Nick Carroll, left, author of the best-selling book TC.
| Photo: Sixty Minutes
Nug: “Nick Carroll Wins Pulitzer
Prize!”
By Steve Nug
For piece, Which Boardies Suit Your Body Type!
After serving three decades as a stalwart ad writer for
numerous surf-inspired clothing companies, Nick Carroll,
brother to former world champion Tom Carroll, has reached the
pinnacle of journalism — the Pulitzer Prize.
The clearly excited Australian got the news via a Facebook
notification while competing in the Ironman competition, his 16th
this year. The announcement was even sweeter because it came on the
wordsmith’s 67th birthday.
“It’s an honour for sure, mate,” said Carroll while adjusting
his size extra small Billabong rashie. “I can’t wait to share the
news with the fellas at the next sibling rivalries support group.
Sean Slater, Jeb Bush, Cooper Manning and Owen and Luke Wilson’s
other brother, sorry I forgot his name, are going to be so
jealous.”
The winning piece, titled “Which Boardies Suit Your Body Type,”
appeared in the November 2016 issue of Australia’s Surfing
Life.
The surfing bug hit Nick hard when he moved to Newport in 1961,
and began surfing at age 11. But writing was his true
passion. Carroll, who now makes his bones covering the surf
culture beat for various companies that still murder trees to eke
out a living, started his career as an aspiring pro surfer but
soon, turned his attention writing fulltime. He had writing in his
blood, as his father, VJ Carroll, was a noted
journalist.
“It’s an honour for sure, mate,” said Carroll while adjusting
his size extra small Billabong rashie. “I can’t wait to share the
news with the fellas at the next sibling rivalries support group.
Sean Slater, Jeb Bush, Cooper Manning and Owen and Luke Wilson’s
other brother, sorry I forgot his name, are going to be so
jealous.”
Nick quickly climbed the ranks of surf writing and later became
associate editor at Tracks, then editor of American surf
magazine Surfing. His work has appeared
in People Magazine, Rolling Stone, Men’s
Journal and Kurungabaa.
Carroll is probably most proud of a story he wrote exposing
rampant drug use in surfing. Unfortunately, that story was never
published. It was cut for space to make room for the 2010 ASL
Wetsuit Buyer’s Guide.
Today, Nick enjoys patrolling the Internet like a one-man sharia
gang. There isn’t a social media platform, blog or website he
hasn’t commented on.
Congratulations Nick. You are a true gem that should be
cherished
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Technique Critique: Jordy Smith
By Michael Ciaramella
Ever wanted to know the secrets behind Jordy's
fluid motion?
Isn’t this big oaf something to behold? At
six-foot-three and limber as a lynx, Jordy Smith defies
preconceptions of big men in sport. In this piece I will break down
the noteworthy components of his technique, both good and bad.
Strengths
He do these things V good!
Power
The first thing people recognize about Jordy is his power. And
yes, obviously size plays an integral role in Jordy’s water
displacement, but unlike other big men in our sport (Sunny Garcia,
Tai Van Dyke), he mostly uses timing and skill to make it rain, not
raw aggression.
Jordy’s height gives him the ability to extend bottom turns to
whichever length he pleases, be it 20 yards or half a foot.
Remember his almost buzzer-beater against Jules in
Victoria? The transition from one turn to the next was so tight, so
exact, that he was able to able to perform the second maneuver on a
section created by his own wake. The only other person I’ve seen do
that with major turns is Andy.
Stance
Jordy has a fairly small stance, which is mainly beneficial. A
wide stance forces drawn-out, rounder turns (see: Adriano), whereas
compact positioning allows the rider to achieve sharper angles
(see: Kolohe). Jordy makes best use of this technique with his
carve-to-snap in the pocket, a turn to which he owes his 2016
Lowers trophy.
Knee mobility
A variation of the above concept is hip and knee directional
mobility. One thing I’ve learned from surfing and watching the
surfing of others, is that knees and hips are not all created
equal. Specifically, some people’s bend inwards (Mick, Jordy) and
others’ bend outwards (Adriano, me).
Outward bending knees are bad for surfing in ways both stylistic
and technical. When your knees bow and extend beyond your feet, it
not only looks like you’re taking a shit, but it makes you more
likely to fall and less likely to recover.
