I miss him every day. Every single day.
Last evening as the sun slipped down the sky and crickets began playing their night music my mind wandered to professional surfing, as it is wont to do, and the current World Championship Tour Jeep Yellow Jersey Leaderboard.
Filipe seems to have a clear path forward with a 6300 point lead over second place holder Gabriel Medina but who could ever count Brazil’s first ever champ out? Julian Wilson is fading down the stretch, as he is wont to do, Italo is becoming a fan favorite and looks to have a title in him sometime in the next few years. Wade Carmicheal should savor his possible top ten finish, Owen Wright is finding his sea legs once again while the sun is setting on Jordy Smith’s almost average career.
Do you know which name did not float through my synapses?
John John Florence.
Oh how the last 3 years belonged solely to him and him alone. Back to back championships, awe-inspiring bigger wave surfing, a film by Blake Vincent Kueny that had people weeping in the aisles from its sheer beauty. John John, like the diamond, felt forever. He was just getting started and maybe just maybe had an outside shot at taking on Kelly’s mark of 11 titles. Even an outside shot at becoming the greatest surfer to ever live.
But then injury, a partial tear of his right ACL, sustained at the Corona Bali Protected. Then paddleboard competitions, then making his Instagram account private, then… quiet.
He always seemed like a reticent champ. Slightly uncomfortable in the spotlight. He never had that lust for attention that drives Kelly Slater’s nonstop “look-at-me.”
I bet he is happy, which many GOATs are not. They fill that gaping hole in their souls though accolades and eyeballs. John John appears not to need and if he don’t need why would he subject himself to the… torture?
Which makes me wonder if John John Florence is going to go enjoy his life then what are we all gonna do?
Sit on our porches, listening to crickets playing their night music and mourning? Or remembering those three golden years (2014-2017) with fondness, tipping little bits of julep out of our goblets for the fallen homie?
I prefer the later but if you are in a mourning mood I’ll join you there.
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Naw I just made that up. Sorry.
He has a Masters degree in engineering.
He could end up waking up in his late forties. Bulk more world titles than friends, bald, sucking on a michelob with organic grains dreaming about putting surfing to the sword.
What would Donald Trump do.
Fuck it or fuck it up.
Sexually assault Sophie and BFB, and brag about it.
Anyone but Gabe.
After he face palmed Sophie on title day last year, you knew it was over.
I’ve been calling ol Bruce non-stop for a week. Phone message suggests he’s in Mex.
Thank you thank you thank you someone cares thank you
I don’t think walking away from competition is as easy as it might seem for a beast like him. He might walk away from the WSL, but he thrives on pushing the limits against all comers in heavy situations. Pencil him in for Pipe & the Eddie, that is if they are still events.
Someone must have pressured him heavily to miss Fiji this year, to be at the Keramas comp in junk waves while his brother and friends and Kelly were scoring one of the greatest swells ever.
Then he injured his knee at the same time.
That could be enough to make him realise he really doesn’t like the world tour and the way it’s going
Is JJF not the GOAT? Maybe he wasn’t as dominant over a certain time period as the King, but wasn’t JJF’s best surfing better than everything before or since?
I could see him doing the Jamie Mitchel thing, big wave contests and paddleboard racing. Gotta be more fun than the tour.
I doubt that is more fun than the WSL, there are some shit competitions on the ‘CT but nearly all the big wave tour events are boring mush burger snooze fests, as for paddle boarding, never tried it but it looks a lot like hard work!
It’s not your fault, Will.
No, Robin Williams! It’s YOUR fault you slab faced cunt.
It’s not your fault (moves closer)
Fuck OFF! Don’t touch me, you disgusting old pervert!
Johnny is watching the circus from the forest…. surely getting advise from elders, on whom he can trust as the beast a burden moves down the tracks. No one my son!
I think… he’s going enjoy life.
Sailing seas, surfing when he wants, stay in the sun and doing some music…
Swimming with the dolphins…
He is enjoying now!
Till Zeke appears, of course…
https://www.youtube.com/wat…
“Makes you wonder if John John Florence is enjoying his life what are we all going to do? It’s very simple Chas, don’t worry about winners or losers, points or ratings, just go surfing.
It’s only a contest. It doesn’t mean anything, right? Not to us soul surfers.
I would tend to agree with you but you’ve soiled your stance in my eyes, with all that religious fuckwittery.
Wherefore means why, not where
Exactly. Why did he leave us?
Cause he wants to be left alone. I don’t blame him one bit. We live in an age of self promotion. Not knowing what someone’s up to adds to the intrigue. Obviously he caught yours.
He sure did but only once in the last 6 months. I’m gonna forget about him again tomorrow until May ‘19.
Find out why Bruce didn’t make the dang Maldives event. Don’t just make something up. Actually find out. There is a story there.
Early onset dementia.
There was an article over on WSL a couple of days ago, JJ said he’s keen to get back on tour but not until he’s 100%. Something like that
Fake news.
Yea – wsl media release n all.
But who knows ?
Not us…but the Machine!
I heard he went to Arizona to learn “Art”
Oh shit his insta IS private. Hurley’s gotta be bummed about that.
Hurley might have been the one that requested JJF make his IG page private. It gives both Hurley and JJF time to negotiate an expansion of his Hurley sponsorship deal to include JJF’s latest athletic pursuits of paddleboard racing, outrigger canoe racing and sailing.
Ahhhh good call. Makes sense.
Nike could just create a whole new surf lifestyle…
I mean hell we know core surfing lifestyle brand is wide open for the taking. Just a few core surf leaders, some organic products that work,…no trannies just hot beach chicks…and it’s off to the races!
Oh and Cocaine and micro brew.
He is doing what we all wish we could do but can’t and what we really want him to do even though we like having him around. Like in Good Will Hunting when Affleck turns up at Will’s house to find he has moved on without saying bye. Bitter sweet
So after reading this article we all pause, smile briefly in a moment of reflection, walk away and never come back to Beach Grit again.
Who is Ben Afflecks character in all of this, Zeke, Keanu? More importantly who is Affleck’s creepy real life brother in all this? Pottz is obviously Robin Williams, or maybe it’s Barton Lynch?
I’ve never seen this movie.
Is it something to do with the shooting incidents in NZ?
Good Will Hunting
See what I did there????
HUNTING….
Ah forget it.
I got it ! But still waiting for my invitation ? No waves here for gate crashes . Move on .
I think one of the attractive things about JJ is that he seems to be transparent to all of us. That said, life is usually very complex even for blue collar folks, and especially for the best Surfer on planet earth.
Allow me a moment of thinking about others…I sort of hope JJF gets what he needs from surfing then disappears to a life of surfing when he wants to, sailing and paddleboard racing. It’s what I tell myself I would do if I had the scratch. Seems like a nice life. Good for him.
Hopefully Hurley/Nike understands JJF is worth more if they market him differently than “contest pro”.
letting him out of any contract agreements about being on the wave pool tour would be wise
JJF must be so over that pool. Raised in raw north pacific juice, competes and wins on the “dream tour”, only to have to surf a pseudo-wave in cowshit country.
The death of a creative man.
Is the Machine…the tour.
https://www.youtube.com/wat…
Have a cigar!
You could see it on his face. During last “ranch” event.
Was like watching an ADD kid try to sit still in class.