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You may have read recently about Kelly Slater’s record-breaking 10th world surfing title. It is a remarkable achievement. He won his first world title way back in 1992, at the age of 20, making him the youngest world champion ever. He has won his 10th 18 years later at the age of 38, meaning he also holds the record as the oldest world champ ever. He has won a record 45 career events, He has collected a record $2,384,255 in prize-money. As a bonus for his 10th world title, his surfwear sponsor Quiksilver gave him 3% of the company, a stake currently valued at around US$22 million.
The US Congress recently passed a Bill honouring Kelly’s achievements.
But there is one record he doesn’t hold and that he will never take be able to take away from current, and four-time women’s world champ, Stephanie Gilmore. At just 22, Steph has won the world title in her first four seasons on the World Tour, a feat unmatched in the history of professional surfing – male or female. When Kelly was her age he’d just won his second world title. Who knows how many she might win before she’s done. Layne Beachley’s once unassailable seven world titles is already in her sights.
For all this, Steph remains the most unaffected, ever-smiling, and unflappable young woman you could ever hope to meet. She hails from the small coastal town of Kingscliff, in Northern NSW, and now resides in surf city, Coolangatta, on the Gold Coast. She’s a handy guitarist, even has the same guitar sponsor as surf muso Jack Johnson. She’s working on a creative lifestyle movie, featuring some of her favourite surfers, artists and musicians, exploring, “what’s going on in their heads while their doing their art.” Tentative working title is, “Because It’s There.”
Amid all this, Steph made time to contribute a chapter to the Grommet edition of Mick Fanning’s book for us. Steph’s passionate about promoting women’s surfing, knows what it’s like to paddle into male-dominated lineups and hustle for her share of waves. She’s dealt with the stares and the caveman misogyny and silenced the jocks with her razor-sharp talents in the waves.
Steph’s advice is simple, practical and effective – find a break that’s less crowded, recruit a few surf buddies to help give you confidence, learn to read the waves and understand surfboard design. Hopefully, her words will launch a new generation of grommettes into the waves.
Steph wrapped up her fourth world title in Puerto Rico two weeks ago, and just took out the Cholo Women’s Hawaiian Pro at Haleiwa.
You can follow all the Hawaiian contest action at:
http://www.triplecrownofsurfing.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmVPIJJm1vU
I’ve been asked a few times why I was interested in writing a book with Mick Fanning now, at the peak of his career. Sporting books are traditionally written when athletes retire and have more time on their hands to reflect on their careers, and as a bit of a launching pad into a new life after competitive sport.
We worked on Mick’s book smack in between his two world titles so far, in 2007 and 2009, when the demands on his time were numerous and unending. His travel itinerary would make a Qantas steward dizzy and his training regime was relentless. The new Grommets’ Edition was put together in early 2010, as he dealt with his new status as a two-time world champ.
Why take on a book in the midst of all this?
Well, from the outset, Mick was clear he didn’t want it to be a biography as such. “I feel I’m too young and still have many episodes of my life to explore,” Mick said in the original edition’s dedication. Of course, the book got tagged as a biography and I partly take the blame for that. I’ve known Mick and his family since he was 15 and found the family history so fascinating, so full of raw emotion and tough life lessons, it came to take up a bigger part of the book than either of us intended.
But what really had impressed me about Mick, and what I wanted to get across in the book, was the uncommon wisdom and humanity Mick exhibited in the way he went about his sporting career. What struck me most strongly in researching the book was how many in his inner circle – coach, chiropractor, surfboard shaper, trainer – used similar phrases when talking about Mick. “I’ve learnt more from him than he’s learnt from me,” was the upshot of what most of them told me.
This seemed extraordinary for a young sports star at the top of his game. We have become accustomed to sporting celebrities consumed with narcissism, fed the belief that the world revolves around them, indulged and fawned over. I think the world is tiring of sports stars behaving badly. Some of those with the most privileged positions in society, blessed with natural abilities, incomes and opportunities that most of us can only dream of, seem to believe their talent is license to gorge like a pig at a trough on whatever takes their fancy.
Mick’s no saint – he enjoys a beer and a party when the job is done. He can exhibit blinkered tunnel vision in pursuit of a goal. But as unglamorous as it may sound, he remains a fundamentally decent person – giving to others, concerned with the well-being of those around him, sensitive to his environment. Spending time with him in South Africa in the midst of his world title year in 2009 showed me all this anew – driving into the black townships to deliver boards, wetsuits, leg ropes, clothes, to the local surfing club, meeting the local woman Primrose who has been supporting financially as she battles with AIDS. It was an eye-opener.
We’re frequently reminded that we shouldn’t expect young, wealthy, talented sports stars to also perform as role models. But when you find one who simply is just that, it seems worth trumpeting.
A few words from the champ after his 2009 world title:
This time last year, Mick Fanning was preparing to go into battle for surfing’s world title in a two-man race with his childhood friend Joel Parkinson in Hawaii. The showdown for the title at Pipeline, on Oahu’s North Shore, was the central focus of world surfing. Joel had got to a runaway lead in the first half of the year, winning three of the first five events, and the engraver was almost ready to put Joel’s name on the 2009 Cup. But a wretched injury while surfing in Bali, and Mick’s phenomenal roll in the back half of the season, changed all that. Joel wrenched his ankle going for a regulation “air reverse” in small waves while on holiday with his family in Bali during the mid-year break. The injury would plague him for the remainder of the year, as he tried to compete with it heavily strapped and clearly not right. Meanwhile, Mick slipped into devastating form, winning events in California, France and Portugal, to establish a narrow lead heading into the final event in Hawaii.
