Innholdsfortegnelse for No. 561 i Tracks

Earlier this year Rex Marechal lined up alongside nine other shapers for California’s annual ‘Icons of Foam’ shape-off competition. Marechal, who moved to Australia from the US in the early 90s, was part of a field of modern masters that included Jon Pyzel (John John’s shaper) Gary Mcneil (Rasta’s go-to guy) and Johnny Cabianca (Gabriel Medina’s man). The rules of the competition are very clear. The objective is to replicate a board made by an iconic shaper; in this case it was an Al Merrick design. Shapers have five minutes to measure up the iconic board and then 1.5 hours to get busy with a blank. Just to make things a little interesting Al decided to take the field back to a time when the world’s best rode boards that…

Clancy Dawson has been a full time coach at the Surfing Australia High Performance Centre (HPC) for the last three years. While the highly sophisticated complex is located half an hour south of Coolangatta at Casuarina, Clancy’s journey from pro surfer to elite junior coach has everything to do with pursuing the Coolangatta dream. When Clancy himself was a promising, Bondi-based junior his Mum gave him an ultimatum. When he finished school, she was happy for him to pursue his aspirations of becoming a pro surfer on the condition that he threw himself into it and also completed some kind of formal education. Clancy realised that the best way to meet both conditions was to move to Coolangatta. “It had all the points and the beachies, and the best surfers…

What’s special about the little Mali section? Is it one of your favourite haunts and why? I spent too many hours to count, as a Grom surfing the perfectly rippable, sometimes, hollow waves at little Mali. It’s always been special to me because it’s where I remembered watching Joel, Mick and Dean all win the Quiksilver Pro and they’d always be claiming their wins right as they were in front of the rocks at little Mali. Tell us about the mythical ‘Grower’ you look for at Snapper. They are the ones that don’t look interesting at the takeoff behind the rock but if you know what to look for (from years of surf time at Snapper) you know they’re going to grow down the point into an even more incredible…

Surfers are no strangers to a bit of friendly competition. Since the 1960s, Australian surfers have been taking part in organised boardriders events. While millions of people tune in to watch the elite surf tour on circuit around the globe, small-scale grassroots comps are simultaneously underway. Far from the polished programs of the professional leagues, these comps have their own honest charm. These days, our comps take many forms, from club and school comps, to charity and memorial comps. Many of us were indoctrinated into the realm of competition as groms through club events, where we learned the basics of competition in a family atmosphere. Indeed, there’s now a place for the soccer mum/soccer dad type in surfing. They’re the ones cooking the sausages under the sideways-leaning marque in the…

//_LEO_FIORAVANTI_BOSKO_15R8542.JPG Pro surfing is a tough gig. Just ask Leo Fioravanti. Leo had just banked the best result of his short life on tour at the Outerknown Fiji Pro. To celebrate, he planned on hanging out on the island a few more days to surf a swell that was due to roll in any moment – a very good idea. That was until his sponsor swept in, told him there were boardshorts that needed shooting and ruthlessly ripped him from the bosom of his tropical paradise. Along with fellow Quik sponsored tour surfers Zeke Lau and Kanoa Igarashi, Leo was blindfolded and bundled into the back of a small plane at gunpoint by Stephen ‘Belly’ Bell (I like to imagine). What fresh hell did they have in store for him?…

In 1974, Tracks surfing magazine ran a story on how to build a house ‘on the super cheap’ and the article and photos were not only by John Witzig (Tracks co-founder), but the house was designed and built by him as well. I never could have imagined that less than 5 years after the article had intoxicated my little surf obsessed mind, that it would come up for sale and my dad would buy it, for … wait for it - only $17,000. Recently, John Witzig and I were back in contact, as he asked if it were I whom he had given the house keys on that sunny morning almost 40 years ago - as he was verifying the facts for an instagram post. “It was I”. I reminded…

When it comes to the genetic imprints of a father and son, in most instances, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. For Kirk Bierke, instead of apples, his tree harvests coconuts, big ones. When his first born, Russell, fell from the tree, somewhere between free-fall and impact, an irregular portion of tweaked chromosomes were activated. If you closely consider Russ’s bold fearlessness and seemingly brutal intent to cause self-harm in waves of consequence, it’s hard to decipher whether there are more damaged chromosomes than full functioning ones. Aside from scientific theories, it’s also plausible to assume that he may have been subject to some form of mental or physical abuse during his childhood. When I first witnessed his perceived recklessness in heavy waves, I imagined hours spent in…

Sand has always been intertwined with the history of Coolangatta. In 1846 an 83ft schooner sailed south from Brisbane; equipped with two convict labourers, the Coolangatta’s mission was to load 70 000 ft of valuable red-cedar at the Tweed River, and transport the cargo to Sydney. Plans were thwarted when Captain Steele arrived to find the Tweed River entrance blocked with sand and silt and thus inaccessible. Anchoring just north in the lee of Point Danger, the aptly named Steele began doggedly ferrying his cargo on board via beach-launched rafts. However, on August 8, 1846, a southeast gale and strong surf dragged the anchors and washed the Coolangatta ashore where a community of cedar-getters had already been established. Thirty-seven years later, surveyor, Henry Schneider, named the town after the ill-fated…

