Photo: Jimbo

In This Issue

"Get what you can get while you can get it. Be nice if you can, but get it." ­Al Capone 

You'll see a lot of quotes like that sprinkled throughout this issue's interview with Ben Bourgeois. And hey, I'll be the first to admit that for a writer, it's a cheap way out. If a guy's tightlipped by nature, what better way to spice up his story than simply calling on those who know him best, or less ideally, some historical figure, to fill in the blanks? The truth is, Benny is so humble, he doesn't even realize that he possesses what is perhaps the most important story in the history of East Coast surfing. Plenty of Right Coasters have made the ASP World Championship Tour -- the Lopezes, the Hobgoods, Randazzo, Melhado, Hewitson, Kling -- but Ben is the only one who made it twice. Not to mention the fact that he's the only guy from North Carolina, arguably the best state for waves on the entire coast, to make that ascension. 

Over the course of the interview, the moment that stood out most regarding the six and a half years between him falling off the WCT and requalifying is when he said, "Actually, the years have flown by."

Ben's story is a bit serendipitous for me, as well, because that's exactly how long ago I moved from North Carolina to Florida to work for Eastern Surf. In fact, one of my last assignments as a freelancer was to interview Ben after he first qualified. And while it was probably the best career move I ever made, I wouldn't necessarily say those years have "flown by." I can only guess the reason it seems that way for Ben is the task itself erased all the variables between. 

Most of us spend our entire lives waiting for something to happen -- putting our faith in God, Fate, or a significant other while looking for the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Then life happens, and that pot gets further and further away. Before we know it, we've resigned ourselves to the hand we've been dealt, compromising our dreams one by one with "at least I got this" or "it could be worse."

Not Ben. Here's a kid who knew all along from the time he was 12 years old exactly where he belonged. And more importantly, what he needed to do to get there. Then, once his destiny threatened to disintegrate, some sponsors shifted and some attention drifted. But Ben didn't concern himself with those trite details. Because honestly, what did any of that have to do with this minor setback? One that lasted six years and some change, but a setback just the same. No, Ben just put his head down and went back to work. And if the bleakness of the situation ever got to him, he certainly didn't let anyone know it. If that's not an inspirational message for us all, I don't know what is.  

But I do know this: The difference between "living the dream" and "dreaming the life" comes down to one thing, and one thing only, no matter who you are. 

Perseverance.

By Matt Pruett