WHAT ABOUT YOU JAY, WHAT DO YOU SEE HAPPEN TO GUYS?
Jay: Well, like Tiago said, it’s just a really long year. I found myself in that rut where I was on there for a couple years and I wasn’t getting through heats. And I’d go home and people would tell me, “You should be getting through, you should be on the’CT.” Then you start thinking like that and when it’s not happening you settle in for the worst case scenario. Then I decided, okay if I’m going to make a career out of this, I’ve got to make a change. Like last year, I lost in the first round of eight contests in a row. I was on the brink and I skipped a few events and started over. It’s just really daunting, to lose so many heats. It’s a snowball going down the hill, but on the other hand when you start winning it’s the same thing. I don’t really believe in the luck theory, I mean it’s a very small percentage of it. You definitely can’t rely on it. But if you start believing that you are the lucky person, you’re going to get the waves. It’s going to get you to that point.
BEN WHAT ABOUT YOU, YOU’VE BEEN ON AND OFF NOW, DID YOU GO THROUGH A BAD PERIOD –– A DARKEST HOUR?
Ben: Yeah, honestly I did. I was on in 2001 for two years. I was the first guy to fall off and the second one to not qualify through the ‘QS. I don’t know how long it’s been, like seven years, but it’s kind of flown by. I think it was all in my head. All those years I just didn’t make it back my head wasn’t all there. I was thinking too much about losing. I was thinking about what was going to happen if I lost heats, or telling myself, “I can’t lose this heat.” I just had to change that mentality around.
Jordy: A lot of guys start looking at the rating like half way and start saying like, “Oh I need this or that to get this many points. They start thinking in terms of making just one more heat and they’ll be sweet instead of thinking, “I can win this contest.”
HOW CLOSELY DO YOU KEEP TRACK OF POINTS?
Dane: Your whole mood depends on where your points are at. Your whole night revolves around your points. [Laughs]
Jordy: I hear people say I’ll pay 3,000 dollars for an extra 250 points. It’s crazy how important it gets to people.
HOW WAS IT GOING IN WITH SUCH A LOW SEED JORDY FOR YOU THIS YEAR?
Jordy: I got super lucky actually. I ended up doing alright at Sunset last year and made the final. It helped me with a seeding for this year and I did pretty well and the beginning of the year so my seed was pretty good. I just tried to hold my composure from there.
DO YOU THINK YOUR COULD SEE YOUSELF ON THE ‘QS FOR LIKE FIVE YEARS?
Jordy: Probably not. Not for five years. I kind of gave myself a three-year contract, or whatever.
Jordy: Well, I would just try to do something else. Something else in surfing.
IS THERE ANYTHING POSITIVE ABOUT THE TOUR?
Jordy: The parties. There are parties going on from when the week starts until the final day.
Tiago: There’s always guaranteed a party somewhere.
Dane ReynoldsDane: That’s’ some people’s fate to, though. There are a couple people that just live for that.
Ben: They’re like, “I’ve got a heat at eight in the morning, I’m just going to have a couple…”
DO YOU EVER GET A CHANCE TO ENJOY THE PLACES YOU GO?
Dane: Every time I’ve gone anywhere with anyone you pretty much show up two days before your heat and you book your ticket right after you lose. That’s what I’ve always done.
SO YOU NEVER LOOK AT IT DIFFERENTLY AND ENJOY THE TIME IN THE PLACE YOU’RE AT?
Dane: Well this year in Europe I did. I had my girl with me and we did the Europe trip together. But on my own it’s a whole different world. I show up to a contest and see okay I’m in the round of 64 on Tuesday and then as soon as I lose I’m on the phone with a travel agent.
Ben: Generally you want to leave that stop when you lose and you’re thinking about the next one. You’re thinking should I get there early? But yeah, all of my friends at home think I have the best thing in the world but it’s pretty grueling.