Coolangatta may be a place where sun-scorched, blonde-fringed youths come in search of surfing glory, but that doesn’t mean there are not wiser heads who still influence the ebb and flow of local culture. Bruce Lee’s down-the-line surfing style and colourful personality have been sculpted by the competitive Coolangatta Points. In addition to etching out a reputation as a powerful, point-break specialist, Bruce was Snapper Rocks Club champion in 1982, which is a major accolade when you consider it means having your name on the honour role alongside the likes of former world champs, Wayne Bartholomew and Joel Parkinson. Bruce naturally gravitated towards a series of roles within the surf industry, including Queensland ad rep for Tracks magazine, and Billabong team manager in the late 90s – early 2000s and…

The warm water, world-class waves and abundance of good surfers means that Coolangatta naturally attracts young photographers who are every bit as ambitious as their pro surfing subjects. Photographer, Fran Miller has a fairly unique perspective on the pro surfing obsession that permeates Coolangatta life, as she was once an elite athlete in a different sporting field. A sponsored snowboarder from a young age, Fran eventually became part of the Australian team and secured an Olympic scholarship. Convinced she would make it as a pro boarder, Fran left school early and focused on riding down mountains, but when injury and burnout stymied her progress she eventually returned to school to finish her HSC Somewhere along the way Fran picked up a camera and fell in love with shooting surfing. Four…

From The Volt. Poppers at the ’84 Cronulla, Beaurepairs comp. – Photo: Tony Nolan There is more 80s in this shot than a week of re-runs of Miami Vice – Shaun Tomson’s belt and tucked in tank-top combo; Elise Ward’s high waist, two-tone Bikini and finally, was there any kid who didn’t have a popper in their lunch-box in the 80s? Follow. Retro connoisseur James Llewelyn @lyttlestreet Listen - ‘Men of Foam and Wood by Band of Frequencies. The soundtrack to the celebrated surf doco delivers the ideal pre-surf tunes. Featuring a medley of mellow beats that span generations, it won’t leave the CD slot in your car. https://bandoffreqs.bandcamp.com/ Behind The Cover. Photographer: Ryan Craig Anticipation was awfully high going into this session; the previous day was supposed to be…

Ever wondered what a hotel must do before it can declare itself an “eco resort”. Not much is the short answer. While many operators go to great lengths to ensure they have a minimal environmental impact, others are far less scrupulous. There is no easy way to know if you’re booking with a responsible establishment or a shonky business using greenwash to prop up their bottom line. Until very recently, that is. Stoke Certified hope to put an end to misleading greenwash by applying expert scrutiny and encouraging a market value on ethics. Founder, Dr Jess Ponting, has seen the impacts of exploitative development in Indonesia and knows it can be done much better. “I believe that surf tourism should be an economic driver for local communities and that it…

Bondi doesn’t do winter. Australia’s best known beach chins into the southern storms which gust coffee froth into barrister beards and eliminate the chance of rideable surf. For cashed up locals it’s a great time to embark on a three-month bender or to escape for greener pastures. The town’s best young surfer, Pama Davies, prefers to drive south where he knows protected corners, hidden slabs and the natives who frequent them. Or else he’ll wing it across to Indo for a stab at perfection. But last May was different. Last May Pama found himself in an ancient land where the wind means nothing to no one. Deep in the Californian desert he looked up and saw the words of God painted in ten-foot font across the land. It was an…

For many Australian surfers, joining a boadriders club is about reaffirming a sense of tribal belonging and pulling on a singlet once a month to let the competitive instincts out of the bottle. While community values are important to the Snapper Rocks club, when you have the likes of Joel Parkinson, Steph Gilmore and Jay Phillips lining up for club rounds, and figures such as Rabbit Bartholomew still playing instrumental roles within the administration, it’s inevitable that the atmosphere becomes somewhat more elitist. Snapper’s reputation as the most successful competitive club in Australia is underpinned by an impressive record in teams events. They’ve won two of the three Australian Board Riders battles, 11 Kirra teams titles, two Jim Beam Tag team events, and 21 Straddie Assault titles. In addition to…

There’s something almost existential about the history of the leggie, not to mention absurdist. (And before we get started, in this most Australian of surf media forums, we are going to call them “leg ropes”, not “leashes”, okay?) Existential because since the very beginning individuals have had to fight conventional wisdom to exercise their right to tie themselves to their surfboards, or not. And absurd because no other surfing accessory has come even remotely close to inspiring such nonsensical argument from both sides, nor such bizarre consequences from use. Let’s start at the start, which is a nonsense in itself, since no one really knows who was the first surfboard rider to jury rig some kind of contraption designed to keep body and surfboard together. Warshaw’s Encyclopedia of Surfing credits…