"If you are going through hell, keep going." -Winston Churchill

THE LIGHTER SIDE OF HELL

THE ESM INTERVIEW WITH BEN BOURGEOIS

By Matt Pruett  

War is Hell. Outside of Captain Kilgore in Apocalypse Now, no surfers understand this fact like those competing on the ASP World Qualifying Series. A dizzying, 47-event, whirlwind stretching over 15 countries in 11 months, it is the ultimate stress-fest in a sport that embraces and sells an otherwise stress-less lifestyle. A tour where your tormentors come in all shapes, sizes, and dialects -- but whose true intentions are hidden behind white teeth, sunbleached hair, and shaka signs, while Mephistopheles himself is a cheery, portly, Australian bloke named Al Hunt. One WQS tour of duty alone is enough to turn most surfers into human detritus, sending them scurrying back home with their squashtail between their legs. And who could blame them? Surfing's supposed to be fun, right?  

Yes, but if you're one of the few who chooses to call yourself a professional surfer, it's also a job. And if you don't like your job, you quit. Pure and simple. When it comes to the WQS and the aqueous graceland that lies beyond its endless realm of trials -- the World Championship Tour -- fragile souls need not apply. Because there's always some broke, sponsorless Brazilian out there more than happy to take your slot. Or more ideally, a 29-year-old guy from Wrightsville Beach, NC, who knows nothing else. After six-plus years of taking his lumps, keeping his eye on the ball, and fighting off the mental demons that were keeping him from his rightful place on the WCT, Benny's back. And this time, he has only one thing on his mind. Victory.  

"A class act all the way. Even through all the years of being one spot out, or having his spot taken by a wildcard, or being less than 100 points out, or being on the road 320 days a year, he's still always in good spirits. I've traveled quite a bit with Ben and have been skunked many times with him. But he always says things like, 'Look how fortunate we are. Some people never make it here their whole lives.' I guess that pretty much sums up Benny for me. No matter the circumstances, the glass is always half-full with him." ­Brian Townsend, videographer/ co-producer, Destined For Second & Back To The Front

ESM: Last time we interviewed you, in our August 2000 issue (Vol.9, #66), you had just qualified for the WCT and left us with these words: "The other day at Bells, I was just screaming to myself, 'I made it!'" Seven years later, you've made it once again. Is it just as exciting the second time around?
BB: Yeah. I'm not jumping around screaming or anything, but I'm definitely stoked to get back on. I have more experience now with the places and the man-on-man format, and I've worked out a lot of the kinks from before when I was on. I still have a while before the tour starts in March, so I haven't gotten super psyched up yet. I'm just kinda floating for now. Gonna go down to the Gold Coast a few weeks early and ease into it.  

ESM: Between dropping off the 'CT in 2001 and rejoining the ranks for the 2008 season, you came within an eyelash of qualifying several times. How did you handle the frustration, coming so close only to have to settle for a good seed and do it all over again, year after year?
BB: A couple years were really close. In 2001, I needed to get 3rd or better at Sunset, and I got 5th. So I was one heat short of making it through the 'CT and one guy short of making it through the 'QS. Any other year, I would've still gotten in because guys pulled out due to injury and stuff. The story goes on and on. I got to surf two events on the 'CT in 2002 because of guys being injured. But there was something shady going on that year. I should've had a WCT spot but didn't because of political reasons... I just had to let it go and keep plugging away. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I didn't keep trying every year. 

ESM: All those years seesawing, surfacing right near the top, then narrowly missing the cut. That's enough to send anyone to the looney bin. But you never once complained. What gives, man?
BB: Actually, the years have flown by. Sure, there were times I'd get frustrated, but then I had to sit back and look at the big picture, like, "I'm having fun with my friends, surfing, flying all over the world. I got it pretty good!" Once I started thinking about it that way, it was all good. 

ESM: You had been traveling extensively with Gabe Kling when he finally qualified, and he cites you as a major inspiration to getting there. Obviously, you'll be hanging with him on tour (if he re-qualifies) along with the Hobgoods. How important is that support system on the road?
BB: Having a good crew is everything. I'll be with Gabe, CJ, Dam, and hopefully Shea will pull through. That's a no-brainer right there, traveling with the East Coast guys. If you're with the wrong people, it takes the fun out of everything, but a good crew gets you fired up even if you're having a rough time. They keep you in check. I go way back with all these guys, so we have a lot of dirt on each other... [laughs]. 

