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A MODERN SNAPSH OT OF SURFING
IN THE UNITED STATESAMERICAN
L IFE
#5 I S
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A R O U ND TA B
L E D I
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S S I
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66
F A T
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O F
T H
E U NI O N
K E L L Y
S L
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H O B G O O
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K O L O H
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Y O U
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S I M P S O N
N E W A G E , O L D G L O R Y . P A T R
K O L O H E A N D I N O P L E D
H I S A L L E G I A N C E I N S U R F C
U S A . P H O T O : P E T E R T A
T H
A L O H
S T A T
D E B A T
S H O U L
H A W A I I A
S U R F E R
COMPETE FO
T H E U S A
M A D
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AMERIC
THE DRE A
AND REALIT
O F K A N O
I G A R A S H
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F E A T U R I N G
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O
N E I L L I N C . 2 0 1 6
U S . O N E I L L . C O M B R E T T B A R L E
Y
P H O T O : N E L L Y / S P L
UNREASONABLY DRY
UNREASONABLY LIGHT
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What is it that makes us explore?
The restless urge to pack up and go.
When the rumor of a perfect wave won’t leave your mind.
The anticipation, the laughs, the disasters, the surf.
It defines who we are...
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NF RISING SWELL BOARDSHORT
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VANS.COM/BOARDSHORVans Inc. ©20
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ALLE-
FOREWORD
1⁄ 2
Nat Young makes like the American flag and proudly hangs in Huntington. PHOTO: JIMMICANE
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It’s a brisk January morning in Huntington
Beach, California. The surf is 3 to 4 feet and
peaky, a playful respite from a month of
nonstop El Niño swells. As the sun rises over my leftshoulder it lights up the two 30 x 60 foot American flags we’ve
draped over the south side of the infamous HB pylons.
Here today are Kolohe Andino, Nat Young, Brett Simpson,
Courtney Conlogue and Kanoa Igarashi. Four CT staples alongwith Kanoa — the country’s youngest qualifier since Kolohe in 2011.
This is the first time they’ve all gathered together in Huntington
since the US Open of Surfing back in July, but today they aren’t
here for points. Instead they’re here to smash the shit out of the
punchy pier bowl right — flanked by the Stars and Stripes. And
the goal? To nail photos like the one you see on this page (and the
cover). For the America Issue. Our first in two years.
The five paddle out just after 8 a.m., with six photographers
and two videographers strategically placed to capture their every
move with the red, white and blue prominently displayed in the
background. I take a seat on the cool sand next to Kolohe’s dad,
Dino Andino, and we spark up a conversation.“What do you think of this concept?” I ask.
“I love seeing American media pushing America. I really do,” Dino
answers. “What’s going on with competitive surfing right now,
with back-to-back Brazilian world champs and all of the talent
coming out of that country, it reminds me a little bit of Jackie
Robinson bursting onto the baseball scene back in the late ‘40s.
And I mean that in the best possible way. It’s lighting a fire under
these American guys’ asses.”
I think about what he means. About Jackie Robinson. About
how the comparison he’s making is in respect to the hunger and
drive surfers like Adriano are using to springboard themselves to
the top. When Jackie came into the MLB he inherently wanted it more than anyone who had ever preceded him, and when he
started dominating the sport it made every other baseball player
take a long, hard look in the mirror. Gabriel and Adriano’s world
titles are having a similar effect: They’re forcing American surfers
— and everyone, really — to work harder. Because as it relates
to the CT, it’s time to be honest: America is no longer the alpha.
Of course, the current state of American surfing shouldn’t be
judged strictly by wins and losses on the WSL, and that’s the
point Leo Maxam makes in “America Is Surfing” on Pg. 26. In it, he
writes: “[In America] we are the culture makers, the trailblazers,the benchmark for the rest of the surfing world. So pay no mind to
the ‘make America great again’ doom and gloom noise from those
who would hijack American surfing and sell us exactly what we
don’t need: fear, xenophobia and self-doubt.” And he’s right: What
America might lack in wave quality and world title contenders (at
least right now), it makes up for tenfold in opportunity.
Kolohe takes off on a chest-high right, spins a full-rotation air
reverse and rides it to shore. He sprints up the beach — giving
Dino knuckles — never losing stride all the way to the parking lot.
According to Dino he’s trained once already this morning and he’s
off to work out again right now. “This is a big year for Brother,”
Dino tells me. “And doing well on tour is all he cares about.”I leave Dino and walk to the end of the pier. With the guys done
surfing I clip the zip ties holding the massive flags and carefully
fold each one into a 3-foot triangle. A pair of middle-aged women
greet me. One of them is wearing a white hat with the emblem
of an American flag.
“That was a beautiful display,” the one with the hat tells me.
“We watched all morning and as US Navy vets we’re really happy
to see you surfers representing our flag.”
“And isn’t this just the greatest country on earth?” The other
one adds, with a warm smile.
It is, I think to myself, my arms filled with red, white and blue.
—Zander Morton
Last year Courtney Conlogue finished a few heats short of becoming the first American to win a world title since Kelly Slater in 2011, and the first female since Lisa Andersen in 1997. (Excluding Carissa Moore,but that’s a whole ‘nother topic we tackle in this issue.) Is Courtney our brightest hope for a title in 2016? PHOTO: JIMMICANE
FOREWORD
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EDITORIALEditor ZANDER MORTON [email protected] ive Director ANDRE “ CHATO” AGANZA [email protected] Director PETER TARAS [email protected] Editor BRENDAN BUCKLEY [email protected] & Media Manager J IMMY WILSON j [email protected] Director NOA EMBERSON [email protected] & Social Media Manager DAYTON SILVA [email protected]
Video Editor SEAN BENIK [email protected] JACOB VANDERWORK [email protected] at Large TAYLOR PAUL [email protected] at Large BEAU FLEMISTER [email protected] Assistant DAVID CLANCY c [email protected] Light LARRY “FLAME” MOORE (1948-2005)Copy Editor KERSTEN DECK [email protected]
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERSBrent Bielmann, Corey Wilson, Steve Sherman, Seth De Roulet
CONTRIBUTING WRITERSChris Binns, CS Louis, Dana Valdez, Dylan Goodale, Daniel Ikaika Ito, Dane Gudausk as, Derek Dunfee, Jake Tellkamp, Leo Maxam,Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate, Nick Carroll , Stuart Cornuelle
I NT ER NMikey Ciaramella
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERSCALIFORNIA - Aaron Checkwood, Ben Ginsberg, Shane Grace, Scotty Hammonds, Russ Hennings, Jason Kenworthy, Matt Kurvin, Ricky Lesser, Nick Liot ta, Jason Murray,Morgan Maassen, Quinn Matthews, Mark Mcinnis, Dave Nelson, Kurt Steinmetz, Frank Quirarte, Pat Stacy, Will iam Sharp, Adam Warmington EAST COAST - Nate Adams/ESM,Matt Catalano, Matt Clark, Ryan Gamma, Nick LaVecchia, Nicola Lugo, Matt Lusk, Rich McMullin, Dick Meseroll/ESM, Ryan Miller, Trevor Moran, Fiona Mullen, Mike Nelson,Brian Nevins, Daniel Pullen, Patrick Ruddy, Seth Stafford, Ryan Struck HAWAII - Erik Aeder, Quincy Dein, Ryan Foley, Hank Foto, Dane Grady, Dooma Photos, Tony Heff, PeteHodgson, Laserwolf, Daniel Russo, Epes Sargent , Keoki Saguibo, Tai Van Dyke AUSTRALIA - Scott Bauer, Bosko, Andrew Chisholm, Andrew Christ ie, Ray Collins, Stuart Gibson,Woody Gooch, Duncan Macfarlane, Bill Morris, Russell Ord, Rod Owen, John Respondek, Andrew Shield INTERNATIONAL - Paulo Barcellos, Jeff Flindt , Anthony Fox, PeteFreiden, Greg Gyselinck, Timo Jarvinen, Jeremy Koreski, Alex Laurel, Brad Masters, Edwin Morales, Domenic Mosquiera, Darren Muschett , Fred Pompermayer, Laurent Pujol,PacoTwo, Scotty Sherin, Mickey Smith, Alan Van Gysen, Sergio Villalba
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the USA.
