Stave depression off and remember the good times!
Fiji’s greatest ever World Championship Tour surfer, Bede Durbidge, announced his retirement over the weekend in order to pursue his other great love, coaching. His hometown Gold Coast Bulletin reports:
Today, Bede is embarking upon another battle — that for Olympic glory — after being appointed as Surfing Australia’s elite program manager for the upcoming 2020 Olympic Games.
He will take up the role in early 2018, when he officially retires from competitive surfing at the end of the Australian leg of the World Surf League tour at Margaret River.
Announcing his retirement at Snapper Rocks today, Durbidge said he was stoked to take on the new role with Surfing Australia, albeit earlier than he had initially planned.
“I thought I would stay on tour for a few more years but this opportunity arose and I had to go for it,” Durbidge told reporters.
“It is a perfect transition for me to retire and move into that role.”
And while it is easy to fall into a massive depression with this news let’s not think about how much we will miss Bede on tour. Let’s think of all the good times we had together
And now, in honor of Bede, let’s also read a passage from the award-nominated book Welcome to Paradise, Now Go to Hell (buy a second copy here please). This scene takes place as the author is approaching the Turtle Bay resort compound on Oahu’s famed North Shore.
And I continued walking while my heart beat harder. Faster. Had I manifested a riot? And it was so cold that I lit another Camel Red. I saw Bede Durbidge standing just inside the entrance talking on a cell phone bouncing his adorable new baby. Bede is a rangy, tall, blonde Australian with a smile as big as the moon. He is friendly and well liked and I once wrote that he is so bland that when he paddles out for competitive surfs everyone leaves the beach and goes for champagne brunches instead. Or at least I do. He looked at me and grimaced. His baby was beautiful and I felt bad for what I wrote and for smoking near her and for smoking in general and my soul was dark. Fox, Bede’s main sponsor, pulled all their ads from Stab because of the story.
Let’s remember Bede like that. Ok? Can we promise each other we’ll read this passage at this same time every year?
Commented on Disqus? Log out, tap the Disqus button, and your old name and comments come back. The box is ours.
Your comments are still here. Every one of them.
Twelve years of BeachGrit comments came across from Disqus. Connect and we will show you how many are yours. We get your username, nothing else.
Connect Disqus to reveal.
Another great head of hair gone.
Ross Williams job is safe until 2021
Cant wait to see him go up against U.S. coach Ford Archbold.
You’re a good roaster, Bede. Oh and completely unrelated, stay anal!
They need support?
Balter?
I keep going to buy a sixpack and baulking because it’s the most expensive fucking beer in the bottle-o.
I would have thought one of Beachgrit’s statistical analysts would have been forthcoming with some data illustrating the impressive consistency throughout Bede’s career, and then one of the resident novelists leave a few words attesting to the courage and recklessness the wiry man threw at solid surf. In an age of hype and trash, the hard working charger leaves the party quietly, alone and without cheer. Bloody disrespectful.
They gave the Aussie Olympic Surfing Program manager job to Bede. Not Mick. That’s your story. Not the lack of cheer as Bede leaves the Tour. I bet they approached Mick first, he responded “give me two years.” They approached Bede and he responded “now? Sure. Why the fuck not.”
Bede’s a good coach.
I agree. But he’s going to be managing the coach or coaches now. It’s hard to imagine Aus not weighing public appeal (Mick) vs. manager skills. I figure the US is facing the same decision. Public appeal (Kelly Slater) vs. someone pulled off the local YMCA basketball court cause their best quality is not being Kelly Slater. Long story short, I don’t take Bede to be someone who gives a shit about fanfare.
Surely Mick or Kelly wouldn’t take a low paid job where they have to work for their crust? I don’t think either of them would understand the concept.
The product sponsorship deals that will be presented to Bede with his new position will unequivocally dwarf anything a sponsor has ever offered any Pro Tour athlete. What we may see soon is tour pros like Bourez, Flores, Fioravanti, Morais and the like leaving the WCT for multi-year commitment deals in their home country’s Olympic programs. Lucrative sponsorship deals will crush the surf industry and we’ll be left with Amazon as the world’s only surf company.
yeah, but nah.