ESM: What events or legs were instrumental in making WCT qualification possible? Obviously, your August victory in Newquay, England, was huge, launching you to second on the WQS ratings. Where else was crucial?
BB: Wherever I got results. At the beginning of the year, I went to Brazil and got two results. I made the quarters and the round before the quarters. Then I got a 5th in South Africa but lost my first heat at the U.S. Open, which was a bummer because I really wanted to do good in the States. But I flew to Japan from there, where Gabe won and I got 2nd. Then I flew straight to England and won there. So that little, two-week spurt right there pretty much put the icing on the cake. That's all it really takes, you know? A little roll is all you need. 

ESM: What did you do differently this year in terms of physical training, diet, or mental preparedness?
BB: Going into this year, I just told myself I was gonna make it no matter what. The last couple years, I don't know [sighs]... my head was all screwed up. It took me all that time to figure out what I was doing wrong. I had all these losing thoughts in my head. Before a heat, I'd be feeling good and surfing good, but I wasn't thinking like, "All right, I'm gonna go out there and win this heat." I didn't think I was gonna lose, but I was worried about it all the time. That really affected me for seven years there. So I started reading some self-help books this year like The Art of Winning, The Secret, and other sports psychology books. It sounds kinda cheesy, but it completely switched me around and gave me a whole different approach. I took little pieces from each book and applied it to my competitive game. Suddenly, it wasn't like I was surfing better; my head was just in the right place all year. Anytime I started thinking about losing, I'd just throw it out and say, "I'm gonna win." Just mind tricks like that, and it seemed to work. As for training, it's hard to get on a routine with all the traveling. But now I'm working with this one guy doing Check Fitness, which covers everything from nutrition to fitness to mindset. So yeah, I'm feeling really good. No injuries, I'm getting cracked and stretched everyday at the chiropractor. Feeling nice and healthy.  

ESM: How has having corrective Lasik surgery helped you?
BB: So much! I had pretty bad eyes. I wanted to get it for a while but you have to be able to stay out of the water for a long time, and I never had that chance with my travel schedule. About two years ago, I had to get shoulder surgery and was gonna be out for two months anyway, so I got it all done at once. It was crazy. I walked out of the laser surgery, and the next day I could see again. I still trip out on it. I see waves completely different now. I can see sets coming, sections, other people in the lineup... I stopped dodging barrels and avoiding the lip [laughs]... Before it was all a blur. 

"Ben was a 12-year-old twig the first time I saw him surf at the 17th Street/ Billabong Series in Maryland around 1990. He was such a scrawny little munchkin, but he had the most advanced style. Way ahead of everyone, yet he was a sponge, watching and learning instead of strutting around like he had it all figured out. Usually child prodigies disappear by the time they hit adulthood, but Ben's amazing circle of family and friends have kept him grounded. When he fell off the tour, he'd already accomplished way more than any other surfer from his area, so it would've been really easy for him to go home and be a local hero instead of trudging away for six more frustrating years on the WQS. He wouldn't think of it. What Ben's done by re-qualifying is a major feat, but I have a feeling that, in his mind, he's just beginning." ­Jason Borte, East Coast competitive mainstay/ surf journalist

ESM: Will you be doing select WQS events as a backup plan?
BB: Yeah, I'm not going to Brazil at the beginning of the year or anything. I'm just gonna take my time and focus on that first WCT event. See how I'm going the first few events before I start jumping on the 'QS. I'll definitely be doing the U.S. Open, Hawaii of course, South Africa, and all the ones around the 'CT's. That's the plan. 

ESM: Or you could go ahead and win the first three WCT events and just cruise from there on out.
BB: Yeah, that would be nice... [laughs]. 

