into the thousands and the podcasts can be heard in over 50 countries. Nevertheless, none of the content I have created has come close to the video I took last month and have attached to this blog. It has been viewed by over 300,000 and the number keeps climbing.
During the atmospheric river that homed in on the Central Coast at the beginning of 2023, Santa Cruz County received the worst of it. Rivers crested over flood stage levels. King tides and massive waves of 20-30 feet slammed into shore and annihilated houses, wharfs, and roadways. The damage was severe enough to receive a visit from President Biden and the media. Only days before his visit I stood but a hundred yards away from where he would be standing and I captured a different event that has gone viral.
My son Jack had been helping me pile sandbags at his friend’s house along the Soquel Creek which flows into Capitola Village and out to sea. We watched the waves at high tide push past the restaurants and the damaged wharf. Many waves came in at such an angle that they flowed up the rushing river to create a tidal bore. Jack ran to the van, pulled on his wetsuit, grabbed his surfboard and headed for the river. I hiked up to the top of the railroad trestle with my phone and took the video of him catching waves upriver. As soon as it hit social media it went crazy. His wave ride has been seen all over the world and has definitely given us a laugh or two.
This is not to imply that I will be changing my content to cute puppy dogs wrestling, babies laughing or extreme sports. I will continue to grind out information on movement and it’s positive effects. However, just once I’d love it if one of the more informative videos gets the same reaction as surfing up a chocolate river.
