Tag: travis logie

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Lockdown chat with Jordy Smith, Travis Logie & Wok – #TheLockdown Ep4

The Podcast

The 3 Amigos in Lockdown

I was not sure what to expect when I chatted with Travis Logie about getting the three best buds on the same podcast during lockdown, but needless to say it was an epic chat. These 3 grew up together in Durban and now live in California and Hawaii. Jordy Smith has become one of the best surfers on the planet, Travis has ended his Pro surf career and become the WSL Commissioner and Warwick Wok Wright was never really a pro, though he beat a few, but now a successful interior designer and married in Hawaii.

A Special Chat

Wok’s Mom called me up after the premier and told me how special it was to get the three together and talking. A sentiment shared by the boys at the end of our talk – it went on for just over an hour – and the stories, flashbacks and laughs were real. It was incredible to get some real insight to their relationships, how they met and of course their time together on the tour.

Groms Listen up!

On a more serious note, the gents serve up some real, hard advice for aspiring SA surfers with big dreams of qualifying. These three, yes even Wok, made some serious damage on the QS and their stories and and advise should be heeded.

Hawaii the best place to be in lockdown!

This was the common consensus during the chat and checking out Jordy’s Instagram account will leave you in no doubt. Wok has adopted a flock of ducks and is practicing for being a daddy.

I hope you enjoyed the show and please remember to subscribe to the Youtube Channel – HERE

Huge thank you to Monster Energy for the support!

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Mr Price Pro Day 1 #ActionUpdate

A great first day at Ballito for the Mr Price Pro with some tubes in the morning and super fun bowls through the day. Biggest disappointment was Beyrick de Vries getting knocked out on a priority interference, after he dominated his heat, which was the highest scoring heat of the day! South Africans through to Round 2 were Jordy Smith, Travis Logie and young gun, Davey van Zyl. Check out all the action…

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Best of South Africa 2013 – Surfing

I hope you guys and gals had a great Xmas and New Years and welcome to 2014! It’s going to be a mental year of action sports in SA, but as we get underway I thought I would look back at 2013, and first up the world of surfing.

Best Surfer – Grant Twig Baker

Starting the year looking down the barrel of a gun financially as he lost his major sponsor and the year’s big wave season stuttered and started very late, Grant Baker came back guns firing! With the announcement of the ASP Big Wave World Tour, twig looked me in the eye and stated with total sincerity and focus, “I am going to be the Big Wave World Champion”. The nay sayers would say he is getting too old, his time is passed, etc etc. Twig shrugged it all off, trained his ass off and when the waves finally arrived in late winter, blew minds with his commitment and focus. (While watching the Dungeons segment below, make note of John John Florence on the boat in the channel and what he says watching one of Twig’s waves!) When the first official big wave event on the year was called on in Europe, many of the big names chose to remain in Hawaii, where they had just arrived. Twig got back on a plane and missioned across the globe to dominate the event and take the number 1 spot on the ASP BW World Tour. The kids going on tour this year like Beyrick de Vries, Slade Prestwich, Mikey February and Dane Staples need to take a leaf out of Twig’s book. If your mental game is on, your body fit and ready for anything and you believe in yourself so much you intimidate your competitors, you can be the champ! The ball is rolling for Twig out of 2013, lets see what 2014 brings…

Twig: A Calculated Madness from SURFING Magazine on Vimeo.

Best Tour Surfer – Beyrick de Vries

I checked Beyrick getting a lot of flack through the years. I don’t think people took his challenge for the tour seriously. Those people, all have egg on their faces now though! An incredible year of results, culminating in what has been called the best tube ever ridden at Sunset and a solid Triple Crown showing has put Beyrick on the cusp of qualifying and with a a super seeding for 2014. Now the pressure really starts as the World number 49 heads out as the number 3 South African seed on tour behind Jordy and Travis. With an able support cast in Dale, Mikey and Slade, I am really looking forward to watching the Qualifying Tour in 2014.

Best Junior Surfer – Slade Prestwich

The big kid made big name in 2013. Long touted as the heir to Jordy Smith’s power game, Slade came right after a rather shocking start at the first Billabong Pro Junior at the beginning of the year. His big break came winning the Volcom Pro Junior in Durban and getting a slot in the competition at Fiji. With the powerful lefts of Cloudbreak as his pallet, Slade proceeded to slash and burn the competition in front of a global webcast audience. A massive win for the kid from Scottys and suddenly his head was back in the game. For me his best surfing was to come at the Junior World Champs in Brazil, where he lost to Gabriel Medina in the Quarter Finals (Medina smoked every heat in the competition), where more importantly it came to a last minute count back by the judges as Slade was the only surfer to challenge Medina the entire event. Slade has the skill, he is an immensely nice guy and he has the support of some great sponsors. My feeling is that with the right support and management he can go all the way!

