QUIKSILVER PRO WILDCARD

JULIAN WILSON

Interview By Vaughan Blakey

Last year Julian Wilson created headlines world wide when he defeated 9 times ASP World Champion Kelly Slater in difficult round three conditions at Snapper Rocks in the Quiksilver Pro. Already well known as a prodigious free surfing talent, the result cemented Jules as a future World Title threat. This year he has again been granted first round entry to the Quiksilver Pro main event.

Last year you surfed a sudden death round three heat in the Quik Pro against Kelly Slater, a man who had just come off winning the Pipe Masters and was making no secret about his desire to chase a 10th World Title. What do you remember of that heat now?
Well it wasn’t my first match up with the wise old king of the sea, so coming into that heat I actually felt pretty confident and relaxed. I knew the waves were going to be slow and small and it would come down to who got the best of the conditions. So I went out there with that game plan and it worked.

There was a very vocal crowd on the beach cheering you on. How loud does it get in the line-up and does that cheering spur you on or make you nervous?
It gets really loud out there, surprisingly so. I think that’s one of the best things about the Quiksilver Pro compared to other events around the world. People can get so close to the surfing that it creates a kind of football stadium atmosphere. I love surfing for a crowd and the more support there is the better. I know the first couple years it would get to me a bit, but I think I've grown to just enjoy it.

Did Kelly speak to you after the heat? Was he gracious in defeat?
Yeah I walked over to him with a beer and said “Good heat, mate.” I think he was a bit surprised, but he was gracious and accepted the beer and we had a nice chat.

When you hit the shore you were mobbed, did that taste of the tour get the competitive fires burning in regards to having a shot at qualifying?
One hundred percent. I love to compete and I'm really excited to get this year going and begin competing full time.

Who will be the guys to beat?
Mick, Parko, Kelly, Taj and Dane. No surprises there!

Any darkhorses the crowd should keep an eye on and get behind?
I’m excited to see how my mate Wilko (Matt Wilkinson) goes. I hope he can make a good run.

Finally, is there any chance we’ll see this rumoured 720 degree alley oop (double looped inverted aerial) you’ve been working on during one of your heats?
Ha! It’s hard enough doing a straight air in a heat …but you never know. – VB.

THE WORLD TITLE CONCLUSION

Mark Richards knows a thing or two about what it takes to win a world title, after all he won four of the things. Here he shares his thoughts on how the 2009 battle between good friends Mick Fanning and Joel Parkinson panned out.
Interesting reaction to the World Title amongst those I’ve asked - some are stoked for Mick, some feel like Joel was owed it. My theory is just because you start well it means fuck all if you can't finish it. No one is owed a world title; it takes a whole year to earn, win and grind it out. If you analyse it, Mick's back half was way better than Joel's start and that's why he won. The whacky thing is Kelly's quest for 10 kinda got forgotten. Andy and now Mick are the only two surfers in pro surfing history to deny Kelly something he desperately wanted. And a case could be put forward that it may have been the greatest win in pro surfing history - to come from so far behind and win it at the last event, coupled with denying Kelly his 10. Anyway, great to see the title back on Oz soil. How cool was the Pipe Preso - Taj, Mick, Joel, Steph - hanging together near the stage having won Everything! Awesome stuff. – MR

MEET ADAM MELLING

LENNOX HEAD ROOKIE SET TO MAKE WORLD TOUR DEBUT AT THE 2010 QUIKSILVER PRO

Last time we spoke to Adam Melling, the 25-year-old had just won the six-star O’Neill Coldwater Classic WQS event at Thurso in Scotland, setting him up to qualify for the 2010 world tour. With the new season kicking off just up the road from his hometown on March 26th at the Quiksilver Pro we decided to catch up with the rookie to see what how he’s been preparing for the upcoming year.

Mells Bells! The time has nearly arrived! How did you feel at the end of last year once qualification was inked… and how are you feeling leading into event one of your new life on the dream tour?
Well when I got home from Hawaii my mates threw a qualifying party for me down at the lake in Lennox. It was just a barbie at first but then it turned into a raging dance party. Oakley even got some shirts made up and every one there was wearing them, so it was a great day and very satisfying. For Christmas I went down to Peterborough in Victoria, to visit my girl’s side of the family. I got some real fun waves down there surfing with a couple of the young local groms. Since then I have been surfing a lot and training just getting back into the swing of things.

Every kid dreams of taking out the World Title but realistically what would be a successful rookie year for you?
My goals are to just take every comp and heat as they come and just have some fun with it and hopefully improve my surfing along the way. I can't wait to be amongst the worlds best surfers and it may sound cocky but I’ll definitely be competing for a world title.

Out of all the guys on tour, who’d you like to slay most?
I would have to say Mick, because he is the Champ and I’ve always looked up to him and been inspired by his surfing. But there are a lot of guys that would give me satisfaction to beat. I’d like to beat all of them actually. Everyone on that tour surfs so good. – Jordan Brunt.

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