Red Bull Rising: From Gilligan's Island to the Holy Grail
Check Out The PhotosWords by Ben Mondy
"I swear on my mother's grave, that's what I saw, why would I make that up? I couldn't even begin to make that up." I'm in the passenger seat being driven down from LAX to Huntington by Red Bull Rising coach Andy King. And I'm incredulous. Kingy had just told me that only an hour ago, in a mall, he had watched slack jawed, widemouthed and freaked out, as a dog came walking through carrying a cat. Now that, possibly, is weird enough, but not only was the dog carrying a cat, but the cat was carrying a rat. He was too stupefied to even take a photo. The dog, the cat, and the rat just walked by, no owner (or owners) in sight, off into the fluro lit distance.
With that story he welcomes me to California, Surf City and the Honda US Open. I think, he's illustrating, that here, this week, anything, and everything, might be possible. For this is no ordinary surf competition. This is some type of super structure of American dreams. At the even the next day, looking out over the mini-city, framed by billowing smoke stacks and four to five feet of Hurricane induced south swell, I turned to surfer Gav Gillette and commented that it was pretty weird that the last time we were together, we were on a boat, in the Maldives.
"Yeah, a little different, huh," said the Kauaian. "That was like Gilligan's Island, just all secluded with warm water, good waves, tropical living and not a lick of pussy. But over here, well yeah, it's pretty different, there's more media, there's more people, there's more hype - you know it's like a surfing mecca, a holy grail, despite the shitty waves."
I had to agree - this place is some type of surfing shrine, where previous events infuse current events with more meaning. It's a place where some of the major milestones in competitive surfing have occurred, and although sometimes stroke all the time cursed with inferior waves, its importance is unquestionable. Michel Bourez, fit and fresh after some quality home time agreed. "After the Maldives I went to Durban, and then I was able to go home. Home was pumping, l swear to God, it was pumping, I was so glad to be home. But it's kinda of cool now, to be here. I had so much fun at home and had so many waves so now I'm really ready for the comps now, just pumped, starting here in California.
"You know if you do good here, its such a big bonus," chimed in Tim Boal. "All the industry and sponsors are here, its more of a show and a spectacle than anywhere else, it's just, well so American and so huge."
Tim had come off the back of a trip to Cuba and home to France, and like the rest Red Bull Rising crew, knew that this event, the Honda US Open, was the start of a long grueling leg that could define the rest of their career. "After this event I go to Japan," said Gavin Gillette, "and then after to England at Newquay, followed by two events in France. After that I'll drive down to Portugal and then after that there is two events in Spain. Look. its a long stretch, but this is where we start to make our goals, make our dreams happen."
And what better place to start then at the Holy Grail? It might not be tropical reefbreaks and turquoise waters, but with big points, big crowds and big interest, this is the place to be if if you want to make it in professional surfing. First though, well it was time to go surfing. The south swell was throwing up four foot fattish, close-out walls that streamed down the beach, propelled by a sweep that could outrun the cars fuming down the adjacent and inventingly titled Pacific Highway. There were waves, points, fame and fortune to be chased, and we were on the hunt. In a place where a rat, a cat and a dog can co-exist in some type of cosmic unity, the Red Bull Rising athletes knew, right now, they couldn't be anywhere else.
"Yeah, a little different, huh," said the Kauaian. "That was like Gilligan's Island, just all secluded with warm water, good waves, tropical living and not a lick of pussy. But over here, well yeah, it's pretty different, there's more media, there's more people, there's more hype - you know it's like a surfing mecca, a holy grail, despite the shitty waves."
I had to agree - this place is some type of surfing shrine, where previous events infuse current events with more meaning. It's a place where some of the major milestones in competitive surfing have occurred, and although sometimes stroke all the time cursed with inferior waves, its importance is unquestionable. Michel Bourez, fit and fresh after some quality home time agreed. "After the Maldives I went to Durban, and then I was able to go home. Home was pumping, l swear to God, it was pumping, I was so glad to be home. But it's kinda of cool now, to be here. I had so much fun at home and had so many waves so now I'm really ready for the comps now, just pumped, starting here in California.
"You know if you do good here, its such a big bonus," chimed in Tim Boal. "All the industry and sponsors are here, its more of a show and a spectacle than anywhere else, it's just, well so American and so huge."
Tim had come off the back of a trip to Cuba and home to France, and like the rest Red Bull Rising crew, knew that this event, the Honda US Open, was the start of a long grueling leg that could define the rest of their career. "After this event I go to Japan," said Gavin Gillette, "and then after to England at Newquay, followed by two events in France. After that I'll drive down to Portugal and then after that there is two events in Spain. Look. its a long stretch, but this is where we start to make our goals, make our dreams happen."
And what better place to start then at the Holy Grail? It might not be tropical reefbreaks and turquoise waters, but with big points, big crowds and big interest, this is the place to be if if you want to make it in professional surfing. First though, well it was time to go surfing. The south swell was throwing up four foot fattish, close-out walls that streamed down the beach, propelled by a sweep that could outrun the cars fuming down the adjacent and inventingly titled Pacific Highway. There were waves, points, fame and fortune to be chased, and we were on the hunt. In a place where a rat, a cat and a dog can co-exist in some type of cosmic unity, the Red Bull Rising athletes knew, right now, they couldn't be anywhere else.
All the cool kids are grave swearing these days.
Well, technically, he's swearing on HIS mother's grave. I hope your mother is alive and well. And surfing it up. ^^
These aren't my words.
i didnt
You shouldn't swear on my mother's grave