How is life in Newcastle going for you?
DS: Life in Newcastle has seemed brief lately. I’ve been overseas 2 months so far this year and I booked another trip to South America when I got back for the IBA comps to run there in May. So I’ve missed the first knights game of the season (which is the town’s most talked about topic apart from Merewether Point on its day) and the rare summer time bank at Poor Man Box, which really isn’t anything to be upset about, haha.
Doc: Your win at the Knights Beach Pro last year was pretty epic. Heavy beachie to surf anyway, how is the psychology in a comp?
DS: Well that’s the biggest factor in comps apart from surfing ability, it’s how you handle your head during the event. As soon as your mind starts to wonder off the goal of winning you sometimes find yourself slipping to 3rd place with 5 minutes to go, or if your thinking too much about the win you can do yourself in that way also. That 20-minute heat comes down to experience, knowing how to handle yourself and trusting your own ability in the conditions you are given. I can remember feeling a bit shaky before the final two heats of that contest but I seemed to calm myself down before I hit the water and I could concentrate on the waves I caught a lot better.
Doc: You’re getting some solid features in the current mags, including Phil Gallagher handing you the design ‘reins’ for an 8 page layout in issue #2 of LeBoogie. The more artistic side of boogers is given some strong recognition in our game, do you feel this ‘arty’ side of riders spills into the sport in other ways also?
DS: Well it’s hard to think of yourself as the “Arty” type, more so of a person who appreciates good art, and using that to inspire something of your own. Every top rider has unique qualities to their own surfing and I’m sure that has emanated from something they saw another rider do and decided to take it in another direction. You’re right though, I think the free thinkers of the bodyboarding world have definitely had most impact on the sport, think Brendo, Tamega or Rawlins to name a few. The LeBoogie spread was a good opportunity for me to give a couple of pages a go without having to worry about what some lecturer thought of it.
Doc: Do you see your riding as an ‘artform’ on wave faces at times?
DS: Not really, that sounds cliché to me. I see my riding as the way I enjoy my life.
Doc: So much emphasis on tech riding these days. You’re one of the leading proponents of pushing moves to another level. Where do you find your drive and inspiration to do this?
DS: Other riders usually inspire me although a good imagination helps a lot to. Since I first started, the whole tech side of bodyboarding really interested me and I was lucky enough to have a local wave that allowed me to practice moves which I saw as being the most impressive part of bodyboarding.
Doc: What new move styles do you see developing as part of our standard fare in the future?
DS: Move styles? Ah, I guess everything is getting bigger and tighter, actually more tight during the past couple of years.
Doc: You do a lot of board development with Fish at 4Play. In the templates of you boards, what are some of the dynamics you are really looking to produce from the shape?
DS: Well I’ve always ridden shapes that have a lot of curve to them as I find having a rounder board usually helps with landing manoeuvres, spinning around from the backwards position and such. It’s tailored to the way I ride in everyday situations. I’ve ridden narrow boards in the past which never seemed to work for me so I tested slight changes in my curve and I’m pretty sure I’m now left with a shape that works best for my style of surfing. Reon’s been great with my picky changes too, he understands a little is a lot when I come down to templates.
Doc: what mix of Prone/DK/Stand-up Boogie are you riding?
DS: Haha, this is really a question for the 90’s pro rider. 100% on guts mate.
Doc: What boards are you running in your current quiver and what are your current faves?
DS: I’ve got two faves I’m running with at the moment. One is a White board Polypro Stringer which I rode in the Pipe contest this year and the other is the evil black version with the same materials. Both are good but I find the black one has a little more scoop flex as it’s a bit older.
Doc: And how about accessories – leash, wetsuits?
DS: 4play accessories, Dunes wetty- I have a signature suit being released later his year which I’m looking forward to.
Doc: D.O.B height and weight?
DS: 9/3/84, not quite as tall as I’d like to be and a bit lighter than I probably should be.
Doc: Fave breaks – local and overseas?
DS: Box beach at home, number one playground for me. Pipe is great overseas, but El Gringo isn’t far behind that either.
Doc: What would be the biggest wave you’ve taken on?
DS: Shit I’m not sure. Waves always seemed bigger when I was younger so the best memory ive had of “the biggest wave I’ve ever caught” would have to be back in the Anna Bay days when I was dodging what I thought were 10ft sets, at least that’s what I told everyone at school anyway.
Doc: And what’s the toughest wave you’ve hit up?
DS: Luna Park is a really tough wave, paddling into it is something that takes practice. A super quick fast wall which almost moves faster than you do, people who ride that wave well always really impress me.
Doc: What’s the maddest roadtrip you’ve been on?
DS: A couple of 4play promo trips have been memorable, tearing up the coast looking for waves, stopping in just about every town. I’ve been on quite a few so it’s hard to narrow it down to one.
Doc: Board history – any chance you can remember and name the boards you have had under you over time? Fave ride ever of all of them?
DS: When Reon Fisher at 4play first started shaping for me a couple of years back he made me this orange and black rail number which I rode for ages, during the time we were filming There’s No I. I called it the Tiger Prawn, for the life of me I can’t remember why haha, maybe it was just an exciting point in my career and that board was just there for the ride. The old tiger prawn always sticks out in my mind as being one that I’ll never forget, It now sits on the wall on Reon’s shaping bay I think.
Doc: Scariest moment on the boog?
DS: The scariest moments don’t usually happen while I’m in the water, more like during the night before a swell, all that anticipation builds and you start to think of the worst before it actually happens. Some long nights in Hawaii lying in my bed listening to the cracks of a new swell always stirs the old stomach.
Doc: What do you reckon BB needs most at the moment?
DS: An exciting professional tour.
Doc: What do you love most about the BB culture?
DS: The whole underground thing about it all. Its still hard to explain to people I meet who don’t bodyboard what I actually do for a living.
“You do what? Bodybuild?” haha.
I don’t care that my Grandparents still don’t know what bodyboarding looks like, or if some old fart standup threatens me that he’ll stab me with his board because I lay down. All I part of being in a minority and I love that about BB culture.
Doc:Your website http://www.dallassinger.com has launched. What was your
inspiration for this and how hectic was it in the last few days
getting it all together?
DS: I just wanted a way to make my life as a professional bodyboarder more open to the people who care. I also wanted to complete a website and host it as that was one of my goals when I finished Uni, to apply something I’ve learnt to something I’ll find useful you know? What I wasn’t prepared for was the amount of coded detail it took to make such a simple site operate as intended through all the different internet browsers out there, I was fortunate that Andrew Blakey helped me out at the end there with my IE 7 nightmare. Check out my life at http://www.dallassinger.com
Doc: Who would you like to give a shout-out to?
DS: All the Bloods on the east side.
Doc: And finally who are your sponsors?
DS: 4play, Dunes, Inverted, I AM NONE
Da pics:
Rider: Dallas Singer Photog: SBPhoto
Rider: Dallas Singer Photog: Michael Jones
Rider: Dallas Singer Photog: unknown (let us know if u know who it is for sure)