ESM: Even with all the traveling, competing, sponsor obligations, and everything else that comes with being a high-demand professional surfer, you still find time to travel, film, and do interviews for East Coast video projects such as Nate Lee's Baggage and Alek Parker and Jerry Ricciotti's The Best Laid Plans. Why spread yourself thin with things that have so little bearing on your primary objective?
BB: I love doing those kinds of projects. They're like a breath of fresh air. When I went on that Indo trip with Alek and Jerry and those guys, I stayed gone for months. I came from the Maldives but had a month before South Africa, so I did that boat trip before going to Bali for two weeks. I really want to be a part of that stuff. I don't want to drop off the radar, because if the WQS is all you do, you can definitely disappear from the surfing world. All that stuff is just as fun to me as contests. So any chance I get, I'll jump on whatever I can. Whether it be an all-East Coasters trip or any photo deal a magazine puts in front of me, I'm all over it. 

ESM: Are you a travel addict? Freud might say you're running from yourself.
BB: Yes. All I've ever wanted to do was be a professional surfer. As soon as I got the chance to get out of Wrightsville and travel, I was like, "This is it. This is all I want to do." I don't mind being gone, because I've been doing it for so long. Some people need to have their home time. Me, I don't have a girlfriend or all these things holding me back. I'm trying to soak it up for as long as possible. 

"When we traveled through Oz together some years back, and comparing Ben's natural talent with the rest of the 'QS, it was immediately apparent to me that he was the golden kid, much like Bruce Irons would be considered. He's always shown God-given ability in the water. But last spring, he spoke about having a new mindset on competition that was really helping, and the results speak to that. Aside from that, I love the guy exactly the same whether he comes in last or first. He's a brother to me." ­Mark Hunt, Wrightsville Beach legend/ close childhood friend

ESM: You relocated to Southern California some time ago, for obvious reasons which you cited in Baggage -- easier to travel from, more opportunities to practice, etc. How often do you make it home these days, and how meaningful is that time to you?
BB: I've been out here on and off since I was 18. I bought a place in Carlsbad two years ago and sold my place in Wrightsville. The reasons why I'm here in California are endless. I wasn't home in North Carolina much at all this year, maybe three weeks in October. Then little stops on the way back from Europe or wherever. Then when I made the tour, I got a little breather, and went home and kicked it for a while with the family. I need that time to see everyone and recharge the batteries. I do my little stint in NC, then after a week, I'm ready to hit it again. 

ESM: Being Reef's first head-to-toe pro rider, you played a big part in bringing the Reef/ Sweetwater Pro-Am Surf Fest to your hometown. What can you say about that event and what it's doing for the surf scene in Wrightsville Beach?
BB: They used to have the Record Bar Pro there a long time ago. Then, the Aloe Up in New Smyrna, that huge PSAA at Casino Pier back in the day -- there used to be a bunch of big contests on the East Coast, and then there was like 10 years or so without much going on. Now the pace is picking up. The Sebastian Inlet Pro is getting bigger every year; it's a 5-star now. And other contests, instead of putting the money into paying for ASP sanctioning, they're putting it into prizemoney. Guys are fired up about that. There's stuff popping up every weekend it seems like. The Reef/ Sweetwater contest is a part of that. Surfing is blowing up in Wrightsville, with all the people going to school there just so they can surf. That event is great for the whole community, the shop, and Reef. Everyone's pumped on it. They've gotten lucky with waves every year, too, because there's a really good chance it could be dead-flat in the summer.  

"'Boogie' lives on the road, sort of like a gypsy. He just goes with the flow and doesn't get bummed out on all the bullshit you have to go through traveling the world all year long. He lives life to the fullest, too. Not scared to put a couple drinks down the throat, not scared of the ladies, and the ladies are definitely not scared of him. And I don't think I've ever seen him surf bad. Even when he says he's having a complete shocker out in the water, I never would've known." ­Asher Nolan, WQS warrior/ freakish natural talent