TRANSITION PRODUCTIONS
When we decided to sit down with Kelly Slater, CJ
Hobgood, Brett Simpson, Kolohe Andino and Nat
Young to discuss the State (err, Fate) of the Union
for this America Issue; we enlisted the fine folks at
Transition Productions to capture the conversation
from every possible angle. The day of the shoot, over
on Oahu’s North Shore, they had everything all set
up — location, lighting, cameras and sound, and it
went off without even the slightest hitch. You can
find the results of our collaboration starting on
Pg. 42, and also playing in a beautifully captured
video series live on surfingmagazine.com right
now. So thanks, Transition. We couldn’t have done
it without you.
MAY
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RANGE TXTKO STAPLE
TORREY MEISTER | SANUK.COM
…ALWAYS GETTIN’ LOOSE
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T NNER ROZUNKO
B RGE TRUNK
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ConnerSPEAKEASY
1⁄ 3
PHOTO: SHERMAN
SURFING: So you’ve made it! What are
your expectations for the 2016 season?
CONNER: I’m feeling super fired up.
Doing the QS you’re continually
focusing on getting better in shittier
waves. So now I’m really excited to
switch that up, to transition out
of that and focus on surfing a lot
of the waves that I actually enjoy.
It gives me more time to dial in my
surfboards in better waves and
luckily the waves have been so good
IT’S JUST LIKE THE PHIL COLLINS SONG. “I’ve been waiting for this moment…for all my life…Oh, Lo-orrd.” Minus something about Philwitnessing a murder when he was young and then outing the guyat a packed concert…or whatever that song’s about. I’m talkingabout the chorus. ‘Cause Santa Barbara’s 22-year-old ConnerCoffin has been waiting for this moment — CT qualification — forall his life…Oh, Lord. A moment that, for hundreds of other QSgrinders, does not come easily. But after a little adapting tosome crummy Brazilian and Portuguese beachies, Conner’s excitedto surf the waves we all dream [tour] about. With one or twoother guys out…Oh, Lord. It’s a little like that Phil Collinssong. –Beau Flemister
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lately that I’ve been able to practice in better surf and not feel guilty
about it. Really, I’m just excited to surf against the guys on tour and
see how they approach all these good spots.
And you’ve probably already competed against most guys on tour
at the QS10000 events, right? Yeah, I’ve competed with probably
every guy on tour at one event or another. At the Hurley Lowers
Pro a couple times and the QS at Lowers too. It’s definitely super
motivating and inspiring.
Back to what you said about “feeling guilty surfing good waves” — I
never looked at it that way. Sure, back when I was on the QS and I
was at home, it was almost a disservice to surf Rincon for two days
straight, if I was going to Brazil the following week. You always had
to keep up your bad-wave game.
Would you say that a lot of the waves on tour suit your style? The first
three waves are potentially great, if not longer rights. And, yeah, I
love surfing those types of waves, but The Box or North Point or even
Cloudbreak are my favorite waves in the world to surf regardless, so
an opportunity to compete in them — that’s what I’ve dreamed about
since I was a kid. It’s like, you get to surf Pipeline or Cloudbreak with
one or two guys out?! That’s been my motivation and drive forever.
Do you feel any pressure to stay on tour after your rookie year, or do
you kind of have nothing to lose at this point?
Mmm, I don’t really have
any expectations for myself. I do have goals, such as being rookie of
the year or to even win an event. Those are two things I’d love to do.
But definitely the Dream Tour always felt a little far-fetched and I’d
always put it up on a pedestal.
And why is that? Why would it feel far-fetched for you when you’re
one of the best kids your age in America? You didn’t just plan on
qualifying? I think I had a good year in 2013 where I came fairly close
to qualifying, but then the next year I could barely even make a heat,
so I kind of lost that mojo. Like, going into Hawaii in 2013, I saw how
it was actually attainable. But that’s a pretty common problem
with people on the QS. You could be trying for over five years and it
can be really up and down. One year you’re really close and the next
you feel like you’re surfing the same way but you can’t make a heat.
And you watch the other guys get their mojo and you wonder what
you’re doing wrong.
SPEAKEASY
2⁄ 3 Now that he’s qualified, Conner no longer has to feel guilty drawing perfect lines in his backyard. PHOTO: SETH DE ROULET
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U P
F R O N T B U R N E R
R E N T R O U L E T T E
S A I L I N G T O T H E A I R P O R T
B U M B L E D Y N A S T Y
H I T H E R O N T H E D M
B A L D E A G L E S
J O I N T D O G C U S T O D Y
M A S S D I V O R C E E M A I L S
F R E E D O M
P L E D G I N G A L L E G I A N C E
N O N C O N T I G U O U S S T A T E S
E X I T S T R A T E G Y
F E E L I N G T H E B E R N
D O W N
S A Y I N G ‘ M U R I C A
B A C K U P N U T
T R U M P I N G
F E L L O W S H I P S E S S I O N S
P O L I T I C S A S U S U A L
L O S T I T S L U S T R E
“ T R U T H B E T O L D ”
P O L I C I N G I N S T A G R A M
T H R O W I N G C U P S
S I C K F O R A M O N T H
N O T V O T I N G
“ G O O G L E I T ”
F I S C A L N E W Y E A R
And how does one get their mojo back on the QS and make things
click? I think when it comes down to it, that’s just the way surfing
goes. You’re dealing with Mother Nature and elements that are
out of your control. So finding that rhythm can be really difficult
in a 30-minute heat. But at the same time that unpredictability is
what keeps us coming back for more. You can definitely lose so many
heats that it can affect your attitude and the reasons why you surf
in the first place.
Do you have a nemesis on tour that you competed with in the Primes?
No, not really. I guess I grew up competing against Keanu Asing, but
it’s not like we are nemeses. I guess I’ve had a lot of battles with
Kolohe when we were younger, but he’s definitely beat me more than
I’ve beat him. [laughs]
Who are you just dying to go head-to-head with in a heat? That’s
a hard question. Filipe Toledo, John John, Kelly, Mick, Parko, Julian,
Gabriel: Those guys are pushing the level of the sport so much higher,
so to have an opportunity to surf with them and compete against
them…it’s amazing. For me, I don’t look at it like I want to beat this
guy or that guy; when the waves are good it’s more of a strategic
game that is really fun to play.
Does anyone intimidate you on the tour? Mick, Kelly…Adriano.
They’re all such solid competitors. They seem very mentally tough.
So in that sense, they seem like very hard guys to beat. But the cool
thing about surfing that I always remind myself is it’s not always
the guy who’s necessarily “a better surfer” who automatically
wins. You could be surfing against a world champion, and if things
aren’t going their way, they’re beatable. It’s actually a very level
playing field on tour.
Why do you think so few Americans are qualifying these days?
That’s a good question. I think growing up in America, we have a lot
more privileges than kids growing up in, say, Brazil. We have quitea few other opportunities or outlets to be successful while their
opportunities are limited and surfing might be their only way to break
out. But I also think that the Brazilians are really hungry and have a
lot of drive to get to the top. And maybe Americans don’t have that
same drive that they do.
PHOTO: SHERMAN
SPEAKEASY
3⁄
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1 6
B Y L E O
M A X A M
ou can hear the murmurs growing
louder.Winter is coming, they warn.
From the surf brand fortresses
of Orange County to the vitriolic
message boards of the American surf media, the
panic is palpable.
It’s been an eternity (four years!) since an
American (i.e., Kelly Slater) won the world title,
and no one can remember ever having so few
of our boys representing the Stars and Stripes
on surfing’s biggest stage. The earth must be
spinning off its axis.
A M O D E R N S N A P S H O T O F S U RF I NG I N T H E U N IT E D S TAT E S
May,
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Parker Coffin. PHOTO:SETH DE ROULET
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Slater’s roaring competitive inferno has finally cooled and the rest of the world has
pounced with a vengeance. We were foolish to be so complacent. We’d be smart to start
stocking up on Twinkies and ammunition and seal the underground bunker until the
Brazilian Cataclysm blows over. If we’re lucky, we’ll be able to survive American surfing’s
nuclear winter and eventually scurry out from our tunnels like small mammals after
the asteroid strike and rebuild after the lizards go extinct. The universe is collapsing.
Or is it? If you ask us, American surfing is doing just fine, thank you. First off, we can
proudly claim the current world champion. Her name is Carissa Moore, she holds a US
passport and she has better style than most. In fact, she’s hoisted three world title
trophies in the past five years. That’s dynasty status. And in 2015 there was a fiery,
freckled regularfoot from Huntington named Courtney Conlogue giving her a good
run all the way to Honolua.
