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DAMIEN
HOBGOOD
It was the
winter of 1995. A group of the East Coast’s finest young surfers stood
on the beach at the Banzai Pipeline, staring in disbelief at the storm-whipped
mammoths capping on Second Reef. There was no one out, and no one going
out. It was the kind of surf that makes one’s stomach cartwheel with
trepidation. Fully clothed in top-of-the-line surfwear, the troop on
the beach laughed for a short time, heckling each other about who was
charging it first. Their comfort was secure in the fact that no one
in their right mind would paddle out. Walking back to their vehicle,
however, the group realized they were one member short. Without a whisper,
Damien Hobgood was already in his trunks and paddling out through the
maelstrom. The rest of the bunch, including Damien’s twin brother CJ,
shook their heads at the lunacy. Ten bombs and five years later, that
same teenager rocketed past a fresh crop of 21st century rippers to
win this year’s ASP Rookie of the Year, one year after his brother grabbed
the same honor. One would think by backing up his twin’s triumphs, Damien
has proven himself to be every bit the surfer CJ is. But after speaking
with him at this year’s Orlando Surf Expo, ESM found that satisfaction
isn’t in Dam’s vocabulary. As honed and lethal a competitor as he’s
been, he still feels he has something to prove.
 ESM:
When you and CJ first turned pro, it seemed you were being paid a bit
more attention, yet he qualified for the tour first, received the Rookie
of the Year award first, and won a WCT event first. Is there any personal
motivation for you to get something before he does, like a Hawaiian
win or a world title?
Dam: It’s weird, but there’s never been a jealousy thing. CJ
made the ‘CT first, but that was one thing I picked out and looked at
as being really positive. I was like, “Maybe I wasn’t supposed to make
the tour this year.” Because you know what? We both can’t win Rookie
of the Year if we’re both on the tour. So at the time I was thinking,
“He was meant to win Rookie of the Year this year, and next year’s my
time.” That’s why this season I was like, “I gotta be Rookie of the
Year now.”
ESM: What was it like to be the “new guy” on the ‘CT?
Dam: The rookies kind of had it hard this year. Even going towards
the last contest, there was no way any of the other rookies could catch
me, but there was a chance I could not requalify and drop off the tour.
That was scaring the heck out of me. It was stressing my brains out,
so I really focused on the last two contests, and it’s funny because
my brother was in the same place last year. He got a 9th in Brazil and
a 9th at Pipe in 1999, and I got a 9th at Brazil and a 9th at Pipe in
2000.
ESM: You and CJ are two of amateur surfing’s most revered athletes.
How have organizations like the ESA and NSSA helped you develop your
competitive approach throughout the years?
Dam: It’s funny you ask that. My dad didn’t even want us to go
to contests until we were about twelve. We were never exposed to the
politics side, until we actually wanted to be. He’d just tell us to
go have fun, and whatever happens, happens. Those organizations are
obviously still doing great, but in our day, it wasn’t like we were
just going down to win some contest. We were going there to see Ben
[Bourgeois], see the Lopez’s, and it was just a day at the beach. I
never thought, “Oh, this contest with these people is really important…”
It didn’t really matter.
ESM: So you didn’t expect it to evolve into a professional deal
at that point?
Dam: We didn’t know what was in store for us. I was like, “This
is fun. I’ve got these guys that are really good, and I’m going to get
to compete against them.” That was my impression on the whole amateur
scene. It was cool when the big contests came around because we all
got to meet up with some of the good guys that didn’t live in my area.
It was like a little party. We’d surf together and say, “Hey, this is
what I’ve been practicing.” It was cool. I’m sure you can ask those
guys, and they’ll say the same thing. I rag on Benny now saying, “You
had this board that was so big, and I was bummed because you could paddle
faster than me… [laughs].”
 ESM:
Who were some early influences when you were in that competitive
environment?
Dam: I definitely remember Cory [Lopez] doing some really cool
stuff in competition, and I’d say, “I want to do that, too.” And I think
my brother—us always pushing each other—is what made my competitive
drive what it is today. I’ve always looked at CJ and said, “If he’s
doing that, then I have to do something better.” So he’s a big influence
for sure, and now we surf so much alike from watching each other over
the years.
ESM: When CJ wins a heat, does it feel like you’re winning too?