You’re tripping. Countries in Europe hardly pay their swimmers, track and field and cyclists a large annual training stipend. Probably anywhere from $5k-$15k annually. And probably $15-50k if they win a gold in those major sports. There isn’t a surfer you just named who makes less than $100k (conservatively) annually from their collective sponsors before CT prize money. And you honestly believe a surfer or surfing coach is gonna get paid more than those established Olympic sports? Hah.
Simpo on the short list, in basketball shorts
Every list has a Wild Card! Where do you think Kanoa picked up that shoulder check move.
Cue the BG Commentariat member with Photoshop skills. Kanoa and Simpo. Short shorts. Basketball court. Is there someone out there that can make this happen?
How does the U.S. get Brad (I introduce myself as “Bradley”) Gerlach to come back to the states and do some real coaching of U.S. (yes, Hawaii is part of the U.S.) talent. Listen to the latest Lipped Podcast to hear how a real coach approaches surf coaching.
***use the voice of Robert Downey Jr.’s character in Tropic Thunder***
Shit!….someone’s gonna have to parachute in over the Himalayas near the Tibetan Monk Monastery where Bradley is holed up. He’s there trying to find himself, and find the true essence of the secret turn. I’m not gonna mince words Soldier. You’ll fuckin’ die if you try this mission. You gettin’ out-ranked mother fuckers. I’ll go. I’ll bring back some Yak skin fedoras too. What’s your hat sizes?”
My favourite Bede year was 2006, when he was freshly dropped by Billabong…and then went on to beat Slater on numerous occasions.
He had an air game back then.
i lived in hawaii after this. i was at sunset and saw he was about to win the triple crown. i had never heard his named mentioned before this time. impressive.
Air game AND hair game???
Bede was one of the good guys.
Fuck bro. You make it sound like he died.
Didn’t he?? I don’t really read the articles. Just here for the comments…
Fox had enough money for ads?
How many little grom’s running around with pro surfer first names Curren, Taj, Laird,…Stuart? Bebe’s work ethic alone is worth a few first names. Come on expecting Beach Grit dad’s.. Come on..
My soon to be born sprog is poised to be given the middle name Curren if I can squeeze it past his Mum. Cliche?
Yes of course
Thank you for your clarity and brevity. Wincy it is then.
Bless.
think she’d be cool with “Kong”?
Possibly Elko!
yeah, but Kanaiaupuni even more so.
I don’t want him to have a better bottom turn than me.
First name Thomas?
No no, I meant Curran. Tim, not Tom ;
That’s sound planned parenthood advice. Not “in” BG dads, “on”.
There’s an ‘Occy’ at my kid’s school.
Stay true, Bebe!
How about Anal Bede?
What I’ve always wanted to know is: “Bede” — is that short for something?
“A famous seventh-century saint and church historian whose name has not survived as well as his works. Known as the Venerable Bede. This Benedictine monk is considered the first known writer of English prose, and highly influential.”
(unknown name origin site)
That’s pretty good. Is Bede venerable?
While Chas says “He looked at me and grimaced”, I’d like to think Chas meant the baby grimaced toward Chas while Bede gave a look that was Venerable Bede-esk comforting Chas because of his Jewishness, while Bede monkly peeled apart Chas’ self-image where regret reigned for a faint second.
Do you think that line was meant to convey that Bede grimaced at Chas because he didn’t like what Chas had written? OR grimaced at Chas because Bede was having a difficult moment with the baby and was looking for some sympathy from a stranger. Because it surprises me that Bede would know what Chas looks like or would have read what Chas wrote.
Are you asking on behalf of the baby?
On behalf of all humanity
A little of both I’d think. Monks are mysterious sorts. Maybe Bede was bummed that he was holding his baby with a diaper full of that evil baby dookie thus preventing any meaningful dialogue starting with the question, “hey Chas! What was THAT shit all about?!?”.
Who?
My favorite of his career highlights was his work, Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum. Cliché? Perhaps.
When the newly formed USA told Britain to take the shiploads of convicts they were sending to America and shove it up their ass, Australian culture was hence born. In order that such cultural magnificence didn’t devour itself, the USA recommended the Brits throw in a few venerable monks to quell the tensions in and amongst the inmates. Seems to be still working well even all these years later from behind the iron bars of Paul Speaker Land-of-Loons and Goons Rehabilitation Center, affectionately known as the Tour.