But surfing is bigger than world titles, and the number of Americans competing on
the CT is but one myopic estimate of our country’s surfing health. When we take a
2 / 6Though it was by accident, the army corps of engineers created a version of “Kelly’s wave” way back in 1929 when constructing a breakwater toprotect the Santa Barbara harbor. It’s not as consistent, but it’s every bit as perfect. Sandspit. PHOTO: SETH DE ROULET
SLATER’S MAN-MADE WAVE IS THE
BIGGEST OF GAME-CHANGERS.
HE MADE FANTASY A REALITY,
AND PLANTED IT IN THE HEART OF
AMERICA’S AGRICULTURAL ENGINE,
CALIFORNI A’S CENTRAL VALLEY.
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SURFBOARDS & APPAREL
superbranded.com
@super_brand
facebook.com/SUPERbrand
THE WORLD IS SUPERIN THE TOY BOARDSHORTS.
SUPER OMFY
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3 / 6 From buoyweather.com to barreled in under 24-hours. Michael Dunphy, using American technology to strike in the Caribbean . PHOTO: NICOLA LUGO
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(Jeremy Flores held it down for France).
At this point we should probably address the elephant wearing a grass skirt in the
room: Yes, Hawaii, you’re part of the USA. The POTUS was born on your home turf,
and in spite of what Fox News would have you believe, that makes him a natural-born
American citizen. Hawaiian surfers compete at Nationals, commute to the mainland,
and pay their taxes to the IRS (ask Sunny Garcia). So by all means, keep waving that
Hawaiian flag with pride, but you’re part of this dysfunctional family whether you like
it or not. And we take a further look at this topic on Pg. 58.
The lesson here is you can’t do anything in surfing without encountering shining
examples of American surfers at the forefront of our sport’s cultural and performance
evolution. The soul of the surf industrial complex calls Southern California home, even
if that is an oxymoron. Your GoPro was designed in California (made in China, sure,
but what isn’t these days?). And your trusty Mayhem was actuallymade in America.
Your global surf forecasts come from data gathered by American buoys and satellites
4 / 6 A scene like this. Outer Banks, North Carolina. PHOTO: MATT LUSK
WHEN WE TAKE A STEP BACK FROM
ALL THE DUST KICKED UP BY THE
ALARMISTS GRABBING THEIR
GUNS AND RUNNING FOR THE
HILLS, WE BEGIN TO APPRECIATE
A M U C H D I F F E R E N T S C E N E .
May,
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GABE MORVIL
AGE: 16
HOMETOWN: WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA
SCHOOL: SWITCHED ON SCHOOLHOUSE
SPONSORS: QUIKSILVER, SURF CITY SURF SHOP, FREAK TRACTION, ORION SURFBOARDS
When it comes to surfing in slop on the East Co ast, being tall isn’t generally a good thing. It’s no coincidence the best from
the East — Slater, the Hobgoods, the Lopezes and Benny Bourgeois — are all in the sub-6-foot club. Gabe Morvil, however, is
ready to be an exception to that rule. The 16-year-old recently encountered a growth spurt that shot him skyward, but it hasn’t
slowed him down a bit. In fact, he recently won three divisions — Open Men’s, Explorer Men’s and Explorer Juniors — in one
event at Carolina Beach and you better believe he’s ready to tower over his competitors at Nationals this summer. From the
top of the podium, of course — with two hands grasped around his first national title. —Michael Ciaramella
S U R F E R O F T H E M O N T H : PHOTO: DJ STRUNTZ
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and crunched by American technology. From performance to culture to discovery,
American surfing know-how continues to reign supreme.
But perhaps America’s greatest contribution to surfing is our role as global melting
pot. It’s no coincidence that so many great international surfers end up moving
stateside. If you’re an Aussie who really likes big barrels, like Anthony Walsh, you move
to Hawaii and marry a local girl. If you’re a young Brazilian surfer with big dreams, like
Filipe Toledo (or Yago Dora, or Mateus Herdy, et al), you get out of Dodge and move
to San Clemente. And best of all, your world-class Brazilian-American shaper, Marcio
Zouvi, is already here making your boards.
From former world champs Shaun Tomson (ZAF) and SURFING’s very own Peter
“PT” Townend (AUS), to modern Aussie transplants like Josh Kerr and Yadin Nicol who
now finally understand what Mexican food is supposed to taste like, Lady Liberty has
always welcomed surfing’s huddled masses yearning to bust their fins free. They come
here from foreign shores because this country — and its vibrant surfing milieu — gives
5 / 6 Britt Merrick and Dane Reynolds. PHOTO: SHERMAN
SURFING IS BIGGER THAN WORLD
TITLES, AND THE NUMBER OF
AMERICANS COMPETING ON THE CT
IS BUT ONE MYOPIC ESTIMATE OF
OUR COUNTRY’S SURFING HEALTH.
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them the best opportunity to succeed. And there’s nothing more American than that.
In this way America is surfing. We are the culture makers, the trailblazers, the
benchmark for the rest of the world. And as the standard bearer, American surfing
faces some tough questions in 2016: Where do we go in the post-Slater era? Should
Hawaiian surfers finally represent the US in competition? Just who are Conner Coffin
and Kanoa Igarashi, our country’s newest additions to the CT, and are they up to
the challenge? In this issue, we explore those questions and more, and arrive at one
overarching conclusion: There’s still work to be done, but America is the one for the job.
So pay no mind to the “make America great again” doom-and-gloom noise from
those who would hijack US surfing and sell us exactly what we don’t need: fear,
xenophobia and self-doubt. And next time you paddle out, from sea to shining sea
— or a wave pool somewhere in between — remember how many surfers around the
world would love to be where you are. Chin up, America. You’re already great.
6 / 6 And Pipeline is, and always will be, the gold standard of surfing. Balaram Stack. PHOTO: BRENT BIELMANN
AMERICA IS SURFING. WE ARE
TH E C U LTU R E M A K ER S , TH E
TRAILBLAZERS, THE BENCHMARK
FOR THE REST OF THE WORLD.
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Tatiana Weston-Webb
#GoTati
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Caroline
THREAT
1⁄ 2
Marks FULL NAME: Caroline Marks AGE: 13 HOMETOWN: Melbourne Beach, FL, but living in SanClemente, CA
SPONSORS: Roxy, Red Bull, Gromsocial.com, Chemisty
Surfboards, Ron Jon, FCS, Tonic
HOMEBREAK: Sebastian Inlet, Florida
FAVORITE SURFERS:Carissa Moore and Gabriel Medina
What inspires you the most?Kelly Slater
What is your greatest fear? Drowning
What song do you want to hear before you paddle
out? “Sorry” by Justin Bieber
Best surf video segment of all time? Kelly Slater in
Black & White
Worst enemy? Myself
PHOTOS: NATE LAWRENCE
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We bought ahog one timeand it grewinto this hugemonster andtried to eatone of my littlebrothers
What’s something you do every
single day, without exception?
Pray
Your proudest moment in life?
Winning the US Open Junior
title
Favorite world champions? Occy
and Carissa
Outside of surfing, what do you
love? Fishing
Most underrated surfer? Eric
Geiselman
If you were to start a business,
what would you sell? I would be
a dog breeder; I love dogs
Worst tattoo you’ve ever seen?
Leg tattoos on girls
Best text message ever
received? Ross Williams texted
me a super encouraging
message about being injured
and how to deal with it after I
broke my ankle in two places
Favorite actor? Adam Sandler
Best book you’ve ever read? The
Bible
Describe yourself in fewer than
five words: A chocolate lover
What is the meaning of life? Take
nothing for granted
What annoys you about surfing?
Wet, sandy and stinky booties
(the ones on your feet)
Best gift you’ve ever given
someone? I like trying to give
boards away when I can to
inspire other girls to surf
Does Instagram matter? Yes! Ofcourse
Dumbest purchase? We bought
a hog one time and it grew into
this huge monster and tried to
eat one of my little brothers
Would you rather eat a donut or
a kale smoothie for breakfast?
Donut
What’s your favorite emoticon?
American Flag
Secret to catching a lot of
waves? Being a girl and
paddling hard
Who’s the most beautiful male
surfer? Julian Wilson
Favorite Taylor Swift song?
