Nicky Wood Surfer

The Questions We Face: Part Two

Martin Potter never saw Andy Irons in Puerto Rico. But he does recall Kelly Slater coming up to him after AI missed his heat, and saying: “We should go look for him.” But KS was in the next heat himself, one thing led to another, and they never got round to it. “That’s one of those things we’ll have to regret for the rest of our lives probably,” says Martin. Today, on the surface, things look radically different: a multi-million-dollar tour funded by a multi-billion-dollar industry, global and regional team management systems, booming surfer agencies, expert coaches, superkids being headhunted on the verge of their teens, parents hunting the odd extra zero on those kids’ contracts.

But are things as pro as they seem? Or are vestiges of the good old bad old days still seeping through the system – trace elements of a sport that can’t help but love its naughty boys? Most are too busy getting up for pre-dawn surf checks, making breakfast for their charges, politely fending off parental inquiries, giving heat advice, checking in and out of team houses. And as Pottz – who helps Jake Paterson and Stephen “Belly” Bell with Quiksilver’s team – says, building relationships with the surfers early, before they go international: “Before they start thinking their shit don’t stink.” Unlike many pro athletes in a range of other sports, surfers are not obliged to undergo medical examinations or health screening as part of their contracts. ASL could find nobody who had heard of anyone undergoing such exams or drug testing at the behest of a sponsor; though as one source put it, “you wouldn’t hear about it – they’d keep it super quiet.” “Sticker on your board, use our stuff, talk positively about it and us, and try to remember how lucky they are. They ARE incredibly lucky and I try to remind them of that.”

Athlete contracts all have clauses providing options for companies to cut ties with misbehaving surfers. The alternative – to try to help – depends solely on what Gary calls “the strength and quality of the relationship.” He has had surfers with substance abuse problems, and recalls visiting the parents of a well known pro and explaining to them that the pro had a serious issue with alcohol; the parents denied it until the pro finally said, “Mum, Dad – I DO.

The Questions We Face: Part Two - Surfing Life

Pics : ASP

Martin Potter never saw Andy Irons in Puerto Rico. But he does recall Kelly Slater coming up to him after AI missed his heat, and saying: “We should go look for him.” But KS was in the next heat himself, one thing led to another, and they never got round to it. “That’s one of those things we’ll have to regret for the rest of our lives probably,” says Martin. Today, on the surface, things look radically different: a multi-million-dollar tour funded by a multi-billion-dollar industry, global and regional team management systems, booming surfer agencies, expert coaches, superkids being headhunted on the verge of their teens, parents hunting the odd extra zero on those kids’ contracts.

But are things as pro as they seem? Or are vestiges of the good old bad old days still seeping through the system – trace elements of a sport that can’t help but love its naughty boys? Most are too busy getting up for pre-dawn surf checks, making breakfast for their charges, politely fending off parental inquiries, giving heat advice, checking in and out of team houses. And as Pottz – who helps Jake Paterson and Stephen “Belly” Bell with Quiksilver’s team – says, building relationships with the surfers early, before they go international: “Before they start thinking their shit don’t stink.” Unlike many pro athletes in a range of other sports, surfers are not obliged to undergo medical examinations or health screening as part of their contracts. ASL could find nobody who had heard of anyone undergoing such exams or drug testing at the behest of a sponsor; though as one source put it, “you wouldn’t hear about it – they’d keep it super quiet.” “Sticker on your board, use our stuff, talk positively about it and us, and try to remember how lucky they are. They ARE incredibly lucky and I try to remind them of that.”

Athlete contracts all have clauses providing options for companies to cut ties with misbehaving surfers. The alternative – to try to help – depends solely on what Gary calls “the strength and quality of the relationship.” He has had surfers with substance abuse problems, and recalls visiting the parents of a well known pro and explaining to them that the pro had a serious issue with alcohol; the parents denied it until the pro finally said, “Mum, Dad – I DO.

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