Boulevard of Broken Dreams

If you’re au fait with social media then it’s not hard to follow your favourite surfers. It also makes for a very transparent look at the industry from time to time as stickers are swapped, surfers dropped and beefs play out online.

Last year Quiksilver went on the the cull. On the eve of the Gold Coast Quiksilver Pro many team riders got “the call” and were left ripping off stickers and wondering why? Quiksilver Women’s was axed, as was many subsidiary brands from their stable. All this on the eve of a hosted contest seemed implausible.

By the time the blood had trickled down the drain the show went on and boy was it fun! Kelly Slater, Quiksilver ambassador for life wins the Pro against Coolangatta golden boy, Joel Parkinson. Things went back to normal, for a time. The share price went up, and up, peaking at $9.16 in November 2013. It has since dropped, currently sitting at $6.90.

If it happens on instagram then it must be real. Jack Robinson re-applies stickers and signs with Billabong.

During the share price decline, it may or may not be coincidental to mention that more team riders have fell by the wayside. Byron Bay’s Garret Parkes dropped. Waterman Mark Healey, gone. And today we have learnt that child star Jack Robinson has left their ranks.

When we noticed Jack winning the North Shore Pro Junior on a clean white board we were surprised. Attempts to contact a Quiksilver representative proved unsuccessful but low and behold while swiping through our instagram feed there’s Jackie boy in a Billabong t-shirt.

It has been a very hard time for all brands, particularly trying to stay relevant and hang on to a cache of cool. But how do some surfers become irrelevant overnight?

We hope to keep seeing Laurie Towner whipping into beasts like this at Chopes. Photo ASP/Robertson

No brand wants to announce bad news. And often this ‘news’ is quietly leaked and privately swallowed. Tracks can confirm Billabong recently departed with Dean Bowen, Wade Goodall and Laurie Towner from their stable.Three incredible surfers all under 30 years of age.

With livelihoods on the line things can get a bit testy. In an instagram post that was quickly removed Otis Carey, formally of Insight, left a parting shot to his former sponsor. “Thanks @insight51. You guys sure do know how to treat people properly.” The image of a Centrelink application drove the message home.

Understandably you’d be pissed too when you’re still young, still ripping and have helped shape a brand’s identity that has suddenly shown you the door. So what is the use by date of pro surfers? What are the tenets to staying current and does it all boil down to marketability?

New Zealand journeyman Ricardo Christie competing at Sunset during the Vans Triple Crown last year. Photo ASP/Robertson

As team rosters shrink there are a growing number of surfers that would feel the clock is ticking on their professional surfing careers. A few bad results, injuries or lack coverage is going to affect your staying power.

But are we simply entering an era of the self-funded surfer? Silvana Lima is doing it. Twice runner up on the Women’s World Tour she has started a campaign called ‘Silvana Free’ aimed at gaining financial support outside the surf industry.

“Silvana Free is a wake up call: surf is about nature. Beaches are not catwalks and athletes are not fashion models,” she says on her website.

Raoni Monteiro part of the Brazilian storm that blazed through the 2013 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach. Photo ASP/Robertson

New Zealand’s Ricardo Christie created a kickstarter fundraiser for his WQS campaign after parting ways with sponsor last year. An integral part of NZ surfing he ticks all the boxes with big airs, big turns and all round style. Still he remains sticker-less.

Last year in an interview with Surfer Magazine Brazil’s Raoni Monteiro said he could no longer afford to compete full-time on the World Tour. “I haven’t had a sponsor for three years now and I’ve basically run out of money and have to pick and choose what events I can afford to travel to. I can’t tell you how unbelievably frustrating that is.”

The hopes are pinned on an ASP/ZoSea World Tour. Big promises have been made about generating more funding for professional surfing. Let’s just hope it trickles down to former pro surfers or those on the outside looking in.