With their stretched frames and stringy, blonde mops Bede Durbidge and John John look like they could almost be brothers. Now the two natural footers have joined forces to help John John win the world title that seems to be written in his destiny. That quest begins at the Quiksilver Pro on Snapper Rocks in a week’s time.
Tracks sources on the ground tell us that Bede Durbidge, who is still recovering from a broken pelvis, has been coaching from his crutches while John John surfs. The word on the pandanus tree wireless is also that John John has been surfing Snapper almost exclusively in the lead up to the event.
John John’s decision to employ a local mentor at the Quiky Pro indicates he is approaching the world title campaign with renewed ambition. Sources close to John John have suggested that much of his energy in the past couple of years was expended on the production of his film, View From A Blue Moon. However, now that the movie has audiences dizzy with wonderment the world over, it seems John John is ready to dedicate more headspace to competition surfing.
John John’s alliance with Bede comes in the wake of Matt Wilkinson’s victory at the Newcastle Surfest with the assistance of former WCT surfer Glenn ‘Micro’ Hall.
“This year we are going full tilt and I’m going to try really hard,” Wilko told Tracks after his Surfest victory.
While Wilko and Micro will remain a team throughout the year it will be interesting to see if John John employs the services of different specialist advisors at the locations on tour he is less familiar with. This is the strategy that is used by fellow Hawaiian Carissa Moore, who frequently consults local lineup experts at different competition locations around the world. The validity of the tactic is evident in the three world titles Carissa has won in recent years. We’re not sure what arrangement Bede and John John have come to but top surfers frequently pay local specialists an upfront fee and then a bonus based on a percentage of prize money if they do well. This is the brave new world of professional surfing.
Financial incentives aside, everyone wants to see John John performing at his best and it’s fantastic to see Bede directly involved in the WCT at a time when he’s not in a position to focus on his own performance. For now it’s John John and Bede vs The World.