Imagine you’re doing a big carve, and halfway through you shift
your weight to the front leg. At this point the weight should fall
onto the knee, which then passes it to the foot, which is supported
by the board. If your front knee extends beyond the point of your
planted foot, the weight is then unable to transition to the foot
and has nowhere to go but down… all the way to the water.
If you manage to keep your feet on the board and find yourself
in a layback position, you’re still screwed. From a stance where
your knees are splayed, there’s no point of resistance to help get
you back to your feet. Unless you’ve got abs of Tungsten, you might
as well release your board stop and floundering in the white wash.
It ain’t gonna happen.
But Jordy! That lucky sum’bitch has inward bending knees which
are not only fashionable but also annoyingly functional. When
Jordy lays it on rail, his triangular stance is much more stable,
as it delivers weight efficiently from body to knee to foot to
board, thus keeping him centered at all times. This concept goes
back to the scientific principle of triangles being more stable
than squares or parallelograms. In a triangle, the weight is evenly
distributed to all sides, so there’s less risk of a collapse.
Footwork
I find it interesting that the concept of mobility on the
surfboard has come back in style since it was seemingly destroyed
by the Slater era. Once Kelly and co. started riding the potato
chip boards, the need to change one’s stance throughout a ride
became outdated. Boards were constructed in a way that allowed
riders to perform all aspects of surfing from the tail, so
front feet never crossed the center-point of the board. That
was until airs became a major aspect of the sport.
Nowadays most air reverses and nose-picks are landed in
cheater-five. There are multiple reasons for this:
– It softens the landing. The more weight you have on your front
foot and the further forward you land on the nose, the more the
water receives your weight like a sponge. Ankle busters occur when
you land flat and the board bounces back at unsuspecting
ligaments.
– The front foot acts as a pivot point. By landing with your weight
on the nose, you’re able to continue the spin without fear of the
fins catching too early and throwing yourself off.
– Wider stance = triangular base = more balance. If your one foot
is on the tail and your other on the nose, even the tallest man’s
knees could not extend past his feet. This ensures the coveted
triangular landing position.
But the footwork concept is not only limited to airs. While
Jordy’s approach to turns is based around a tight stance, he’s one
of the best at repositioning his feet to meet the needs of any
maneuver. Whether it’s a giant punt or one of those Dane-turn
laybacks, the front foot needs to be repositioned (For the air:
forward. For the turn: forward and towards the heelside rail.) in
order to transition his weight properly and complete the move.
Jordy performs this seamlessly.
Flaws
No surfer is without fault! Jordy, for me, falls short in two
categories.
Lefts
I’m not saying Jordy has a bad backside, but it’s
nowhere near his frontside, so in my mind that’s grounds for
criticism. It’s clear that Jordy has spent 80% of his life going
right. Durban, J-Bay, Cape Town, all rights. Even in the video
below where he’s surfing Lowers, a perfect split-peak, he opts to
go right nine times out of ten. Jody doesn’t seem to have the
same agility, wave-reading abilities or repertoire on his backhand.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with it, but he could certainly
make it better with a little effort.
Massive Pits
Jordy’s fatal flaw and the only non-psychological reason he’ll
never win a world title are giant tubes. Don’t feel bad Jords, I
truly believe this one is out of your hands. You’re either born
with the masochistic, survival-instinct-overriding,
twelve-pound-balls gene or you’re not.
Because riding big tubes isn’t that hard, physically. You paddle
under the ledge, make a drop, set a line, and you’re done. Dion
Atkinson did it at huge Chopes a few years ago, and he’d never
surfed a wave half that size. At Jordy’s level of surfing, it’s all
a state of mind.
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Official: Sharks more popular than
GMAC!
By Chas Smith
A sad day for our ocean cowboys.
A few short years ago there was one surefire
way to get on a mainstream news outlet, if you happened to be a
surfer, and that was to go and ride giant giant giant waves.
Like Garrett McNamara and his Nazare!
Who could ever forget the cutest clip of all time? Two best pals
riding around, sharing a laugh…
Oh it warms the cockles doesn’t it just though?
But it seems these salad years are over. This winter has
produced some of the biggest surf in recorded history and yet I
haven’t seen GMAC on any normal news channels. I haven’t seen him
on CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, TNT, TBS… None of them!
