BEN BOURGEOIS

While the Outer Banks has perpetually stood as the famous barreling big brother of North Carolina surf spots, smaller beach towns in the southern parts of the state have enjoyed several blissful years of anonymity. That was the case for Wrightsville Beach until a soft-spoken, svelte-limbed regularfoot named Ben Bourgeois burst onto the professional surfing scene with all the flair and grace needed to become the first North Carolina surfer ever to break into the elite ranks of the WCT’s Top 44. Highly touted as “the next Kelly Slater,” a moniker exhausted on several youths in the past who were less deserving of the title, Ben’s loose, power-based repertoire put his hometown on the surfing world’s map and will forever keep it there. ESM hung out with the “North Cackalacka” hero while he was bowling with his friends during a brief holiday from the tour. All gutterballs aside, Ben proved he’s still the same talented yet humble bloke he’s always been.

ESM: Please give us your full name, your age, and your current sponsors.
BEN: My name’s Benjamin Charles Bourgeois. I’m 21-years-old, and I surf for Quiksilver, Reef, Oakley, Nixon, Fade Surfboards, X-Trak, Ocean & Earth, and Sweetwater Surf Shop.

ESM: And a partridge in a pear tree. When and where did you first start surfing?
BEN: I first started surfing in New Jersey and Emerald Isle, NC. I went to Emerald Isle in the summers but lived in New Jersey. My cousin Brian, who was a little older than me, got me into it. In New Jersey, all my uncles, cousins, and aunts surfed. I first started at 7th Street, on the boardwalk in Ocean City. My dad owned Olympia Sports which was a sporting goods store that had everything from baseball to surfing stuff. He owned two stores, so I was pretty much dialed from day one. I first moved to Wrightsville when I was eight-years-old.

ESM: Who were some of the bros you hung with back in the day that motivated you to get better at surfing?
BEN: There were so many people in Wrightsville who influenced me as a grom, like Frank Wells and my uncle, Brian Tracey. My best friends now are the guys I grew up with here — Mark Hunt, Tony Delcotto, and Cameron Pearson — those three mainly. When I was growing up, that’s who I looked up to. I’m stoked to have grown up with these guys ‘cause I was always the grom and did whatever they did. I couldn’t ask for anyone better to grow up with. They never drank or did any drugs, or anything. They were the most positive crew I could have grown up with.

ESM: How influential have your parents been on your life and your career?
BEN: I can’t thank my parents enough. Ever since day one, my mom took me to every contest, even if it was New Jersey one weekend and then to Florida the next weekend. She drove me to every single contest, videoing all my heats, everything. She was so supportive. And ever since I got into surfing, my dad told me to do whatever I loved. He’d say, “If that’s what you’re having fun at, then go with it.” He’d let me do whatever I wanted to do. If I wanted to play baseball, then I’d play baseball — no pressure.

ESM: How long have you been with Quiksilver, and how has sticking with that company boosted your career?
BEN: I’ve been riding for them since I was 12-years-old. They’ve been backing me ever since. Even through my down times as an amateur, and when I hadn’t done good in a contest for three years, they still supported me. They never cut me. I’m super stoked I stuck with ‘em. I’m so thankful I’m still riding for those guys, and there’s no one else I’d rather be with.

ESM: What was the big turning point for you in terms of realizing that your dreams of becoming a professional surfer were within your grasp?
BEN: I always wanted to be a pro surfer; I always had that dream. But I remember when I was 14-years-old, and my surfing just upped. I’d go for stuff that I’d always go for, and I just started pulling it almost everyday.

ESM: That’s interesting. So it wasn’t like a big event or sponsorship that gave you confidence, but rather, it was your heightened performance level?
BEN: Yeah, it was weird. I remember trying to do stuff, and I just started sticking things that I used to fall off on. Everything started clicking, and I started progressing from then on — really fast. And then I’d watch myself on video, and I would think, “Oh my gosh, I got it! I think I got what it takes! I think I can get up there and surf with the best of ‘em.”
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ESM: You then went on to rack up quite a few results as an amateur in the ESA, NSSA, and ISA. You enjoyed a lot of success and eventually boosted yourself into the big leagues. What do you think that tells other kids who are depending on those organizations to help expose their talent?
BEN: All those organizations are doing a great job right now. The main thing is just having fun. You gotta go to the contests and have fun doing ‘em whether you win or lose. That was my whole deal. I just loved being around the whole contest atmosphere and surfing with different people. If you’re surfing contests and not liking it, then it doesn’t work. It’s not for everyone.

ESM: Tell us about the experience of winning the World Surfing Games in 1996. Was that the best result of your career at that point?
BEN: Definitely. That really helped me out and got my sponsors thinking I had what it took to win. So that was a really good thing to win the contest. It pushed Quiksilver to say, “Okay, we’ll give you the money to go on tour and do it.” So it was huge for me. I turned pro right after.