My 2014 Wildcard – Dale Staples

Ducky has more than proven himself in big surf and tubes. Name made on the North Shore, a proven track record out at Jbay in front of a home crowd (Not long now till the return…) and a solid bag of tricks in the small stuff. The World number 71 has a decent seed going into 2014 and after speaking with him, he definitely has the desire to get onto the Championship Tour. Put Dale Staples on the Dream tour and watch magic happen… Now he just needs to go out there and qualify!

All in all we are poised for a massive year in professional surfing in South Africa. We have some serious firepower hitting the Qualifying Tour and make no mistake Travis Logie will go about business like he does every year. The biggest question on everyone’s lips must be, “Will Jordy Smith win a World Title this year?” He has looked me in the eye and told me there is nothing else more important to him than that exact goal and I believe him. I have put the bottle of champagne on ice in anticipation…

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Hurley Pro 2013 Trestles Review – The one where I have to calm down…

Shew, ok so the holy result of Travis Logie and Jordy Smith both making a final together did not materialise and instead we got Julian Wilson, who had been killing it all comp, getting taught some lessons from the wily old bugger, haha, Taj Burrows. To be fair, he also schooled Jordy in their semi final and showed how important experience can be on the World Tour. I love Taj and his surfing and would love to see him win a World Title, which now may be a reality…

Others were not so pleased, as one Wilson fan referred to the winner as that “Bloody old fucking ozzy leprechaun!” haha

If we look at the semi finals though, the form surfers were there! The Californians may moan about Patty G and us Saffas about Travis Logie, but both lost to better surfers in their respective Quarter Finals. Great result for both though, making requalification that much more possible, especially for Travis who now sits in 19th below the bubble. Pat still has some work to do in 28th. It was a bit of an event for the underdogs really with these guys rocking, as well as Kai Otton (When did he become a small wave wizard?) and the Spartan making hay once again to the semi finals. That guy was displacing more water than the average American jumping in a pool every time he turned a rail!

Lets be honest the waves were crap! We want to see these guys at 4-6ft perfect Trestles. We got 2-3ft soft and lumpy. Its like expecting Alana Blanchard in your bed and getting Rebecca Woods. Still great, but not what you were expecting… The ASP need to come to some sort of new agreement with the powers that be about the time of year and the waiting period at Trestles. Scary to think the 2 days prior to the event were firing!

So where are we at, as we head to France in 7 days, with just 3 events left on the Tour? Kelly, Mick and Joel all faltered in this one, with Fanning taking the number 1 spot and Kelly in Number 2. Parko feels it most slipping behind Taj and Jordy to 5th. Both of these guys are within 500 points of the leaders and still very much in contention for the World Title. It means there is going to be serious pressure in France and Portugal. Personally I cannot wait! Check out the great surfing and average waves from the final day…

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It’s your time! Why Jordy Smith must win Trestles…

Ok, so the air festival we were all expecting has turned into the small wave carve festival and thats great, because no man alive can grind out a monster carve on a tiny wave like Jordy Smith (For that matter he has the mind boggling airs ready to go too!). Kelly And Joel have fallen, while Mick Fanning is still in with a chance in Round 5. The curve ball, Mick now faces Jordy’s mate and fellow South African, Travis Logie, who on the small rights at tiny Trestles is probably looking the most dangerous he has ever looked! So, in an ideal world we have Travis beating Mick and both South Africans go onto the finals where Jordy will win as he cannot be beaten at this point in small mushy, Dairy Bowl like Trestles. Suddenly Jordy is almost tie with Kelly and Mick and we have one banger of a World Title fight as the tour jets off to France. “Ok kai you feeling a little overconfident of your Saffas,” you naysayers will say! I answer with this statement by Jordy, “I am Psyched!” – the man is relaxed, hungry and surfing like a fleet footed ancient Greek God of surfing.
The man is on a roll and the wave is his bitch! Just check this free surf footage from before the Hurley Pro and tell me I am wrong… (Oh and Travis, its your time to bru!)