Will you miss those enormous orang-utan sprays? An energy that never wavers?
Last year, the once-perennial bachelor Taj Burrow tapped out of the European leg of the tour so he could see the birth of his kid with girlfriend, the model Rebecca Jobson.
Rated sixth at the time, Taj figured even though he was a mathematical possibility for a world title, maybe even his last shot, there ain’t nothing in the world that compares to the moment when a living, breathing jewel sparkles and flashes from the cleft of a soul mate.
In an excellent interview with the Australian magazine Tracks, Taj said:
“I don’t yearn for [the world title]. I’m not upset with my career. I don’t dwell on it at all. And I don’t have the drive for it… . In events right now I feel so much more relaxed. I’m not as fired up anymore — not even close — but I’m still enjoying myself. I just look at how lucky we are at events to be surfing good waves with one other guy in the lineup.”
Now, at least according the rumour I was just fed when I bumped into an old pal of Taj (“Did you hear? Taj is quitting after this year! Wait, was I supposed to tell you that?”), 2016 is going to be the 37 year old’s last swing on the WSL merry-go-round.
Can you imagine sitting at the same desk, in the same office, for nineteen years? Sure, swinging your bag on the tour ain’t working in the office cubicle at an insurance company, but all the same travel routes, all the same faces, all the same jokes, the same parties, it gets old real fast.
Can you imagine sitting at the same desk, in the same office, for nineteen years? Sure, swinging your bag on the tour ain’t working in the office cubicle at an insurance company, but all the same travel routes, all the same faces, all the same jokes, the same parties, it gets old real fast. Twenty years of it is a haul.
And when his coach-trainer-confidante Johnny Gannon quit in 2014 after seven seasons to have his own kid, y’didn’t need to be a mind reader to know TB was feeling the baby thing, too.
As far as retirements go, it’ll be one of the more elegant in recent years.
Kelly barely kept a spot in the top ten last year (his year included four second-lasts), Freddy P and CJ were done competitively when they shelved their quivers, and for a surfer with a legacy like Taj, who has miraculously avoided any visible sign of ageing within his surf game, to leave at the 2016 Pipe Masters would bookend a remarkable career.
Let’s examine.
In 1997 he qualified for the world tour but, on the advice of his then mentor Maurice Cole, he turned it down saying he was too young.
The following he qualified again, finished 12th on the tour, was rookie of the year.
In 1999, he finished runner-up to the world title.
In 2007, he was runner-up to the world title.
Taj jas beaten Kelly Slater in the final of a Pipe Masters, he’s won J-Bay, the Quik Pro at Snapper (three times), Mundaka, finished second at Teahupoo (to Kelly), won Bells, and done with style, good humour, a stream of bewitching films and video parts, and never once turned into the borderline psychotic one must become to get close to a world title.
Will you miss? What did you enjoy most about a world tour featuring Taj Burrow?
I saw his missus today… i wouldnt leave my house if i was tapping her everyday
I’ll miss Martin Potter calling him Taj Burrows
I dunno, I reckon he really gave it a shot there for a while, specially in the hilarious days with Johnny Gannon. Taj is a brilliant surfer but was overshadowed a bit at critical times in his career by the big power surfers like Andy and the Resurrection of Kelly. I thought what was cool about him was that while he probably had the odd sleepless night over a loss here and there, he’s never really let the game change him too much. He had good parentage from Nance and Vance, which probably has a lot to do with his equanimity and healthy happiness settings, but means he was relieved of the acid in the blood that scalds the real champions. He is a LOT of fun to surf with, which is a nice thing to be.
Taj is one of the few guys on tour who still seems to realize that “competitive” surfing is just a way to get paid handsomely to do something incredibly fun but completely useless. His retirement from the tour, while inevitable, is certainly a loss for fans. And anyone that thinks Taj can’t hang or has terrible style (are you fucking blind) hasn’t paid attention to any of the last few Globe movies, or Dear Suburbia, or hell any of the clips he’s put out.
One of the worst styles in the tour. He won’t be missed.
Please replace your H with a K
Watching Taj skittering his way round a section, elbows at high port, legs working nineteen to the dozen, head just a little too big for the surprisingly pudgy body has always reminded me of Michael Flatley from Riverdance for some reason.
The only emotion you should let yourself have in fantasy is the joy of
crushing your competitorswinning. Taj didn’t say hello to you? Pick him, and when he loses early you can feel vindicated; if he goes far, that’s just the universe saying sorry.Ooooooo you are tickling with that MC plug! Where’s his comment??
In 1999, he finished runner-up to the world title. I started watching ASP on-line in 2008. I recently watched one of his famous grommet videos on Youtube, in which he seemed to surf better. It seems (unlike Mick) Taj did not improve much over his career.
I don’t think it’s a case of him not improving I think it’s more a case of everyone else catching up. He had to adjust his surfing for the tour just like Julian Wislon did so he would get the scores.
Agree. Taj’s surfing has always been a miracle in terms of speed innovation and technicity. And if you remember well, when Dane came on tour (and didn’t adjust his surfing) Taj restarted adding a bit of freesurf in his heats, and was the only one in my mind to reach Dane’s level of creativity. Plus, his part in stranger than fiction was mental.
I agree that he did not improve. For sure Taj adjusting his surfing to competition was a major reason. When airs started to be rewarded he was way behind (different than guys like Kerzy). Bad timing!
A couple of years ago he said that kids were doing too much air reverses (Ok, true) and that he would rather do it once in a while a great air reverse (not really true, the same year in Europe Taj did his only air reverse in the last 5 years or so. It was shitty and he claimed).
And the Wonkah comment…well, from what I heard that Taj ignore his fans pretty much the whole time.
Getting lots of fine pussy will do that to a man. My favorite quotes from my favorite Taj moment are (in no particular order):
“Fuck, I can’t even think straight. I’ve seen so many photos of her with that cunt. I can’t get it out of my head,” and
“I can’t believe I have found out through the net and gossip mags that my chick is pumping some fuck. I’ve lost my mind”
I’ve always hoped the second one was actually edited from “some fucking oil merchant”. The guy was greasy as fuck.
context?
http://www.dailytelegraph.c…
He won that day cos he’s a fucking champion.
Wow, Australian newspapers are so much better than US ones!
I think a good percentage of the kids in Bondi could be his.
Oh no! Why not Parko?
At least Taj’ll still make rad video parts.
You’re the smartest man here.
That’s either a huge compliment or a huge insult. Either way I love you for it, Wiggs.
maybe he’s moving back to his arizona roots and buying slaters wave tank. wait slater still hates him for what he did to his girlfriend-in-law.
details!
Just realized Taj is into Filipinos.