ESM: You just got back from a boat trip in the South Pacific with Quiksilver. That experience must have really sucked, huh?
BEN: Going on the Quiksilver Crossing trips is unbelievable. It’s just the most beautiful thing ever, surfing perfect waves. It’s a great experience, going where no one’s ever been, no one’s ever surfed, no one lives. It’s unbelievable. And the crew I got to go with was insane: Kelly, Shane Dorian, Strider. There was this one session where me, Jon Rose, and the captain of the Indies Trader paddled out. We pulled up, and the place was flat, but me and Jon jumped off the boat just to get wet. We had been on the boat all day, and we just wanted to paddle around. There wasn’t even a knee-high wave coming in. We were all sitting there talking, just swimming around when — BOOM — the swell we had been waiting for just hit. Every set got bigger and bigger, and it was perfect
conditions — no wind, solid 6-foot with bigger sets, and it was this perfect right, barreling forever. It was crazy; we were
sitting in barrels going, “Are you kidding me?” That was the first trip I went on there [Indonesia], and it was unreal. That
session freaked me out. I can’t believe how perfect it was.

ESM: Describe a surfing strength of yours.
BEN: I don’t know. I could tell you a thousand weaknesses [laughs]. Maybe it’s surfing waves like Wrightsville.

ESM: How about weaknesses? Where do you need work?
BEN: I’m working on everything everyday to better my surfing. Like consistency in heats, I feel like I’m on and off a lot of times. I can blow up one contest, and the next one, I’ll dig rails and fall on every wave. At places like Teahupoo and Pipe, I don’t have much experience out there. But that’s why I’m doing it right now, to get that experience and to go as hard as I can on tour —
giving it 100 percent — but I’m also trying to improve my surfing. I’m seeing what everyone else is doing, surfing all these killer waves, trying to figure out my equipment. That’s the main thing right now, getting in the groove. I’m not trying to be hard on myself at all; I’m just learning everyday.

ESM: Who’s been shaping your boards, and are there any new designs you’re experimenting with?
BEN: I’ve been riding for this Japanese company called Fade, and they’re located in Hawaii. I’ve been getting some good boards from Wes Oshiro. The way my deal is, I can get boards from wherever, but I have to have their logo on them. Wes’s boards have been working good, and I’ve been trying to get my boards dialed, but I’m still having problems. I haven’t really clicked with any one shaper like I want to, and I’m working on that. I actually just ordered a couple channel bottoms — like six-channels — just to give ‘em a go. I heard they work really good in clean, good waves. So I’m gonna take two to Fiji and Tahiti. But my shortboard is
basically just a squash-tail, pretty flat and mellow on the bottom.

ESM: How did your first WCT event go?
BEN: It was good — really fun. It was different than I thought it was going to be. For some reason, I thought there was going to be all these things I’d have to remember about the man-on-man — stuff I’d have to learn — but it’s actually pretty basic. And I like that setup better than the four-man; I think everyone does. More waves and no hassling, it’s more fun. The heat I lost was with Shea Lopez, and it was super close.

ESM: What are some of the major differences in surfing a WCT event and a WQS contest in terms of difficulty, pressure, heat bracketing, etc.?
BEN: The biggest difference is surfing against the guys you’ve looked up to your whole life. A lot of those guys surf the ‘QS, and I’ve surfed against most of them before, but every heat you have is hard. There’s never a slack heat. You can never count anyone out though, even in the ‘QS. But in the ‘CT, every guy is blowing up. That’s as far as you can go, y’know? That’s it — the top 44. Every heat seems so close. You hardly ever see a heat where a guy just gets spanked. It usually comes down to that one guy got a better wave, or another did an air at the end.

ESM: Any locations you’re sketched about competing at?
BEN: There’s nowhere that I’m sketched out about, but I’d say that I need experience at every spot. The whole ‘CT thing is all new to me. It’s more like a chess match. You gotta be smart about what waves to take, when to take them, and what waves not to go on. Where in a ‘QS, you want to get your wave count up. You’ve got four-man heats, and they’re usually 20 minutes long, but the ‘CT’s are usually a half-hour long. It’s a lot different. As far as Tahiti and Pipe go, I’m actually really looking forward to the experience. You gotta put in time surfing those places. Every year, you’re just gonna get better and better every time you surf it. I’m ready to step it up.

