Lovin' life
Unless you have been living underground you would have heard the name
Thorpe Waluew. Having recently turned 14 Thorpe’s ability on the boog is
mind blowing. A cool, smart kid with the world at his feet. We caught up with
Thorpe recently (in between his busy schedule of surfing and playing Xbox)
while he was on school holidays.
Thorpe you have been getting a lot of coverage over the last couple of
years, you have done more travel at 14 then most do in a life time and
had some awesome comp results. Your surfing seems to improve
everyday. What does bodyboarding mean to you?
Well, it means a lot to me probably more then anything. It’s just without it
i would just be a boring person and do nothing all the time and bodyboarding
helps you with making friends and having good times.
One of your last trips away saw you go over to WA to stay and surf with Hardy.
Kids all over the globe would be frothing on such an amazing
opportunity. What was it like surfing with the best in the business?
Did it improve your surfing?
It helped my surfing a lot, i would just watch him surfing and watch how
smooth and clean his moves really were and i would just try to do the same thing
and its seems like it helped me out heaps.
thorpe boosting big
You have some pretty solid support from some of the biggest companies
in the game. What are your short term and long term goals?
I really want to be world champ when i get into the world competitions
but for a short term goal i just want to travel and get as much shots/footage and
experience as i can.
You are pretty switched on for your age. You are well spoken, smart
and competitive. Do you think growing up on the gold coast and being
influenced by your older brothers and their friends has been good for
your bodyboarding? Where did you first start surfing and when?
Everyone that i surf and hang with definatly helped me to get better at
bodyboarding and what not, but i started when i was 10 surfing Burleigh beach
with my oldest brother Morgan.
It’s pretty safe to say you are a bit of a heart throb, how do
you feel about the female species? Do you have a special young lady
in your life?
hahah na i am a lone wolf haha
keeping the sponsors happy
You seemed to be all about boosts when you were younger, lately your
surfing seems more refined and while you are still boosting higher
than birds, (literally) you seem to be riding more technical and setting
smooth lines. Is this something you have been working on or is it
just natural progression?
I have always tried to fix my style and surfing up, but i dont really think
about what i have to do it just normally happens.
Natural freak then. Who are your influences Thorpe? In and out of
the water?
Well my sponsers Billabong, NMD, Stealth and BBS (Burleigh Bodyboard
Shop) and out of the water my mum, dad, brothers and all my best mates that i
hang with.
Where do you see yourself in ten years time?
Hopefully still bodyboarding and trying to win the world title.
What is your favourite thing about bodyboarding and what do you
think it will take for you to reach the goals you want to achieve?
Friends and good times for sure.
Thanks a lot for your time Little man.
Interview by Stevie Lloyd
the kids got skills