“Shake It off”
Best city in the world? New York
City
Kanye West — yes or no? No
THREAT
2⁄
It’s not a question of if — but rather, a question ofwhen — Caroline Marks wins her first world title.Eyeing a big future in Indonesia. PHOTO: LAWRENCE
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premium surf equipment, est. 1982
cam richards uses micro-dot
See what the bumps all about at prolite.com/microdotdr. dot says,
@PROLITEI
thinner for better board fee
absorbs less wate
Grippier when we
30 lighte
TM
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PORTRAITS BY PETER TARASINTERVIEW BY SAXON BOUCHER
S ur fing M ag azine
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U N I
N
FATEOF THE
KOLOHE ANDINO
CJ HOBGOOD
BRETT SIMPSON
KELLY SLATER
NAT YOUNG
DISCUSS THE PLIGHT
OF AMERICAN PRO
SURFING
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I’M SWEATING.
Partly because I’m sitting on an outdoor porch under a 1,000-watt strobe light on a humid evening on Oahu’s North
Shore, but mostly because Kelly Slater, CJ Hobgood, Kolohe Andino, Brett Simpson and Nat Young are 20 minutes
late. I wipe my forehead. Soaked.
With lights and cameras and a 12-person production team all ready to go, I frantically start texting the group.
Where are you guys?
One minute later, with my anxiety peaking, Kelly arrives. Moments later so do Nat, Kolohe, CJ and finally Brett.
Everyone exchanges pleasantries and takes their seat. I step into the background and relax.
With the Pipe Masters set to start tomorrow, in many years past we’d be excitedly awaiting the potential crowningof an American world champ (if he hadn’t already been crowned before Hawaii). But times have changed. No American
is in the title race in Hawaii. CJ is retiring. Brett is falling off tour. Kelly is in the twilight of his glorious
career and only he and Nat are ranked in the top 10 on the CT (9th and 10th, respectively).
So, where do we go from here? What is next for American pro surfing? Saxon Boucher starts the
conversation. —Zander Morton
SURFING: SO, AS WE KNOW, THERE AREN’T
AS MANY AMERICANS ON TOUR AS THERE
ONCE WERE, AND THERE’S BEEN A GAP
SINCE NAT AND KOLOHE QUALIFIED. KANOA
[IGARASHI] AND CONNER [COFFIN] ARE
COMING ON NOW, BUT...
CJ: Are we saying there is a problem with
American surfing?
Kelly: We had seven East Coasters on tour
at one point: The Hobgood brothers, the
Lopez brothers, Gabe Kling, myself and
Benny Bourgeois. That’s seven just from the
East Coast. Then if you added up Hawaii
and California, it was half the tour at one
point. That is, if we’re including Hawaii.
CJ: I just feel like things naturally evolve and
expand and contract in the world. We’ve seen
these surfing movements from different
countries throughout history: The Bronzed
Aussies, The Momentum Generation, Euro
Force, Coolie Kids and now the Brazilian Storm.
Maybe next we’ll see the Japanese Typhoon.
Kelly: I wonder how long until a surfer from
Japan makes the tour?
CJ: I was pretty amazed at Surfer Poll this
year. That was the first time that a couple of
Brazilians made it onto the American Surfer
Poll [Gabriel Medina and Filipe Toledo]. And
had Gabriel thrown out a tweet he would
have won easily. Someone tap into that guy’s
Instagram and win that thing! [laughs]
SURFING: DO YOU FEEL THAT SURFING IS
LESS POPULAR AMONG AMERICAN KIDS TODAY
THAN WHEN YOU WERE GROWING UP?
Brett: No way. It’s as hot as it’s ever been.
Kanoa is only 18. He was our hope in
Huntington and he’s done it; he made the
tour. And there are quite a few kids his age
and younger who are on that same track
from our area.
Kolohe: There is a solid pack of 11-and-unders
at T-Street every day that are shredding
super hard. Twenty of them could be top-level
pro surfers.
SURFING: LET’S START AT THE AMATEUR
LEVEL. IS THERE ANYTHING THE NSSA AND/
OR SURFING AMERICA COULD OR SHOULD
BE DOING DIFFERENTLY TO IMPROVE THE
SITUATION?
CJ: Let’s put it in perspective. It’s not like
the ESA was firing on all cylinders when we
were kids. It was just like, “Yay, we made
it to Hatteras.’” Honestly, it’s an amateur
organization and it’s about bringing your kids
to the beach and having a good time. I never
saw Freddy [Patacchia]; I never saw Andy
[Irons]; I never saw any of these guys until
I first came to Hawaii; until I first came to
California. With social media these days, we
pretty much already know who every grom
is and how they surf, and that’s just a result
of technology.
Nat: When I was doing Lowers [NSSA
Nationals] there were tents from where
you walk out to the beach all the way up to
the point, and every single kid that surfed
[competitively] in America was there.
Brett: I feel like that prestige is gone a
little bit. Nationals still means a lot, but
I feel like when I did it whoever won was
getting a six-figure contract. Now kids
don’t have to win Nationals and they’re
still making six figures.
Kelly: Dane never won it and he’s getting
seven figures [laughter].
CJ: He’s turning down seven figures [more
laughter].
SURFING: DO YOU THINK THE HIGH PAY
GRADE THAT MANY OF THESE YOUNG SURFERS
ARE GETTING AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE IS
AFFECTING HOW THEY DEVELOP IN THEIR
COMPETITIVE CAREERS?
Brett: I always felt it was.
Kelly: When I was 15 years old I made a
hundred bucks a week from surfing. I think
I got 110 bucks a week under the table from
Sun Deck. I was stoked. I went from having
no money to having an extra hundred bucks
a week to pay for my lunches and stuff. I
was making 20 bucks a day for nothing. And
when you got nothing, that’s great. I think
another factor is that there’s more of an
outlet for freesurfing today. You can be a
professional freesurfer and make millions
of dollars — literally. When I was a kid, I only
saw success through one path: competition.
That was how I could make a living through
surfing. And today that’s not the only route.
SURFING: SO SHOULD A PROFESSIONAL
SURFER BE SOMEONE WHO IS COMPETING
AND WINNING EVENTS?
Kelly: Is money the only motivating factor?
Do you want success in your life? And what
is success? Is it financial, is it accolades, is it
progression in how well you do something,
your expertise and how you can push your
body? It’s different for each person.
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“IN AMERICA THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT PATHS YOU CAN
TAKE, AND YOU CAN DO WHAT YOU WANT AND HAVE A LOT OF FUN
AND MAKE A GOOD LIVING WITHOUT NECESSARILY COMPETING.”
—NAT YOUNG
United we prosper, divided we fall. As it relates to professional surfing, is Americaactually the land of too much opportunity? Nat Young. PHOTO: TIM RIDENOUR
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SURFING: THAT BRINGS US TO MOTIVATION.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE WITH THE KIDS
FROM AMERICA AND THE KIDS COMING FROM
DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD?
Brett: In Brazil they treat surfing as a sport.
At home it can be a lifestyle; it’s what you
do. But they go down to the beach and tell
themselves, “I’m gonna catch 36 waves and
ride them to the beach. And I’m gonna catch
more than my friend.”
Kelly: For some reason there always seems
to be more pride if you’re from Hawaii,
Australia or Brazil. The Europeans kind of
had it going for a little while with their crew
— the Euro Force thing — but the Brazilian
Storm took them out.
Brett: The Brazilians are obviously all
driven, but Adriano seems like he’s the
one who has come from the least. I don’t
know if they’re actually more driven than
us though. I think that idea is more a media
creation than reality.
Kelly: Are you serious, bro? Do you see how
early [Adriano] shows up at contests? He
literally goes to places two weeks before the
start of the event. It’s just human nature: The
less you have growing up, the more drive you
have to succeed.
SURFING: IS THE ISSUE OF AMERICANS
BEING ON TOUR SOMETHING YOU GUYS TALK
ABOUT?
Kolohe: I’m just friends with all these guys so
banding together just comes naturally.
Brett: It’s an individual sport. We’re not a
team. We end up surfing against each other
100 times a year. There is a good American
camaraderie though. We’re definitely not out
there shaking pompoms for each other, but
when they’re deep in the contest, I’m rooting
for them.
Kelly: When you have your crew of friends,
you definitely can feed off of that. I know
with our group of friends when we traveled
together — me, Shane [Dorian] and Rob
[Machado], Conan [Hayes] and Kalani [Robb]
and everybody — I feel like we really fed off
each other in contests.
Brett: And that’s what you see with the
Brazilians a lot more these days.