ESM: Why can't North Carolina put another surfer on the WCT? Shane Upchurch, the Gilligan brothers, Jesse Hines, Noah Snyder... not one of those promising talents, nor any other Tarheel, has ever come close to breaking through to the big leagues since you were handed your walking papers. What can you attribute that to?
BB: There's a whole crew of little Wrightsville groms DJ (Struntz) has been shooting that are on it. No names pop out to me; it's just this whole squad of 10 to 15-year-old supergroms who are psyched and ripping and might have a shot at it one day. I don't know, there's always been a ton of good surfers from Carolina, but it's a little tougher because they're kinda out of the limelight compared to somewhere like Sebastian Inlet, where everyone pushes each other really hard. Everything is so spread out between Wrightsville and the Outer Banks and those other towns, and there isn't that tight crew like the Inlet has. The level has always gone through the roof there because all the older guys who've made it are still around, yelling at the kids and coaching them into waves. You gotta want it, too, man. You gotta be able to forget about home pretty much -- put that place behind you and hit the road. A lot of people can't handle that. It's not for everybody.  

"I've been traveling a lot with him on the WQS this year, and it's been pretty obvious that he's ready to be back on tour. His first time around was maybe a little early and now that he's gotten more experience, I see him challenging anyone in any conditions. All the years on the WQS can really toughen you up or break you down, and his ability to ride it out shows this Carolina boy is tough. Being with Gabe and the Hobgoods next year on the WCT should be a good environment for him to perform. All the hype might be on Jordy and Dane, but Ben could really surprise some people who aren't from the East Coast. Because over here, we all know he's the real deal." ­Shea Lopez, former (and soon-to-be returning) WCT vet

ESM: You're notorious for being one of the pickiest people on the planet when it comes to surfboards. How is that working out -- getting your equipment wired before the '08 WCT season begins -- and how often do you experiment with alternative equipment?
BB: This year, I pretty much stayed on the same two boards I rode when I got a lot of my good results -- 5'11" x 18 1/16" x 2 1/8" -- so hopefully I'll have some pretty solid stuff when the tour starts up. I've tried epoxies, a couple quads, but I don't know... Everyone on tour has tried a quad, just because of the quad mania that's going on, and they realize they don't work as good. Same with epoxies. Every guy on tour has messed around with them before going back to their old faithful. I enjoy riding quads and epoxies, but I surf differently on them. So when it comes time to compete, I jump back on my 5'11" that rides solid every wave I stand up on. 

ESM: Have you ever really had a magic board?
BB: Of course, but they're hard to come by. There's actually a pretty funny story about how my magic died. The one I first qualified on back in... jeez, 1999. It was a Wade Tokoro that wasn't even shaped for me, but it was by far the best board I've ever had. I rode it everywhere, all year long. In Rio that year, I made the quarters, which is what put me on tour, bumped me up to 8000 points or whatever. I was staying with Damien at our friend's apartment, while Bryan Hewitson, CJ, and Heath Walker were staying closer to the contest site. Damien and I left our boards at their place. It was a pretty big night because the contest had just ended, and the next morning Dam and I woke up and went to those guys' apartment. We walked in the door and CJ was acting really weird. He said, "Uh, you might wanna check out your board over there in the corner." There was this huge stack of like 15 boards and my magic was in the front of the stack with a towel hanging over the nose. I pulled the towel down and the thing fell into four pieces on the floor, just shattered. Turns out, Hewy and Heath had decided to go late-night surfing the night before, and they grabbed the first two boards in the stack, and one of them happened to be mine. Still to this day, Hewy blames it on Heath and Heath insists it was Hewy... [laughs]. So that was my last magic board, man. And that was eight years ago, so go figure.  

ESM: What events are you looking forward to the most, and where do you feel you need the most work?
BB: I'm looking forward to all of them. I think the Gold Coast will be good for me, but if it's doing its thing, it's good for everybody [laughs]... I definitely need work at the lefts. Tahiti could be terrible, or it could be 20-foot tow-ins. And I'm not sure where the Search contest will be exactly. They're talking Western Australia. As long as my body's intact, I should be all set. As soon as the Australian leg is over, I'll be flying straight to Tahiti. I'm gonna do a lot of that this year. I'll be that guy who's at the events ten days early. Because I can do it -- I have no wife, no kid. I'll go to the Gold Coast two weeks early, post up, and surf as much as possible, just trying to stay fit and on top of it. The point is, I'm here to stay. I wanna stay in there for a couple years, and I know I can do it. It just takes a lot of focus and determination. 

