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THE
PERFECT ENDING:
BULLSHITTING
WITH RED BULL ICE BREAK ORGANIZER JACK FLEMING
By
Jon Coen
Anybody
know a good divorce lawyer?" Jack Fleming asked, jokingly.
It was a few days after Easter and Jack was leaving his New
Hampshire home again, packing a bag full of warm clothes for
yet another shotgun Northeastern surf mission. But Fleming's
loving and understanding wife, Bridget, wasn't surprised.
In the waveriding community, Fleming's known as one of the
driving forces behind the hugely popular and unique Red Bull
Ice Break. And his role as the contest's director had already
put him in Nova Scotia on Thanksgiving, in New Jersey on Christmas
Eve, and most recently, back in Nova Scotia for the Ice Break's
Main Event at the start of April.
A
Connecticut native and a former championship/ Olympic-qualified
aerial and mogul skier, Jack found himself working on the
business side of the boardsports industry after an accident
removed him from the snow. He then worked a few years for
a traveling ski show before forming his own traveling event
outfit based out of New Hampshire, Jumpin' Jack Sports, which
makes novelty events like the Ice Break happen. So by now,
Bridget Fleming is used to Jack chasing winter storms up and
down the East Coast any time the conditions call for it, holiday
or not--especially since she's a vital part of the company.
She of all people knows Jumpin' Jack is always moving. ESM
caught up with Fleming to talk about Northern exposure, the
coolest winter surfing contest in the nation, and his criminal
record.
ESM:
Tell us a little bit about your time as a competitive skier.
JF:
I was lucky enough to grow up about 10 minutes away from a
Connecticut ski resort called Powder Ridge. They let me build
jumps and do whatever I wanted to practice. I eventually became
the East Coast champ in Moguls and Aerials, and qualified
for the U.S. World Cup Team. In 1987, I was U.S. Aerial Champion,
scored some World Cup Top-5 results, and qualified for the
'88 Olympics.
ESM:
What happened with that?
JF:
At the World Cup, right before the Olympics, I crashed in
training. I broke my shoulder, and never got to compete. So
I did a few more World Cups. Then I signed on with a ski show
tour, managed the tour for five years, and went on to start
my own company. I have no regrets. I accomplished my goals.
When you're doing triple flips with a triple twist, you're
going to get banged up.
ESM:
So why did you start surfing, being such a ski bum?
JF:
After the injury took me out of competitive skiing, I moved
down to Cocoa Beach for a bit. At that point, I had only surfed
once before. But I stayed in Florida for a while and started
surfing to take my mind off things. And that was it. I was
hooked.
ESM:
So you went from being a heavy fixture in the snow scene to
becoming fully involved in waveriding.
JF:
My skiing career was a great experience. I am so fortunate.
But every time I paddle out, I enjoy surfing more than anything.
I would love to be able to turn the clock back and practice
like a little grom, all year round.
JF:
I knew Jeff Regis' involvement with Red Bull as head of Northeast
Sports Marketing. He was the brainchild behind the contest.
Back then, I was a sales rep for Body Glove and Spy and he
was a ski rep. We were snowboarding at Loon Mountain and he
explained how they'd just done the first Ice Break in 2002.
He said it went OK, but he wanted ideas on how to make it
better. So I got involved.
ESM:
You must have some great stories.
JF:
At the first event I ran in Matunuk, RI, I was arrested. The
waves were great, and the contest was going awesome. But the
locals had no idea what was going on behind the scenes. I
was pleading with the cops the whole time. Finally, I was
arrested for having a contest on federal land without a permit.
I thought we had the permit--a third party was supposed to
obtain it--but I learned my lesson. Now, I get them personally.
ESM:
Running an event "on call," hundreds of miles away, on a day's
notice, probably throws some monkey wrenches at you, eh?
JF:
It's a logistical nightmare. You can't even go away for a
weekend with the family without checking the swell models.
It consumes you. We make the call 48 hours out--so we are
always looking five or six days ahead to get the ball rolling.
ESM:
What has the Ice Break brought to East Coast surfing?
JF:
Opportunity. Red Bull does a great job with photos and media.
And it's such a unique competitive event--even for those who
aren't normally into contests.
ESM:
Your average Northeasterner, who's usually more concerned
with thawing out a wetsuit than WQS standings, seems to really
relate to this event. Why is that?
JF:
I think the fact that it's all East Coast-based guys keeps
people interested. It's a natural thing to root for your boys.
Maybe Zev Gartner is surfing against Frank Walsh--or the Carolina
boys are calling out Jersey. It makes for a great hometown
cheering section.
ESM:
Do you think it sheds light on a segment of the surfing population
that really has to be committed?
JF:
What this event shows is how surf stoked East Coasters are.
Everyone looks at it as a hardcore event, which it is. But
as an East Coast surfer, you're excited when any swell comes.
We know it's worth getting on the suit and doing that session,
because we don't know when the next swell is coming. And that's
what this contest is really about.
ESM:
How do you feel now that this year's event is finished--but
it was the contest's final year?
JF:
Well, I'm still in a bittersweet mood. One one hand, we
just finished the Final last week. So I'm psyched it was successful.
But as you know, the Ice Break is done. It feels great to
finish on a high note, but after having built an event that
East Coasters embrace, I don't know how to feel now that it's
over. But because of Red Bull, we've been able to get creative
and make the Ice Break what it was--so I'm sure we'll be able
to do something new for the future.
ESM:
You've done a tremendous amount of scouring the Canadian Maritimes
for epic setups. What's up there?
JF:
The potential is huge, but similar to unknown Northeast spots,
it takes commitment, research, and studying. You have to be
prepared for failure, because there're so many variables to
make the conditions line up.
ESM:
Will that keep those spots fairly unexposed?
JF:
Definitely. Maybe there'll be a few hits here and there, but
perfect swell conditions are few and far between. It makes
scoring a tough task.
ESM:
So are you in the doghouse with your wife after all this hectic
traveling?
JF:
No. Bridget has put up with me for 13 years. I just owe her
a few favors.
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