Kelly: They support each other for the most
part, but they also have a really competitive
thing amongst themselves at the same time,
like, “Oh, I want to outdo this guy.”
Kolohe: I think the difference is they don’t get
jealous; they get motivated, whereas a lot of
young Americans will get jealous.
Kelly: I don’t know. I didn’t see Medina
carrying Filipe up the beach this year.
CJ: When you feel like you’re a minority in a
situation, you want to stick together with
your brother. Those guys aren’t a minority
on tour anymore, but they still have that
mentality. I’ve noticed on social media
especially — and I think Brother is the biggest
advocate of it and it’s the raddest thing —
shouting out all the upcoming American
groms, always hitting the American flag.
Because at a certain point, his generation
will start to feel like a minority and they will
start to feel that camaraderie more than
Kelly and I did.
Kelly: Well, I had that same minority
mentality because East Coasters were a
minority. I think that’s a huge driving force,
when you feel like you’re an outcast from the
group and you have to work to get your way
in there to be accepted.
CJ: When I was growing up, you weren’t even
on the map if you were from Florida. And it
was like, “Oh my god, Kelly’s putting us on
the map!’” We felt like a minority. And you
felt like that, Kelly.
Kelly: I was the only East Coaster on the
world team. No, I think we had a kneeboarder
on there. I remember we went to England
in ‘86 and I was the only ESA guy. It was all
NSSA guys, the whole rest of the team. Lisa
Andersen made it on the women’s team; I
think she had been living in California for a
few years at that point. But I think Brazil
is doing so well because they want it more.
Those guys are so driven. I think they go to the
beach dreaming about a bigger life. I mean,
have you seen those guys paddle for a wave?
They triple my wave count on a lot of days.
Brett: They catch a lot of waves.
CJ: I feel like being a minority or an outsider
can also make you really insecure. I had this
conversation with this Brazilian guy in São
Paolo. I told him, “You have the biggest
athletes now. Gabriel Medina won the world
title, he has the most social media followers
of anyone on tour, so why are Brazilian
surfers so insecure that they still have to go
on every single website and defend Brazilian
surfing? Why are you so insecure?” But I
think that same insecurity drives those guys
because, gosh forbid, “If I don’t make my heat
no one’s gonna like me.” I don’t think that’s a
bad thing. I feel like insecurity can be a huge
motivator to achieve good things. And I feel
like that’s a big part of why those guys are
doing so well right now. So you young guys,
Natty and Brother, need to get real insecure.
Kelly: Don’t worry, Brother, I’ve been insecure
my whole life [laughs].
Kolohe: Is that your secret?
SURFING: DO YOU THINK HAWAIIAN SURFERS
SHOULD BE CONSIDERED SEPARATE FROM
THE USA?
Kelly: I’m fine with Hawaiian sovereignty. I
think it would be cool if they were their own
country. Hawaii is seen as the birthplace of
surfing. It’s been seen as its own country all
these years in so many ways. Put it this way:
Hawaii has beaten the US at the amateur
world titles more times than the US team
has beaten the Hawaiian team. So if they
have that dense of a talent pool, it validates
them being their own entity.
Brett: That’s just the way it’s been forever,
separating Hawaii and USA. But they
shouldn’t be able to come out to the
mainland if they don’t make the Hawaiian
amateur team and try and get a spot on the
mainland USA team.
SURFING: DO YOU THINK IF HAWAIIAN
SURFERS WERE INCLUDED UNDER THE
UMBRELLA OF THE USA IT WOULD CHANGE
ANYTHING? WOULD IT HELP BOTH HAWAIIAN
AND MAINLAND SURFERS IF THEY FELT LIKE
THEY WERE MORE ON THE SAME TEAM?
Nat: I don’t think that would change
anything. Do you guys?
CJ: I wonder how surfers from other countries
perceive it? I don’t know if surfers from other
countries even see a difference between
surfers from Hawaii and the mainland.
Kelly: I think it’s just tradition.
SURFING: IT DOESN’T FEEL LIKE THERE’S
BEEN A LACK OF SURFING TALENT IN
AMERICA. WE HAVE AMAZING SURFERS. I
THINK THE PROBLEM IS MORE THE DRIVE
AND WHERE THAT COMES FROM. WHY DON’T
THEY HAVE THAT DOG-EAT-DOG MENTALITY?
Kelly: We do. It trips me out though. But Eric
[Geiselman] is hurt all the time. And then
Evan hasn’t made it on. He kinda got some
points this year. But those guys frickin’ shred.
Their air game is a joke.
Nat: There’s so many different routes
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“IT’S JUST HUMAN NATURE: THE LESS
YOU HAVE GROWING UP, THE MORE
DRIVE YOU HAVE TO SUCCEED.”
— KELLY SLATER
Drive, defined. Kelly Slater at Pipeline. PHOTO: BRENT BIELMANN
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you can take now in surfing, not just
competition. It all depends on what kind of
person you are. If you’re really competitive,
that’s not gonna matter, and you’ll want to
win at the highest level.
Kelly: What are your goals? If you’re Dane
wouldn’t you rather stay at home and make
a great paycheck, surf your local spots all the
time, put fun clips together? It would take
him way more time away from the things
he likes to do and places he likes to be and
commitment of time and his mind to surf
contests. And it wouldn’t make him any more
money. It would just cost him a lot more time.
He’s created the perfect little environment
for himself.
CJ: So America’s got the best freesurfer.
Heyooo!
Kelly: You could easily argue that Dane is the
most influential surfer in the world in the last
eight, 10 years. And his whole thing has been
based on a website, freesurf clips, making
movies and what’s fun for him.
SURFING: BUT AS FAR AS SURF FANS GO,
THERE’S A LARGE FAN BASE THAT WANTS
TO GET HIM IN A JERSEY.
Brett: I think a lot of Americans don’t like
losing. I mean, nobody likes to lose, but I knew
guys on the QS that would get a good result,
then lose twice and they’d say, “I’m not gonna
do the rest of the contests.”
Kolohe: They’re scared.
Brett: It’s like, dude, you’re gonna lose. That’s
part of it. You win a lot as an amateur. I
remember winning a lot in NSSA. Then you
get on the QS and you’re just getting smoked
by Brazilians and guys you don’t even know.
It’s a harsh reality check.
Kelly: David Eggers is a classic case of that.
He had one of the greatest-ever amateur
careers. He turned pro and fell off the
map within a year. I think he turned pro at
16 and he was winning everything to that
point, even pro contests he was surfing
in when he was 12. And when he turned
pro, for whatever reason, all the pressure,
expectations, he just fell apart. But he
was a true contest machine, that guy. As
a kid everything was about contests and
everything in their family’s life was all about
Dave going to contests, winning, and he was
gonna win everything.
Brett: You see these soccer moms and dads
down at the contests now and that’s part
of the pressure. And some kids know how to
handle it and can do it. But some obviously
turn the other way and are turned off by it.
Kolohe: Some people react to losing
differently. I feel like a lot of Americans shun
competition after they’ve had a bad run.
Kelly: It’s so cool to see families supporting
kids who want to go surf, I think it’s
awesome, but I hate the soccer moms and
dads thing. Competition is healthy, but
when you take it too seriously, especially in
the amateur ranks, you need to pull back.
SURFING: LET’S TALK ABOUT WHERE THE
BIG QUALIFICATION EVENTS ARE HELD
FOR AMERICANS TRYING TO GET ONTO THE
WORLD TOUR AND WHETHER THAT MATTERS.
[*Editor’s note: In 2016 there will
be four QS events held in Brazil: two10,000s and two 6,000s; there will be
seven QS events held in Australia:
five 1,000s and two 6,000s; there will
be six QS events held in Hawaii: two
1000s, two 3000s and two 10,000s; and
there will be seven QS events held in
mainland USA: four 1,000s, one 1,500,
one 3,000 and one 10,000.]
Kelly: I think the biggest problem that
we have is that our national tour sucks.
Australia’s is great. They have the whole pro
junior tour across the country feeding them
young talent. We had the PSAA when I was
coming up and I think it’s no coincidence we
had so many guys on tour that came straight
out of the PSAA.
Brett: Does the pro junior series even exist in
America anymore? When I came out of NSSA
there was practically no junior series. There
were, like, two events. You pretty much went
straight onto the QS and got lost for a while.
Kolohe: Well, it’s hard when you’ve got the
best guys like Filipe qualifying at 18 years old
and then other guys who are 19 still doing
the juniors.