Dane: f I had a real job, though I’d just be collecting funds to go do what we do.
Tiago: I think on the WCT you get more of an opportunity to see where you are.
HOW DO YOU PLAN ON DEALING WITH BALANCING THE WQS AND THE WCT?
Ben: It seems like most guys dig into the WQS about half way through after they see how they’re doing.
Tiago: But you look at the schedule on the QS and you get scared. Like there’s a 5-star in January now, in Peru.
Jordy: And every year the points to qualify get higher and higher.
TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE GROUPIE SITUATION ON TOUR. I KNOW EVERYWHERE YOU GO THERE ARE A LOT OF GIRLS JUST WAITNG TO MEET YOU. JORDY YOU HAD A PRETTY FUNNY RUN IN THIS YEAR IN BRAZIL.
Jordy: Yeah. I was down at the contest when these chicks started following us back to the resort from the contest site. They started running, full on TROGS running after us. I’m sure we would have done it if we were a little bit more drunk [laughs] But they started chasing after us. We ran away and locked ourselves in our room. They banged on our hotel room for like a solid half hour and we kept telling them to beat it.
Jay: Sure ya were. (Laughs)
Jordy: Yeah, no we were, I swear. Our phone wasn’t working in the room, but these chicks were so bad, It would be like jumping into a volcano. Anyways, they ended up sleeping outside our door and the next morning we woke up at 5:30 in the morning and the chicks were still there! They were camping in a bikini or whatever lying in the hallway. We slammed our door and ran to the elevator before they woke up. I just didn’t want to get involved.
Dane: That’s never happened to me. [Laughs]
Ben: You know what’s good though is being single on the WCT.
Ben: Yeah, we’re going to clean up because every guy on tour has a wife or a girlfriend. They bring their wife and kids with ‘em. There’s only a few that are single.
Jay: They’ll be calling it the World Groupie Tour now.
WHAT EVENT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO?
Jay: Probably Snapper would be a good one. It’ll be my home crowd. Surfing for my friends and family. And Maybe J-Bay just because I think I’ll love the wave.
Jay: I don’t know if I’m dreading it, but maybe anxious about Teahupo and Fiji. I’m looking forward to it. I mean those aren’t my strongest points, but I’m kind of looking forward to the challenge.
Tiago: I’m just looking forward to starting the year. Snapper is a perfect place to start. And surfing out there with only two guys. I’m really excited about that. And I’m a little nervous about Mundaka.
Jordy: I think they’re switching it around so it’s later this year. So it goes Brazil, then France then Spain. But I’m most looking forward to Bells and Chopes. Bells because it’s one of the longest running events and Chopes because it’s the most talked about. I’ve never been to that wave in Brazil or Mundaka so I don’t know what to think about them. And obviously JBay.
Dane: I’m pretty excited about all of them really. I’m a little bit dreading Teahupo because if it’s like 10-foot and you’re looking at this giant wedge and everyone in the channel is yelling at you to go. I mean, if you’re free surfing you can choose the one you want. But in a man on man heat and everyone’s like, “Go! You have to be like, “Okay.”
Ben: I think there’s like 3 Jet Skis though. That’s nice.
WHAT EVENT ARE THE MOST EXCITED ABOUT?
Ben: I’m most excited about that first event. Every event from then on is pretty insane, though.
SO ARE YOU GUYS PRETTY HAPPY WITH THE TOUR AS IT IS NOW?
Ben: Yeah, I mean you’re still dealing with Mother Nature. So you never know.
WHO’S GOING TO WIN THE WORLD TITLE?
Tiago: I’d say Andy. He’s going to be angry. To me he’s the most complete surfer on tour. When he puts it all together he’s as complete as they come.
Jordy: Victor Ribas. Maybe Dane. I’m not going to say why though.
Dane: I think the usual suspects. I would hope that this group can ruffle some feathers at the top, but I wouldn’t imagine world titles…yet.