"In the past five years of traveling with him, I don't know if I've ever seen him pissed off. He just sails through obstacles, whether they come through traveling or with contests that would have most other people's heads spinning. An ultra board snob, the pickiest human alive when it comes to his equipment. When he's home he trains hard to keep fit (or beat the previous night's hangover), and he's always up to some secret little mission -- girls, waves, whatever -- as long as he has a secret, he's happy. Ben's also one of very few surfers to ever volunteer to help me carry my gear, or pick me up from the airport. One of my favorite memories is chasing Hurricane Ophelia to the Southern Outer Banks. Howling wind, we're running to the island on his ski, overloaded with a mountain of photo gear and surfboards, scuba masks on our faces to protect our eyes from the blinding spray, and grinning like lunatics. Benny loves missions like that." ­DJ Struntz, Wrightsville Beach-based Surfing Magazine Staff Photographer  

ESM: The WCT wasn't exactly Dream Tour standards this year; that said, is the WQS docket as terrible as people make it out to be?
BB: The thing that sucks is sometimes there isn't a waiting period. So there might be two days that are really fun, but they might not come during your heats. That's where you get a lot of your complaints from, like, "Oh, the first day was one-foot and I lost, and the last few days were really good." Sometimes guys just don't put it together and get over it. It's not so bad for me. I grew up in Wrightsville Beach, so anywhere's good [laughs]... It never really phases me. Then again, that island in Brazil is almost always good. It was pumping this year; a couple days were just ridiculous -- as good as it gets for a contest. So, yeah, there are moments. But honestly, there are so many young Aussie kids who are just ripping... It's way harder now than when I was doing it in the '90s. The level has been raised so high. More and more unbelievable guys come out of the woodwork every year, and it gets harder and harder to qualify. It's really freaking tough, man. 

ESM: You came up under the influence of Slater, Machado, and Dorian, made the tour along with peers like the Hobgoods, Bobby, and the Irons bros, and now you got kids like Jordy Smith and Dane Reynolds stealing a lot of the attention. You're kind of in between schools -- not a vet, but not a rookie, either. Are you intimidated at all by this new crop?
BB: No, I was kinda lost there for a couple years, but now I'm back and it's not gonna be easy, that's for sure. But I don't have the pressure on me like some of the new guys coming on. I'm stoked where I'm at right now. I just wanna get out there, get it done, post some good results, be comfortable in the top-10 or top-15, and stay in a solid position for a couple years.

 
"I hate people that are scared to fail and Ben is so far from that. I think Ben's motto would be, 'If you don't give up, you can't lose.' Everyone says, 'The 'QS is crap and I'll never do it once I get on the 'CT... yadda yadda.' That's crap, too. I've had some of my best experiences and have learned so much from the WQS. Also, Ben has never had a full year on the WCT. Only about five contests happened in 2001, and in 2002, he was the first person out, so that means he would get a phone call a couple days before the comp started, saying, 'Do you want to come to South Africa, as this dude ain't showing up, and let us know by today or we'll give it to the next guy.' I'm not sure if you can count how many times Ben has been the first guy out on both tours. The thing about Benny ­ and he'll never say this, that's why it's coming from me ­ is he never complains. He's always got a level head no matter the circumstances. They just don't make dudes like this anymore. His story of perseverance would rival Bobby Martinez's." ­CJ Hobgood, 2001 ASP World Champion/ childhood friend

ESM: Isn't that thinking kind of small? I mean, you've won in Barbados, Japan, and England. You've been on the winning X Games East Coast Team. You've been an East Coast champ, a U.S. champ, and a World Amateur champ. At 29 years old, there's only one thing left -- a World Professional title.
BB: I'm not giving up until I win a WCT event, that's for sure. As for a title... [sighs] I don't know about that. That's a big thing to say, that you're going for a world title. Of course I am, but I wanna be realistic and not set my goals too high. I want to take it one heat at a time, one contest at a time. But I'm at every event to win the thing now, where as before... I don't even know what I was doing before, to tell you the truth. But now I have a whole different mindset. Put it this way: you put me in a heat and I'm gonna win the thing.