Nat: I think there are tons of opportunities
for kids in America through NSSA and WSA
and we still have our junior events, but with
the QS we have nothing there. There are very
few domestic QS events — even small events
— for guys to get points so they can start to
climb the ranks.
Brett: There are four major events in Brazil
[*Editor’s note: See list of QS events by country
above]. The Shoe City Pro-Am in HB just ain’t
cutting it. [laughs]
CJ: And the American feeder system to the
tour is the most sketchy that I’ve seen since
I’ve been on tour.
Nat: There’s guys that can make the tour
without ever leaving Brazil. They have
enough big events to where they only have
to compete at home.
SURFING: AND THAT USED TO BE THE
CASE WHEN WE HAD THE BUD PRO TOUR IN
AMERICA.
Kolohe: The timing of the contests in
Brazil also makes it so that a lot of the top
international guys don’t want to go to those
events. There are two 6-Stars in Brazil during
CT events. And there’s a Prime in Saquarema
right before Hawaii.
Kelly: You think it’s the timing? You’re bound
to get Florida-quality waves when you go to
those events. That’s why the top guys don’t
go to those events. If we had contests in
Florida I wouldn’t blame the timing for why
no one shows up. [laughter]
CJ: In general the WSL has been working on
improving its top tier. And obviously what
has been neglected is the QS. I don’t think
there’s a person on tour — QS or CT — that
wouldn’t agree that it’s not the best system
in place right now.
Kelly: Well, there are no man-on-man heats
in QS events, except in the Primes. And then
there’s the locations...
Brett: Even the Primes this year they were
doing that stupid three-man heat, even at
Trestles. I would have won that thing.
Kelly: No, if they moved the Trestles contest to
Huntington you would have won. [laughter]
SURFING: KOLOHE, YOU’RE POSTING
AMERICAN FLAGS ON EVERY INSTAGRAM
POST. AND WHEN YOU WIN AN EVENT, YOU
HAVE THE STARS AND STRIPES DRAPED ON
YOUR BACK. WAS THAT INSPIRED BY WHAT
THE BRAZILIAN STORM WAS DOING, OR HAVE
YOU ALWAYS BEEN PATRIOTIC?
Kolohe: Kelly and all these guys have been
getting crazy with the American flag forever.
Kelly: I’m not very patriotic.
Kolohe: But you have the flag on your back.
Kelly: Occasionally. I actually want to take a
Florida flag. Not as a joke, I would be stoked
to have a Florida flag after a win.
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“IN AMERICA, THE TOUR IS BECOMING THE ‘IT’ THING AND SPONSORS
ARE STARTING TO PUSH GUYS TOWARD THE TOUR IF THEY WANT THAT
BIG CONTRACT. I THINK WE’LL SEE THE RESULTS OF THAT HERE IN THE
COMING YEARS.”
—BRETT S IMPSON
Brett Simpson has spent the last six years on the CT and has won the US Open ofSurfing twice during that span in his Huntington Beach backyard. For Brett, thetour, and competition, has always been “it.” PHOTO: JIMMICANE
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SURFING: DO YOU THINK PATRIOTISM IS
IMPORTANT TO THE SUCCESS OF THE WSL?
CJ: I think the Brazilian Storm is a good
thing. I think it’s great that everything keeps
evolving. Brazil won last year and they have
three people in the running to win this year.
That’s the truth. They are the powerhouse
right now. It’s already happened. And
eventually there will be another shift and it
will go back the other way. And I think that’s
rad. Because if America was the powerhouse
the whole time, that would stink. I think it
would be better for our country if we got
knocked down a few pegs. I like rooting for
the underdog.
Brett: It gives us something to strive for.
Hopefully for the younger generation it lights
a fire under their ass.
Kelly: I think it would be embarrassing if
there were only one or two American guys
barely staying on tour. We should be leading
because we’ve had the most guys for the
longest amount of time pushing the sport.
We should have an edge. Being in Brazil this
year showed me that we have a lot of work to
do. Everyone else has a lot of work to do. The
energy over there is huge and it’s not what
people in the surf industry expected. When I
first got on tour I looked at everyone else on
there and the only person I thought could kick
my ass was Tom Curren. I looked around and
thought, “The level’s not that good.” I want
to see a kid come on tour today and say, “The
level’s not that good.’” I want to see where
he’s aspiring to go.
Kolohe: It seems like that’s what Gabriel did.
CJ: I think you have to be cold-blooded in your
confidence and that’s what Gabriel has.
Kolohe: Insecure confidence? [laughter]
Kelly: I think the two can go hand in hand.
People get so attached to their sport because
of that insecurity. You gain confidence
through your performance and success, and
then you attach so much to that one thing
that you can’t separate who you are from
that thing. It makes you one-dimensional in
a way. Your whole confidence is attached to
this one thing and if you let that thing go,
you’re back to square one.
SURFING: WHEN YOU’RE IN A CONTEST AND
YOU DRAW A SURFER FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY,
DO YOU THINK ABOUT WHERE THEY’RE FROM?
IS THAT EVER A MOTIVATING FACTOR?
Nat: I don’t ever look at the nationality of who
I’m surfing against or where they’re from. It
sucks when one of us [Americans] ends up in
the same heat, but that’s how it goes. Those
guys from Brazil end up in the same heats
too. It doesn’t really happen too often for us
because there aren’t too many of us on tour.
Kelly: But you guys just said you had 100
heats together this year.
Brett: No, we didn’t have that many, but he
kicked me off tour pretty much. [laughter]
CJ: How many people here do better in a heat
when they’re pissed off? I for sure do better.
I know Brett does better when he’s pissed
off. You gotta find a way to have a chip on
your shoulder.
Kelly: We keep talking about these negative
things in sport that drive you — insecurity,
anger — and it makes me wonder: Is
competition good for you spiritually?
Brett: Oh, I think it’s terrible... but it’s great.
Kolohe: It’s terrible but it’s great? [laughing
hysterically]
CJ: Well it’s great at a certain time in your
life because as kids we’re naturally the most
selfish people we can be. But once you get
older and you’re on to the next chapter, you
don’t want to be that same kid. It’s gonna be
a negative. But I think it can be a good thing
at a time in your life when you’re trying to
achieve your goals.
Kelly: I think it’s challenging to grow as a
person and compete heavily. I think it’s a
difficult task to achieve.
Brett: I feel like when I was younger I was
dumber to that. When you have that
confidence, you don’t think about anyone
around you as much. You’re selfish, and you
kind of need some of that to win. And I feel
like I’ve lost a little bit of that. You get married
and have a kid, and it’s like, “Dude, these
donuts are good.” [laughter] But, honestly,
my favorite thing to watch is competitive
surfing. These days I think it’s a lot harder to
get a big contract just getting photos and
videos.
Kelly: The freesurfing thing seems like it had
a huge focus three to five years ago.
Kolohe: Well, now Filipe is doing the best airs
in heats.
SURFING: YOU ALL ARE. THE LEVEL ON
TOUR HAS GONE THROUGH THE ROOF.
Kelly: My godson recently did an interview
at a skate camp. The woman was asking
him about winning contests, and he said,
“Progressing is way better than winning.”
And I thought that was a great statement.
To push your level, wherever it’s at.
Brett: I’ve watched those street park events
at Dew Tour, and P Rod [Paul Rodriguez] will
need, like, a 6.7. And he knows he can just do
something in his sleep to get it. But he has
this huge trick that he couldn’t pull his first
two runs, and he’ll always go for it again, even
if he only needs a small score. Skaters will
never go just to get the score. It’s a different
side of it.
Kelly: I wish contests were more geared
toward the spirit of that, like a skate jam,
where guys are just pushing for the fun and
enjoyment of progressing. Some people
see contests as just a corporate sellout. I
think if contests could capture that spirit
of enjoyment and people coming together
to advance surfing as opposed to strict
competition, that might attract more people.
Skaters don’t claim who’s world champ or
who’s won this or that. For them it’s all about
who’s pushing the level.
SURFING: LET’S COME FULL CIRCLE. IS
THERE A PROBLEM WITH AMERICAN SURFING?
IF SO, WHAT CHANGES DO WE NEED TO MAKE?
CJ: It could be stronger. But let time sort
itself out and we’ll be back on top.
Brett: The format at the amateur ranks
could be fitted better to help the kids as
they get toward that stage of wanting to
get on tour. Get these kids prepared for what
they’re gonna deal with on the QS, where
you jump from the pond to the ocean and
start competing against a lot bigger fish. I
also think we need a few more QS contest
opportunities in our areas so they can climb
the ranks.