ESM: Are you doing anything special in terms of tuning up for those heavier spots — any nutritional or physical endurance changes?
BEN: Anytime I’m back home here in Wrightsville, I’m pretty much on a program with my dad. He’s a crazy workout freak, so he usually pushes me to get on some sort of a program. And all my friends, like Mark [Hunt] and Cameron [Pearson], they’re all amped to train. Whenever I’m home they’ll say, “C’mon, let’s step it up. Let’s see what you got.” Anytime I’m home, I’ll run or swim. Me and Mark, ever since day one, have been head-to-head with each other. Ever since I was 12, he’s pushed me in surfing and anything we’ve ever done together. Like when it comes to push-ups, I’ll do 10, he’ll do 20, and then I gotta do 25 [laughs].

ESM: Well then, tell us about your hometown, what it means to you, and what you think it means to be a North Carolina surfer.
BEN: It means everything to me to be from here. I’m so stoked I grew up and live here. I love it here more than anywhere, and I’m backing this place 100 percent. When I was living in California, I had an address there. So even when I go overseas now, a lot of times announcers will be like, “Ben Bourgeois from California,” and that really bums me out. But all that’s changed now, I’ve straightened ‘em out [laughs]. I love Carolina. I love rednecks! I love it all. Everyone here is so down-to-earth. All the people who surf here are just surfing to have fun; everybody’s in such a good mood. You hardly ever go surfing in North Carolina where you’re gonna see somebody with a bad attitude. In California — not everywhere in Cali — but towards the end, I was getting so bummed out on the whole deal, like, “this isn’t what it’s supposed to be about.” I love coming home: everyone’s having a good time and cheering each other on. No one’s ever fighting. There’s so much love around here.

ESM: And you truly know how to keep the love flowing. I vaguely recall you buying drinks for the whole bar one night after a big result.
BEN: All the people in Wrightsville have been so supportive, and if it wasn’t for them, I never would have made it where I am today. I owe these guys a lot. Everytime I come back in town, everyone says, “What’s up?” I’m so stoked when someone comes up and says, “Dude, you’ve been doing good,” or “It’s good to see you.”

ESM: Who are some of the better surfers coming up from around your area?
BEN: There’s a whole rat pack of groms in Wrightsville. Those kids are just super-amped, and they’re out there having fun and doing it ‘cause they love doing it. They’re not worried about sponsors and all that, and a lot of ‘em are surfing really good. They can go a long way. There’s Shane Upchurch. He’s from out in the boonies, he’s younger, he’s been doing good for awhile, and definitely has some potential. Chris Curry, Matt and Richard Gilligan, those guys are getting shots in the mag, and they’re surfing really good. All those guys are blowing up, so I’m stoked to see that.

ESM: You have the reputation for being the nice guy pro, the first Carolina surfer to make the tour, and for being an exceptional marketing commodity for your sponsors. What do you think that says to other North Carolina surfers who have been generally regarded as substandard to California or Florida surfers in the past?
BEN: You just gotta be who you are. I’ve never tried to be anything I’m not. This is just who I am. I don’t try to tell kids to be like me. The main thing is just having a good time. If you don’t enjoy it, there’s no use in doing it. Just take it as far as you can take it.

ESM: Seeing as you’re New Hanover County’s most famous athlete next to Michael Jordan, do you have any plans to donate one of your boards to UNC Wilmington?
BEN: Yeah, I’d be stoked to do that, man! Every year, I give a board to Wrightsville Beach School for their Halloween festival. I’ve been giving them a board every year for four years. I’m stoked when anyone comes up to me and asks me to do stuff like that.

ESM: Your sisters run Wrightsville Beach on the female side in terms of keeping it pretty, pleasant, and real. Who is the man of the town holding court?
BEN: Mark Hunt’s the man, dude. Pretty much anyone who comes here without knowing anything about the place notices Mark out surfing. All the locals and everybody who lives here knows that Mark is a great guy and how well he surfs.

ESM: Deep down inside, are you jealous of your buddy Mark because he dances better than you, particularly at Harbor Lights in Barbados?
BEN: I’ve always been jealous of Mark; that’s what’s kept me going all these years. He may have been dancing better than me, but I was sitting at the table with the hotter chick.

ESM: When do we get to see a Benny Boo appearance on Dawson’s Creek? Maybe you can steal Dawson’s chick for a session on the dock of the bay, or kick Pacey’s ass in a brawl at the Raw Bar.
BEN: It’s pretty funny that they film that around here. That show has made this place pretty popular. Every time I come home, I freak out at all the new buildings and roads I never saw before. But the people are still the same. That’s why I love it here... the people. If it wasn’t for them, this wouldn’t be happening to me. And this is it, this is everything I’ve wanted since I was five years old. I used to sleep with my surfboard every night, just dreaming of being a pro. The other day at Bells, I was driving all by myself, and I just started screaming at the top of my lungs. I was just screaming to myself, “I made it!”