What better way to start off Season 2 of #theLockdown that with three of South Africa’s most influential surf coaches. These guys pretty much have their hands on the wheel of where SA surfing is going.
Llewellyn Whitaker is the current German Head Coach and has also coached many of our top young surfers. Chris Bond is the current SA Junior Team coach and works with many of our top QS competitions. Quinton Jones, AKA QJ, is one of the longest working coaches in South Africa and amongst others works with our new CT surfer, Matt McGillivray.
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If you enjoy the podcast and my other work, you can help me through these very tough times. I have had no event work this year, all being cancelled due to Covid Lockdown. I have designed some high end, great quality Hoodies and a Cap and you can pre-order on my Thundafund Page here:
What do you do when you’re locked down on the sickest farm in South Africa? Grab a shovel and get digging! When World Cup slayer, Theo Erlangsen, was lucky enough to get quarantined with young gun, Ike Klassen, on his farm in Stellenbosch, the boys stayed busy riding bikes and spraying dirt!
Locked in at Hellsend Dirt Compound is a 3-part series following The Trails Crew getting up to all kinds of good, bad and wild. Watch the boys riding dirt jumps, shredding some downhill laps and staying “almost too busy doing cool things the whole time!” These boys have all the toys and a whole heap of ideas, so jump on board as they race pit bikes, trash rally buggies and shred anything with wheels on.
“We’re basically quarantining in heaven! I mean, it would be nice to be racing in Europe, but this is a close second!” Theo Erlangsen
In the first episode, we meet the infamous builders, Justin Novella and Duran Van Eeden, who can wrestle a digger like nobody else, and were luckily quarantined on the same farm. First state of business was carving out the Corona track, an insane downhill course through the forest from top to bottom. The boys hit the building work hard and then set to work stacking clips and roosting turns.
Getting the pit bike track built was a dream come true for Ike, who started his career on bikes with Moto X and was a junior national champ. For some light relief, they jumped into one of the race buggies on the farm and tried, but failed to keep all the wheels on…
“Tim shreds the BMX so hard, he’s also such a silent assassin, he comes in super quiet and then does WAY bigger and better stunts than any of us” Theo Erlangsen
In episode two, Tim Bentley joins the crew and shows the boys how to ride the perfectly manicured dirt jumps. Justin gives you an insight to the Trailscrew daily life, meet India the trail dog and watch the riders push themselves in a trick jump sessionwhilst quarantined in South Africa.
Rosy Hodge is a household name in surfing, world wide, as she presents on the WSL webcasts and of course surfed on the world tour. Calling San Clemente in California home, Rosy is one of the most influential ladies in world surfing.
Heather Clarke was the longest representative on the World Tour for SA, along with Greg Emslie in the men. She still regularly wins open and masters SA titles and now coaches surfing, based in her home town on the South Coast of SA.
Coming from the North Coast, growing up surfing heavy waves, Sophie Bell has had an illustrious junior career and has recently moved into the Open division. She is not scared to charge heavy waves and is one of the few ladies to have a crack at Donkey Bay, Namibia.
We talk lockdown and Girls Surfing
We chat about how communities are handling the lockdown, how tough it is to be a surfer in SA currently, unable to surf and about the current state of ladies surfing internationally and locally. (We may be putting together a girls surf camp and schools road show in the future.)
One of the first things we chat about on the podcast, is just how much experience Jack has already on the CT, before he even starts his career there. With numerous wildcards since his teens and surfing against most of the top guys in QS heats, he feels he has all the experience he needs to spend 20 plus years on the tour.
Staying Positive during Lockdown
With the delayed start to 2020 due to the Corona Lockdown, he stays positive at home in West Oz, where he can surf. In fact most of the waves on his doorstep make up the venues for the 3rd CT stop. He also tells me that the break, his first since he was 14, allows for some training, rest and quality time with his lady and family.
Some quality Humor
Jack has a great sense of humor and we have a couple of really good laughs over the interview. At one point, girlfriend, Julia Muniz walks from a shower, thinking its a telephone call… needless to say huge laughs around.
Jack Robinson is the most anticipated Rookie in CT history.
One thing is for sure, no surfer’s debut on the the Championship Tour has ever been this anticipated. Jack rips in all conditions. He charges the big heavy waves that would normally intimated the new comers. Hell, he has one the VolcomPipeline Pro and is always a stand out at Teahupoo. I for one cannot wait to see him on tour.
Follow Jack and get live video from the Box and other West Oz heavy waves on his Instagram and his amazing gal Julia Muniz on her Instagram.