Kelly: The feeder system could definitely
be stronger. But to CJ’s point, it’ll just
take some time. There’s an ebb and flow
of surfing power. Everyone talks about
the Brazilian Storm, but it’s nothing new.
They’ve had a lot of good surfers for a long
time. They were always a force, even when I
was an amateur. There’s been a lot of great
Brazilian surfers over the years. It’s new
that they’re at the top now. It’s new that
they’re going for world titles. They have
the desire. It’s a cultural thing and it’s also
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Kolohe Andino: Pro surfing’s patriarch for patriotism. Lower Trestles. PHOTO: JIMMICANE
“I DON’T THINK ENOUGH YOUNG
AMERICAN SURFERS DEDICATE
THEIR WHOLE ENTIRE LIFE TO BEING
SUCCESSFUL ON THE WORLD TOUR.
IT’S EASIER TO LIVE IN AMERICA
THAN IN BRAZIL. IN BRAZIL, THAT’S
THEIR WHOLE LIFE, TO SUCCEED.”
— KOLOHE ANDINO
a personal thing for each individual. Right now I think we have a
number of really good surfers that I’m surprised haven’t made it on
tour yet. So I’d like to see that happen.
Kolohe: I don’t think enough young American surfers dedicate their
whole entire life to being successful on the world tour. It’s easier to live
in America than in Brazil. In Brazil, that’s their whole life, to succeed.
Nat: In Brazil, qualifying for the tour is their only option. And their
heroes are guys like Gabriel who are doing well in contests. That’s
what everyone wants to do. They want to qualify and be that guy. In
America there are all kinds of different paths you can take, and you can
do what you want and have a lot of fun and make a good living without
necessarily competing. For the Brazilians, they have a very clear path
and they know exactly what they need to do.
Brett: But I think that is slowly starting to slide away. Years ago
regional guys were making a lot of money. A couple guys from
Huntington, a couple guys from here, a couple guys from there.
Some would do the QS, some didn’t, but they were all making decent
money doing what they were doing, going to Mexico or doing these
little trips. As I was saying now, in America, the tour is becoming the
“it” thing and sponsors are starting to push guys toward the tour
if they want that big contract. I think we’ll see the results of that
here in the coming years.
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Pipeline. PHOTO: JOSH BERNARD
T
H
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A
L
O H
A
D U E T O A 6 0 Y E A R O L D T E C H N I C A L I T Y,
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S
T
A T
E
D
E
B A
T E
T H E 5 0 T H S T A T E O F A M E R I C A , H A W A I I , H A S B E E N D E L I N E A T E D A S I T S O W N N A T I O N H A W
I N P R O F E S S I O N A L S U R F I N G . B U T I S I T P E R H A P S T I M E T O R E T H I N K T H I S S E P A R AT I O N ?
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BEAU: Hi Chas, have a seat. You want a coffee?
CHAS: Aloha aina, Beau. A coffee from here? Hell no!
B: [laughs] Mine’s delicious. Kona coffee, obviously. Best stuff in the world.
Speaking of which, let’s get into it: I believe Hawaii should stay its own
sovereign surfing nation. The HAW abbreviation should stay.
C: Of course you’re on the side of Hawaii. You’re Hawaiian, right?Flemister …
that’s the ancient Hawaiian term for…lost Flemish tribe of Niihau. Just
kidding, so on what basis?
B: The original reasoning behind the “HAW” distinction stems from the
Makaha International Surfing Championships, the first surfing world
championship, so to speak. And the first Makaha contest ran in 1954, before
Hawaii was an official state of the Union, so Hawaiians classified themselves
as such — a different entity than the Mainland — and then it just carried
over to now.
C: So, is that really true, though? Is that really a fact?
B: Absolutely, it is. You disagree with the oracle and sage Matt Warshaw and
his sacred electronic text, The Encyclopedia of Surfing…dot com?
C: Well, I think that the HAW is how Rabbit Bartholomew first delineated it. I
think that he gave Hawaii its own slot in the contest and it was just accepted.
That’s what I heard. But you or Matt Warshaw could be right.
B: So you don’t buy the “before it was a state” theory? You think that Rabbit
just did it to kiss up to Hawaiians?
BEAU FLEMISTER, SURFING’s Hawaii-born editor-at-
large, and CHAS SMITH, former SURFING editor-at-
large and author of Welcome to Paradise, Now Go to
Hell , sit down at a Starbucks in Carlsbad, California,
to debate:
So…if HAW got changed to USA…are allthe past-champs (and current, ahem,Carissa Moore!) still “Hawaiian?” Maui-boy, Kai Barger, already spinning outover it. PHOTO: BRENT BIELMANN
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C: Yes, to appease them. I think that Rabbit
had a little Stockholm syndrome. I honestly
think that he came to love the oppressor
[Hawaiians] after taking so much shit for so
long. When I say shit, I mean almost getting
killed by Da Hui like inBustin’ Down the Doors.
But I also think Rabbit’s relationship with
Hawaii is too tangled to ever really know
what’s going on or how he feels or why the
HAW delineation happened. I’m sure that
he loves Hawaii but there’s probably a fine
line between what’s appeasement and
what’s respect. But I would say that it’s
appeasement.
B: Well, despite the dubious origin story,
I’d say that Hawaii has and always has had
enough good surfers to sustain itself as a
separated surfing superpower. Hawaiians
created the damn sport and were practicing
it for centuries before it was spread globally.
One could maybe say that surfing existed in
Hawaii before the United States was even
a country. But I’d have to consult with Matt
Warshaw on that.
C: Let’s look at it this way: If Hawaii wanted
to secede and become a sovereign nation,
they’d have good reason to, what with the
overthrow of their monarchy and the division
of land by missionary families, but as long
as they’re a state, then Hawaii is a part of
America as far as I’m concerned. I think the
surf world’s artificial respect for their “nation”
is silly. Especially when Hawaii’s current guys
on tour were mostly Caucasian. John John,
Dusty Payne, Seabass. It’s not like giving
Hawaii its own delineation is helping actual
Hawaiians or guys with Hawaiian blood to
get on tour. If anyone is prospering it’s just
the haoles from that artificial delineation.
Like, I could see how if a Duke
Kahanamoku-type surfer got on tour again,
Hawaii would want to claim him as a figure.
Or, some Hawaiian with a Hawaiian name
and Hawaiian blood. But to see the Hawaiian
flag next to John John Florence’s face…does
that make actual Hawaiians proud?
B: Aw, I think Hawaii will take what it can
get as far as qualifiers. But I also disagree
with that sentiment. I bring to the stand
Exhibit: Andy Irons. A beloved non-Hawaiian
Hawaiian world champion.
C: I think that Hawaiians really liked how
Andy Irons surfed and lived. There was
something about Andy’s persona that was
very Hawaiian. I almost feel like Andy was
more Hawaiian than John John even though
they’re both haoles, or at least is more
embraced than John. Andy had the whole
Wolf Pak behind him — he had a crew. John
John has his close friends and brothers but he
doesn’t have a bad-ass posse like Andy did.
But they also have different personalities,
however, I don’t think John’s personality
resonates with the same people that cheered
for Andy.
Let me put it this way: I think that Andy
Irons is a Hawaiian champion in the same
way that Bill Clinton was the first black
president.
B: [Laughs] Right, like if we finally get one
then we’ll take it. God, I feel dirty, or like apolitician, discussing what’s good for actual
Hawaiians. But what about Sunny Garcia
and Derek Ho? Those guys were Hawaiian-
blooded Hawaiian world champions. How
can you discount them and say Andy was the
first beloved one?
C: Aw, they won it pre-Dream Tour. Those
guys won theirs dominating the Triple Crown
when all three events were on the CT. [laughs]
Juuuust kidding. But listen. Even if I were to
argue that we should combine HAW with
USA to bolster American pro surfing…wouldit? Besides John John in 2016, who else do
you really have? Keanu Asing and…Kanoa
Igarashi? [laughs] There are great Hawaiian
surfers right now, don’t get me wrong, but I
don’t see anybody in the near future that’s
going to come out and shine on tour like
John besides maybe Zeke Lau. Am I missing
somebody?
