Wild booing, baby Darwin on site, the crowd a sea of golden Florence hats!
The more said about the three fabulous Florence brothers, John John, Nathan and Ivan, the better, I think.
Raised by a single mom, the equally fabulous Jersey Girl Alex, who left her east coast Christian community in 1986 to chase the North Shore dream on Oahu, the trio, although mostly John John and Nathan, have conquered, pro surfing, free surfing, vlogging and, lately, singlehandedly brought a modicum of cool back to surf wear, although that may just be the handiwork of Florence’s behind-the-scenes wizard, Pat O’Connell.
In this video posted by Dirk and Natasha Ziff’s successor as waterman of the year, Nathan Florence, we go behind the scenes of John John Florence’s third world title, which was one almost one month ago in small waves at Lower Trestles in San Clemente.
Many takeaways moments, as you’d expect, you’ll see little baby Darwin being cradled in his smiling mama’s arms as John John readies to do battle with wild-eyed Italo Ferreira; the crowd booing like hell when Italo gets a seven for a partially completed air and the relief on John John’s face when he completes the necessary gymnastics to take title three.
And, ever aware of the power of promotion, Nathan Florence was quick to point out the value of having Florence hats and tees wrapped around half the crowd.
“He’s had three of these big title wins, and they’re all special in their own way, but it just felt like this year, having a full healthy year with no injuries. On top of it all, we’re running our own company, wearing our own gear. He’s got Florence on the back of his jersey, there’s a big crowd of people on the beach, all wearing Florence, screaming their heads off. Very very special.”
Essential.