Red Bull Surfing


During a strong south swell, Snapper Rocks on Queensland's Gold Coast has two levellers, the current pulling hard around 'the rock' and the crowd desperately trying to survive it. Everyone is out there, hoping for the 'one' - a frothing, spitting barrel on takeoff, that then doubles up through the inside and runs on down past Little Marley.
Today, Red Bull's elite surf team got their first real taste of Snapper in 2010. Within two weeks, thousands of adoring fans will fill Snapper's beach, as they cheer on the world's highest ranked professional surfers in the Quiksilver Pro, and six from seven of Red Bull's Project Air participants are guaranteed to be in that spotlight.


Fanning, the hometown hero and two-time winner of the event, sits at the top of the heap and his appearance today at Snapper was like watching Moses part the Red Sea. 
As he made his way from the carpark to the lineup, friends greeted him warmly while strangers ogled his every move. Once in position at the spot he knows best, he deftly tore apart every wave he could get his board into.

Of all the information imparted by the leading experts at Red Bull's Project Air, one key point that is continually emphasised to each member of the elite surf team regarding their pursuit of ultimate performance is that they must determine what works best for him, or herself, then know how to apply it.

During the "Hell Session" debrief today, Red Bull High Performance Manager, Andy Walshe reiterated this simple fact yet again.

"We're here to provide you with the tools to become the best you can be, we're not here to wipe your a$s!" said Walshe.

Heavy rain and wind may have ruled out any chances of aerial training on Red Bull's customized skate ramp, but the team Performance Coaches were rubbing their hands in anticipation at today's specially scheduled "Hell Session."

Was it appropriately named? Some surfers will say 'yes', having survived a gruelling two hours of mental and physical testing.

A subdued theory session this morning (in a nice air-conditioned seminar room) preceded the 'real deal'; a session lead by Michael Gervais, a High Performance Psychologist from Pinnacle Performance Inc (California), held in the wind and beating rain of Lennox Head's northern beach.
 
The session was structured specifically to push the limits of the surfers by putting them in a "very uncomfortable space" where they would need to challenge their regular coping patterns.

Red Bull's "Project Air" is about the refinement and progression of the most exciting move in surfing - the aerial, but today each member of the elite team received a very special gift: a custom made replica of Mark Richards' 1978 "Pipe Weapon."

Personally hand-signed by the former four-time world champ and legend "MR," the single-fin replicas are a symbolic, tactile reference to the origins of competitive surfing. As Red Bull's High Performance Director, Andy Walshe, detailed in his opening presentation, any top performer with ambitions of becoming a master, must have an understanding of the past.

"We are not here to re-invent the wheel, but tradition and history are important elements. From there you have a base to build an innovative performance," said Walshe.

We know Red Bull gives you wings, now the world's best surfers are being taught to fly!

Lennox Head, the semi-sleepy hamlet in Northern NSW, Australia is base camp for Red Bull's elite surf team as they prepare to undergo a world-first for surfing; a two-week long aerial intensive dubbed "Project Air".

Borrowing training concepts first proto-typed by snowboarder Shaun White during "Project X", the best of the best, including two-time and reigning Men's World Champion Mick Fanning, Women's World Champion Sofia Mulanovich, Junior World Champions Julian Wilson and Sally Fitzgibbons, along with international stars Jordy Smith and Michel Bourez will be expanding, honing and refining their aerial repertoires with the assistance of professional coaches, pro skateboarders and the use of gymnastic facilities.

You had to expect that Jamie O'Brien wasn't going to back down this year for the Volcom Pipeline Pro. Given homeboy's reputation and propensity for rushing any ledge that swings his way, with his win today in throbbing eight-foot conditions, he once again asserted himself as one of the world's pre-eminent Pipeline specialists. We'll catch up with the man known as JOB when the party slows down, stay tuned.

Note: The surf's been pumping for days in California, and figuring it'd be worth collecting a clip or two for his upcoming film Scratching The Surface, Julian Wilson and friends hoped a plane and were on it. Unfortunately, Julian buggered his ankle. Here's his account:

Well you have some good days as a pro surfer and you have some bad days. Yesterday was shaping up to be a good day......I'd taken the red eye from Maui to LAX and then headed straight up Ventura way expecting a great Cali Winter swell. Had my filmers and crew their, surfing with Dane, Dusty and a couple of other cool cats but the good times didn't last too long. While doing a crappy little air I got funky with the backwash and my front foot slid off the side of the board so all my body weight came down hard on my back ankle. Been in for scans and seeing a good doc and physio, it's a bit early for a full diagnosis but there are no breaks, dislocations or tears which is a good sign. Bit of a bummer because I was just getting on a roll with filming for my movie and psyching about competing again! Just hoping a little rest and some hard work with the doc will have me back out there soon :)