Really, this argument matters if surfing is
going to be in the Olympics — which seems
pretty inevitable. Hawaii will have to get
added to the American team. How, on a
world scale like the Olympics, are you going
to convince the committee that Hawaii is its
own entity? I’d say as long as the American
flag is flying over their flag it’s tough luck and
if Hawaii wants to be its own surfing nation,
then it should rise up against the American
government and make itself its own nation-
nation.
B: Fair nuff. But if you were to ask John John
or any of the other “Hawaiians” on tour if
they should be part of the USA, what would
they say?
C: They’d say no. And it’s true, I think guys like
John John don’t identify with the Mainland
and their whole world is Hawaii so I could
see how they’d just want to fly the Hawaiian
flag as opposed to the American one next to
their name. But again, it’s kind of tough luck.
I may dislike America’s policies from time to
time, but when I travel I’m stuck claiming I’m
an American. What passports do John and
Keanu carry?
B: USA, but I’m fairly certain Fox makes
a pretty mean Rasta-centric Hawaiian
passport wallet that Keanu keeps his in for
traveling. But you do see this phenomenon
with other countries within the WSL trying to
be their own sovereign nations. The Basque
Country has its own abbreviation and the
Canary Islands do as well, when they’re clearly
both under Spanish rule. Puerto Rico has its
own and they have American passports, too.
What’s the sense in this? If Hawaii were to
join the USA within surfing, does that mean
all the separate spin-off nation states join
their motherlands? Perhaps the WSL is a
strong supporter of autonomous territories
and cultures?
C: I wish…but it’s probably completely and
utterly haphazard. It’s funny because I
remember when I lived in Australia, West Oz
often had a robust secessionist movement
because they sent all their mining dollars
east. I wonder if Taj Burrow or Yadin Nicol
would want to secede. The WSL has set such
a precedent that they would have to let them
do it. Which is totally silly and arbitrary. If it
weren’t so arbitrary and they had real reason
behind it, I could see. But it’s more like the
WSL is too afraid to stand up to Hawaii to
switch them over to the USA. Either nobody’s
made a stink about it or people have, but the
WSL is chicken. I am making a stink about it.
“One could
maybe say that
surfing existed
in Hawaii
before the
United States
was even a
country.”
B E A U F L E M I S T E R
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B: Don’t you feel, though, that if the WSL
played into being more nationalistic and
rooting for the home flag, it could maybe
help some countries get more guys on tour?
Like, give the fans in that country something
to rally behind in surfing?
C: I think that with the Brazilian surf fans,
for instance, the whole title thing is so new
to them, so I can understand why they’re
so passionate and rabid. I think that’s cool
and they’ve got this huge presence on the
beach and it’s very patriotic and cute, but I
also think that after 20 titles, it’s gonna wear
off and the patriotism will fade and they will
focus on the individual like we’ve done for
the past 15 years. I’m sure right now it’s more
than that, though. Brazil is kind of a Third
World country, so to finally beat the, well,
whiter countries is a big deal. I get that.
B: Right. It’s new for them. I’d say any country
who hasn’t had a world champion after 50
years, they’re gonna rally as a nation.
C: But as far as nationalism in surfing goes,
I don’t know how much the WSL really plays
that card. I understand that it’s a reason to
watch and a reason for non-fans to be a part
of it. Especially with Brazilians finally winning
world titles, which took a long time. Maybe
they keep Hawaii “HAW” so that each nation
that they have the events in, it’s like come to
Brazil and cheer for Brazil, or come to Hawaii
and cheer for Hawaii. Like a travel agency.
B: It probably serves the WSL well for
multiple cheering interests. People cheering
for America, people cheering for Hawaii…
maybe they can go to Hawaii and sell a
Mason Ho, ali’i-bred enjoying the “Sport of Kings.” PHOTO: BRENT BIELMANN
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Haole-Hawaiian, Hawaiian-Hawaiian, Hawaiian-American...who gives a shit? When it comes down to it, are we rooting for the man or hisnation? John Florence, a man adored by men of all nations,. Outer Reef, Hawaii. PHOTO: HANK
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“Let me put it this
way: I think thatAndy Irons is a
Hawaiian champion
in the same way
that Bil l Clinton
was the first black
president.” C H A S S M I T H
different package and the WSL-Hawaii can get
Hawaiian surfers involved in a different way for
contests that have a lot of local contestants.
Like the Xcel Pro, the Pipe Trials, the Volcom
Pipe Pro or the Triple Crown?
C: Sure, but I bet that if every last American
fell off tour and there were no more Americans
on, that the WSL would change Hawaii to USA
because then who would non-surfing fans in
America cheer for?
B: Baseball’s still popular and aren’t they all
just Dominicans?
C: [laughs] When it comes down to it, who
really gives a shit? Maybe Brazilian surfers cheer
for Brazilians, but whether John John is under
HAW or USA, American surfers don’t care, they
just care about John John, the individual. I don’t
think American surfers care what country the
best surfers are from, I think they just have their
favorite surfer, not a favorite national team,
right? I mean, do you give a shit?
B: About what surfer is under which country?
Absolutely not.
C: I mean, do you even care within a heat? Do
you have your heart pulled slightly one way or
another based on the nationality?
B: Nah. I’m always just hoping John John —
the individual — advances. Even when he’s
blown it in Round 3 and isn’t in the comp
anymore…I’m still hoping his night goes well
and he advances…like, socially, at least.
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BLURRING DREAM AND REALITY DURING A WEEK IN
PORTUGAL WITH AMERICA’S LATEST CT QUALIF IER
P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y R I C A R D O B R A V O
KANOA IGARASHI
B Y B R E N D A N B U C K L E Y
M a d e i n t h e U S A
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Turn by turn, wall by wall. Kanoa is quicklylearning the way of the lightweight power surfer.
IT’S 11 A.M. IN PORTUGAL. THE BOYS ARE JUST WAKING UP.
The boys, in this case, are Kanoa Igarashi, Leonardo Fioravanti and Matt Passaquindici.
They went out last night and didn’t come home until late. Or early, depending on how
you look at it. It was 6 a.m. when they finally laid their heads to rest. And now, bedroom
doors are locked, windows are closed, waves are going without suitors and the whole
world is being ignored.
You can’t really blame them.
They’re young. And pro surfers. They have a decent amount of money, a relative amount
of fame. Everybody wants to be their friend. Plus, there’s a casino nearby, right in the
middle of some ancient street that’s now lined with modern clubs. Music’s loud. Drinks
are cheap. 6 a.m. always comes too soon.
After some prodding, the boys awaken from their linen tombs. And suddenly, I’m
caught off guard.
Their eyes aren’t glassed over. None of them complain of a headache. They aren’t
even limping? I’m confused. Where I come from, a night that stretches until that hour
leaves a man looking and feeling like he’d just left war. But Kanoa and his friends are
shockingly…fine.
We load up the car — to the beach, finally — and I wonder how they’re not hungover.
Turns out they didn’t drink very much. The girls were standoffish so they only danced a
little. Maybe they played a few hands of blackjack, but it was all pretty mellow.
This is a normal night out, they explain. Partying, for them, rarely involves excessive
indulgence. I can’t tell if they’re innocent or responsible, but it doesn’t feel like both.
We arrive at a little beachbreak. It looks fun, so wetsuits are thrown on in a zipper-free
frenzy — the Portuguese winter has a way of reminding you to change as efficiently as
possible. They surf long and they surf well.
I’m beginning to realize that Kanoa isn’t the type of 18-year-old I’m familiar with.
HIS PARENTS WERE YOUNG WHEN THEY MOVED.
His mother, Misa, was a popular yoga teacher back in Tokyo and was offered a job inCalifornia. Pops, Tomatsuri, is the owner of a very fine cutback and came along for the
ride. They decided to give the USA a shot and never looked back. Some years later, out
came Kanoa. Turns out America is a great place to raise a surfer.
“My first memories of surfing all revolve around my dad,” Kanoa says. “I actually
remember him brushing me when I was super young. [laughs] Surfing was something
that he liked to do with his friends for fun and I don’t think he wanted the responsibility
of taking a little kid out there. That fired me up so much. He finally taught me once I was
old enough to learn, and I remember wanting to get really good at it and prove to him
that I could hang.”
“YOU LOOK AT A GUY
LIKE ADRIANO DE
SOUZA. HE WEIGHS
LESS THAN ME AND
HE FIGURED IT OUT.”
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Kanoa speaks three languages and has two citizenships, but he only has onehome (and no, it’s not the tube).
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He could. Kanoa quickly be