It seems like the public has tired of big big big surf. It seems
like to get any attention you have to be a cute 10 year old doing a
little midface cuttie while a giant great white rolls underneath
you.
The above image went absolutely everywhere yesterday.
Everywhere!
Poor Garrett.
Read about the boy, the shark and his father here!
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Occ-cast: Occy versus Bruce Irons!
By Michael Ciaramella
Two old guys talk shit!
Bruce irons, who is thirty seven, recently joined Mark
Occhilupo, fifty, on the Occ-Cast to speak on Bruce’s
Triple Crown efforts, The Andy doco, and children. It was an
enlightening conversation between two surfing legends so without
further fluff, let’s dig in!
Triple Crown
Bruce gained entry to the Triple Crown through the WSL’s
Nepotism Wildcard and proceeded to lose first round in all three
events. His heat total average across the events teetered around
seven, and I heard rumors of his initial Pipe heat being surfed
half-drunk on Luke Davis’ 5’5″ fun shape. I was on the beach for
that heat and watched Bruce bog and flail a few times before
walking down to Pupukea for a surf of my own. This is where I would
have my one and only Rory Parker sighting. At the time I wasn’t
sure it was him, but I knew he was on the North Shore and this
manatee-esque bodysurfer fit his description to a T. A piece he posted the following day affirmed my
beliefs.
The Andy Movie
Currently without an official title, the Andy movie is set to
release sometime this century. Bruce speaks candidly of the film,
mentioning that he’ll only watch the finished product one time, as
the experience is quite painful for a still-grieving brother. He
noted that all interviewees were encouraged to be open and honest,
because “nobody wants to see something sugar-coated.” And he’s
right. We want the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Really
looking forward to that movie.
Kids
Isn’t it wonderful how (almost) everyone in the world can come
together through the concept of loving thy children? So long as
your kid is not gay, doesn’t date someone from an inferior race,
doesn’t choose an unacceptable route of employment, and follows
your exact political leanings and athletic activities, parents are
so darn accepting! In a comical banter, Bruce and Occy trade
stories of pushing their kids to surf and being given the cold
shoulder. Occy’s youngest gravitated towards tennis, and Bruce’s
five year old won’t surf unless someone other than Bruce proposes
the idea. Amazing!
Watch!
Or listen!
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"Surfer Poll, the one time of year where the top
surfers in the world gather to wear skirts too small and suits too
large. But then again, judging surfers on their fashion
sensibilities is as pointless as trying to critique Cara Delevingne
on her barrel-riding skills. People have designated lanes." |
Photo: Justin Jay/@justinjayphoto
Series: Mason Ho, Dez Ho and John
John!
By Derek Rielly
Two world champs and a jibber walk into a
bar…
You like this ooze, this boiled-down collection
of reportage from the North Shore season? With his old Nikon and a
portraitist’s eye, Justin Jay hits the shutter when it matters.
With his photographs, we’re able to scrutinise the minutiae of
life on the North Shore. Today, three generations of Hawaiian
icons, the two Hawaiian world champions, Derek Ho and John John,
and Mason, who bewitches us with his jumps and jibs.
“The Surfer Poll is the one time of year where the top surfers
in the world gather to wear skirts too small and suits too large.
But then again, judging surfers on their fashion sensibilities is
as pointless as trying to critique Cara Delevingne on her
barrel-riding skills. People have designated lanes,,” says Justin.
“The attendees that chose to keep it simple with a modest black
dress or a button down shirt with closed toed shoes tended to pull
it off best. JJF’s well-tailored blue suit was the exception that
proved the rule, while Mason Ho made the sensible choice of a
Hawaiian shirt and black pants. Classic look. Although these two
Hawaiian locals have very different personalities, they share at
least one thing in common. They are both universally revered on the
North Shore. John is the humble heir apparent and Mason is the
loveable wisecracking prince. Both of them have the upmost respect
for their surfing elders and the DNA of the sport. Mason loves to
get loose, but he also knows just where to draw the line. Shortly
after this picture, he had to politely reign in his right hand man
Burger’s rowdy backstage antics.
“Just because we won this award, doesn’t mean that they
won’t kick us out, Burger!”
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Jon Pyzel and Matt Biolos by
@theneedforshutterspeed/Step Bros