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YOUR warm flexible suit has been 60 years in the making and it all started with Mr Jack O'Neill and a PVC vest.
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FOR one glorious day the drought broke, La Grav pumped as did every sand bank up and down the Frech coast.
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JOHN John's road to victory at the Billabong Rio Pro, he defeated Joel Parkinson in a one sided final.
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WHAT a difference a day makes at the Billabong Rio Pro, Barra da Tijuca shows it's good face right when it matters.
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HIGHLIGHTS of the Billabong Rio Pro which went down in uber tricky conditions at Barra da Tijuca.
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Finalists, Adam and Parko© 2009 - Joli/WPS
AR: I've competed against Parko in the junior series in Phillip Island years ago. I consider Parko to be one of the greatest surfers right now so it was an honour to be in the water with him. He had his game face on during the heat, but as did I. In the last 5 minutes we both knew it was unlikely I was going to get the waves to get the scores to win so we both dropped the game face and had a chat. From what I heard before, Joel and I had being following a very similar training regime, so we spoke about that and what it takes for someone to win and be successful in surfing. I also complimented him on his flawless start to the year. We were both really stoked with our results so there was a very positive vibe out there.
TW: Everyone is calling you the "Cinderella" story of Bells, how do you feel about that and do you feel that your long flowing locks attributed to this?
AR: I was thinking out in the water that I'd wish they'd stop calling me Cinderella! But I can see where it has come from and think that is a good message to send out to others. I'm proud to show people that despite lack of sponsorship and so forth you can still be successful. Companies are having a really tough time financially right now so there are many sensational surfers chasing their dreams competing without major sponsorship, not just myself. Hopefully this can inspire others to stick at it. I've been mentoring some young emerging surfers from Victoria at the moment and I keep telling them that you don't need a sticker on the nose of your board to be a good surfer. I think I proved that to them at this contest.
TW: Did you know that in your heat against Kekoa there was some huge feeding frenzy going on out in the water about 300m away from you?
AR: I had no idea about that. When you are out in the water you are so focused on the waves and nothing else. Even if I had noticed it would not have made a difference as my mind was elsewhere.
TW: You are a local legend back home in Portland, I'm sure the guys in the Pub there are going to talk about you for the next 100 years, so tell me more about where you grew up? And why you moved to Jan Juc and not up to the Gold coast like most Victorians?
AR: Portland will forever be my home. It's a tight knit town and a close surfing community. Half the town was there on the beach on the last day, which was awesome. I moved up to Jan Juc this year to be close to my girlfriend Hannah, my coach Gally and my trainer Pods. It made a lot of sense to be up here instead of commuting back and forth between here, home and the airport. I still flee back there when I know the waves will be good. I love the Goldie, but just in small doses! Apparently the whole of Portland was hyped for the two weeks the contest was on, it will be great to get back there for a few days after my next stint of travel.
This article has been given an average rating of 3.51 from 755 votes.
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