Strachan gave us his thoughts on the deal and some other info we just had to know.
How long have you re-signed for, and how did it feel when you knew it was a done deal?
Signed for another 3 years as of July, stoked to be staying with turbo, they have helped me out heaps working together in the last two years. There isn't another company I would rather work with.
What do you think this means for your career?
Resigning with Turbo is going to help me get to where I need to be in order to get exposure and comp results. Al ot of my contract is going to be based on competition and hopefully qualifying into the top 24 in coming years.
Do you feel any additional pressure to perform?
There has always been pressure since day one, but i think I put that pressure on myself more than anyone. Turbo are pretty relaxed but they know when its time to crack down if im not fully focussed on our mutual goals.
We see you headed on the South America leg of the World Tour – how did you find the events? Were they more intense that you’d previously imagined or were you feeling confident?
I went to the South America leg for experience more than anything, I know I'm not quite ready to mix it with the big dogs but I wanted to go check it out and have a crack anyway. I didn't do too well in the comps but the trip as a whole was still a sick experience and yeah it was definitely more intense then i imagined.
What did you think of the countries themselves?
Brazil is one of the most beautiful countries I have seen, the waves are fun and everytime you surf there are endless Brazilian women in t-bones scattered along the beach. Chile was pretty much a polar opposite. It was cold and pretty barren, the wave is intense and there is definitely no room for error.
We’ve heard that the Latino women go nuts for blonde locks, can you confirm or deny this?
No comment.
While we’re on the topic, did appearing in the Woolworths commericial bring you any extra play with the ladies?
Haha brought me more write offs than anything.
How much coin would someone need to bait you with to cut that luscious hair of yours?
Been toying with the idea of cutting it a fair bit recently. Its a pain to surf with but its pretty hard to part with after a 6 year relationship with my wig.
Back on topic, after doing the World Tour, is the Australian Tour still a big focus? What goals have you set yourself for this year?
Australian tour is still a major focus, the Australian tour comps are almost equally as hard as the world tour comps. Before the box beach comp almost half the top 15 was people from the GSS 24 so it's definitely a proving ground. I like to keep my goals to myself but i am definitely looking for a good result on the tour this year.
Who are your biggest rivals in the sport? Which other young guys are you keeping tabs on?
Lewy and Cramsie. We are all pretty much the exact same so the rivalry is pretty tense. We are all good mates but so the competitiveness only really stands in the water. Both those guys surf amazing and are constantly keeping me on my toes.
What do you think you need to improve on to step it up to the next level?
I definitely need to work on my comp surfing, up until the last year or two I have never really had a passion for comps and it definitely shows in my surfing during heats so that has been the main thing I have been working on.
