this is my first time to the Gold Coast, and it’s surely not my last time. it’s a total foilers paradise! riding the longest wave of your life while dodging surfers is like playing a video game. and yes, the foilers are in the drivers seat!
and to come to another country with your family and experiencing it together is priceless. we are all having a blast paddling out to paradise.
i’ve been riding all kinds of foil boards with all kinds of foil combinations. from my first wave, i simply adjust to the board, and i’m flying with joy!
Tony’s been ripping! paddling on a 5’4 and flying so high. we share waves together and it looks something like this.
then i see this older man out ripping backside on his foil. come to find out, he was World Champion Stephane Gilmore’s father!
i go out and introduce myself to him. Jeff knows that Stephane and Kelia are super good friends so the vibe was amazing. foiling together with this legend was so cool!
want to thank Wada-san for the chocolates. i’ve been snacking on these every day!
even though i’m so excited at that moment, i still don’t forget to get the shot. Seth and Tony celebrating his win.
it’s so beautiful how this family is so supportive of each other. Kelia absolutely loves all her brothers and nothing comes between her and them. if any girl breaks their heart, she will break their legs. haha.
when it’s contest day like today, the foil stays in my hotel room. it’s game on as i’m here to support my little nephews dream from start to finish. and maybe in-between i’ll foil. haha.
this morning as Seth was eating breakfast, Kelia simply walked behind and gave her younger brother a massage. i was watching this in tears. it was like a World Champion giving love to a future World Champion. moments like these are priceless…
then we headed down to the contest this morning. to tell you the truth, i was more nervous than anybody. today was a big day as Round 3 is very important for all these pro surfers lives.
Seth was the underdog. in Australia, gambling is legal so Griffin Colapinto was actually favored 3 to 1 to win. Seth knew that and i think that’s what made him more hungry. even though Griffin was winning the heat until the last minutes, Seth calmly caught a wave, ripped it, and won in the closing minutes. there are only 16 surfers left and this kid isn’t over yet.
it was a long morning for all of us. super relived, but the hard work is still ahead. i haven’t had this much stress in years. haha… Go Seth!!!
