the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast while matching Owen Wright (AUS), 22, as the top goofy-footer in the event. Tracks Magazine grabbed Ace for a quick chat about scoring big without airs and life in the goofy lane.
18.50 out of a possibly 20 in your round of 24 heat in the Burton Toyota Pro, normally there’s at least one move, one miss timed turn that you’d like to do over after a heat but not then?
Yeah stoked, I have felt pretty solid in all my heats, but I hadn’t put together a really good one, I knew it was coming and that’s sort of the round you want to do it and get through. Once you’re through that round you’re into the man-on-man and I’m really comfortable surfing man-on-man heats. I’m here this week to win, I wouldn’t come if I wasn’t… the points aren’t like a CT obviously, the CT’s are my focus but this is a prestigious event and I’d really love to win it. I’ve had a second here to Kelly (Slater) back about five years ago and I’d really love to get that trophy in MR’s name.
A bit of a statement for powerful-rail-surfing, neither of your two nines had airs in them, perhaps a reminder to young guys like Matt Banting that you can’t win a world title without it?
Look kids like Matty Banting they know that. They know they’ve gotta have it all in their bag – and he does. He’s got everything, and he’s going to have a great career. That was our second heat in this event – he beat me in the other round and that was our second match up and I got him there – I’m looking forward to watching him progress through the juniors and the QS and I’ll probably get to surf against him on the (World) tour sooner rather than later if he keeps competing like he has been.
Does locking in heat scores like 18.50 make surfing these events worth the trip alone – getting that groove on so to speak before Bells etc?
This events always fun cause it’s just an hour up the road from me and I know a lot of people here and I’ve stayed with Reece and Warren Smith [contest director] and their family every year since I was a kid. Warren puts the event on and it feels like a special event to me. I was here for a couple of weeks every year as a kid do the pro juniors and hang around to do the QS and try make some heats… I always look forward to it. And even though the waves have been small it’s been fun.