It’s history that Mick prevailed in that tense title fight between two old friends, to claim his second ASP World Title. Happily, the two friends remain just that – the best of friends. Those who predicted the high stakes face-off would affect their relationship obviously didn’t know the boys – who have been competing in surf contests since they were 13 years old. Joel was among the first to congratulate his friend and bravely helped chair him up the beach.
A year later, so much has changed. Joel is just coming back from yet another devastating injury which cruelled his world title hopes. Joel sliced his foot open on the fin of his board during a wipeout at his home break at Snapper Rocks, on the Gold Coast, and very nearly cut his heel clean off his foot. He will be competing for the first time in seven months in Hawaii, just testing the foot out and trying to surf into a bit of a form for 2011. Kelly Slater is the new, 10-time world champion. And one of their closest friends on tour, Andy Irons, will play no part in the contest season in his home waters of Hawaii, after his tragic death two weeks ago. Irons had won the Pipeline Masters and the Hawaiian Triple Crown four times each, and it willbe a strange Hawaiian season indeed without his presence. He was sent off by thousands of mourners in fine Hawaiian style on Sunday, his ashes scattered by his wife Lyndie and brother Bruce, at his beloved Hanalei Bay, on Kauai.
But the show will go on and there’s no doubt Mick or Joel would love nothing more than take out the Pipe Masters or the Triple Crown in Andy’s honour.
It has been a wild couple of weeks in surfing, with the shocking death of three-time world champ Andy Irons, followed closely by Kelly Slater’s historic 10th world title victory.
The surfing world has been mourning the untimely loss of one of its greatest champions while celebrating the unmatched achievements of his fiercest rival.
Irons was traveling home to Hawaii from the latest world championship event in Puerto Rico, having withdrawn due to illness. As has been widely reported, he had to stop over in Dallas due to his worsening condition, thought to be dengue fever, and was found dead in his airport hotel room the following morning. Tragically, his heavily pregnant wife Lyndie was awaiting his return and is due to give birth to their first child in December.
The surfing community was sent into shock by the news and the Rip Curl Pro in Puerto Rico called two successive laydays to mark Irons passing.
Eventually, the show went on and Kelly Slater went on to claim his 10th world title and his 45th tour win, a feat unrivaled in surfing, and almost any other competitive sport. A tearful Slater dedicated his win to Irons and mass paddle-outs have been staged around the world to commemorate his life.
The tour has now moved on to the final event in the 2010 season in Hawaii in a sombre mood. The Hawaiian surfing community has been hit hard by Irons’ death – he was a popular and much-loved local champion, who grew up with younger brother Bruce on the outer island of Kauai. The brothers staged an annual charity event for local grommets on Kauai, and an air of disbelief still hangs over his passing.
Mick Fanning and Andy were close friends, often staying and traveling together on tour. Mick had this to say about the passing of his friend.
“Andy Irons was like a brother to me. We shared so many good times in the years we travelled around the world surfing. We laughed and cried together over so many things. That’s what brothers do. The thing I loved most about my friend is that he always wore his heart on his sleeve. You always knew where you stood with Andy and for me it always felt like a mutual brotherly love. The thing I will never forget is his smiling face and his bear hugs. Every time we greeted each other he would squeeze the breath out of me and that’s how I knew he was one of my best mates. His wife Lyndie was such a huge part of his life and together they would shine. Words can’t describe the feelings the whole surfing family is going through but I will always remember the HUGE smile and the amazing energy of the one and ONLY Andy Irons. Love ya mate. Rest In Peace.”
While in Sydney for the Manly Surf Festival recently, I managed to catch the Morning of the Earth concert at North Head. For those unfamiliar with the nostalgic MOTE cult, this involves a screening of the seminal 70’s, country soul surf flick, with a live performance of the soundtrack by many of the original musicians, joined by some contemporary ones.
The fragrant aroma of the North Head sewage works mingled with the distinct hint of herbal cigarettes wafting in the evening breeze, as storm clouds gave way to a starry night. The Break, a hard rocking surf guitar ensemble made up of members of Midnight Oil and the Violent Femmes, opened the show in fine style – with the pure enjoyment of mature gentlemen doing exactly as they please. Thoughtfully, there were deck chairs and banana lounges for hire for the more senior members of the crowd, who might have found standing or sitting on the grass a physical challenge.
And we joked that the obligatory St Johns volunteers were probably dealing with fewer ecstasy overdoses and more slipped discs than your average outdoor music event. The experience of seeing this classic old surf film on the big screen, with the stirring folky soundtrack played live, feels a bit like a hippied out, revivalist church gathering, Hillsong on weed. I was surprised and quietly pleased to see lots of groovy young 20-somethings bounding about in front of the stage, as the shows most anthemic number, Simple Ben, got everyone up on their feet.
The films creator, Albe Falzon, is revered as something of a high priest of surfing soul and continues to live the simple, stripped back surfing lifestyle so lovingly portrayed in MOTE, from his country cottage on the mid-north coast. I wondered how many career-focussed city dwellers were contemplating chucking in their jobs and heading up the coast the next morning.
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