Like one twin getting hit and the other twin feeling the punch?
Dam: Since day one, when he did something, I knew I could do
it. It’s like a dad with his son where the son does something, and the
dad gets happy. It’s been the same way for me. I was living vicariously
through him. From day one, if he got the photo or I got the photo, it
didn’t even matter whose name was on it. And half the time, the name
was wrong. I could never really get bummed, and sometimes we were looking
at the photos without a name on them, and asking, “Is that you, or is
that me?” So we knew early on it was gonna be weird, and we weren’t
gonna be able to control it. When we were younger in our careers, we
were always trying to be different, just like the kid trying to rebel
against his parents. We ended up spending so much energy trying to do
that, it seemed like a waste. After a while, it didn’t matter anymore.
I guess that’s just what growing up is about.
ESM: And you two have grown up in more ways than one. Both of
you are major players at Pipe, Cloudbreak, and Teahupoo. Do you have
any desire to go even bigger, doing tow-ins at big-wave spots like Mavericks
or Jaws for instance?
Dam: I haven’t done any of that. It’s something I’d like to try,
but not right now. I have so much admiration and respect for everybody
that does that kind of stuff. But right now, with the way things are
going, it’s just not possible for me. Those guys are crazy, though,
ya know?
ESM: A few of our sources say you have a bit of a screw loose
as well—a screw loose enough for you to put your life on the line in
waves of consequence when most others see madness. Can you comment?
Dam: Every time I see those waves, I feel I’m lucky enough to
be there and have the opportunity to surf. If I don’t go out in that
kind of stuff, I won’t know what it’s gonna feel like. So I pretty much
end up going out, and my brother ends up going out, and then I’m like,
“I gotta go a little further,” and CJ and I end up pushing each other
like that. I’ll turn to him and say, “Look where I’m sitting.”
 ESM:
So you feel comfortable in heavy waves?
Dam: I’m always scared, but the fear makes you do it. It’s like
a drug or driving fast. Why do people do drugs or drive fast? Because
it’s scary. You could die, but the element of fear can push you, too.
I don’t drive cars fast, and I won’t do drugs, so I have to find another
way. Big waves give me my adrenaline fix. I love ‘em.
ESM: Your buddy Justin Purser from Satellite Beach, FL, completed
his most engaging video yet with All The Way Live. How did your
relationship with Purser evolve as you and CJ worked on the production
of the video?
Dam: Justin’s so funny I’d want to have him with us even if he
didn’t have a video camera. Before he came out with us, we were having
so much fun watching the people CJ and I travel with throughout the
year—Ben Bourgeois, Bobby Martinez—and we thought, “These guys are doing
crazy stuff. It would be so easy for Justin to be able to travel with
us.” I guess it all worked out pretty good. But I’ve known him a while,
and he lives right next to me, so it was fairly easy.
ESM: Do you anticipate another collaboration together?
Dam: Yeah, definitely. He followed where he could, but if you
don’t travel all the year every year, you’re not used to it. So a couple
times, Justin had to pull the ripcord and go home [laughs]. For me,
what I wanted was for us to have fun and make a good video. I want the
people who buy it to be as stoked as we were making it.
ESM: Hobgood-mania has officially hit the big time. You and your
brother have already enjoyed a decade as two of Rusty’s prime marketing
tools, and you have proven yourselves to be among the top guns of the
world by requalifying for the WCT. As it all spins around you, what
has changed in your life as a professional surfer, and what has remained
the same?
Dam: That’s a good question. Not much has changed in the way
of surfing. I love surfing, and I have so much fun doing it. It’s given
me things I never knew were possible. In the way of family, nothing’s
changed, either. My family will always know that I love them to death.
There are roots that just never change. Maybe what has changed is realizing
I have to make a life, pay bills, and have a future secure for myself
and other people I’m involved with.
ESM: So if you could have scripted this…
Dam: But there’s never been a script. It’s always been taken
one day at a time. I like to think in the moment and have fun in the
moment because if you’re always thinking about the way you want things
to happen, it’s not going to happen. I never wanted my expectations
to precede what I was doing because then I’d never be happy. So I never
try to script things or plan things out the way I think they should
be because the way they should be is reality.
ESM: What have you learned most in making the switch from the
WQS to the WCT?
Dam: I’ve mostly learned to have patience this year. I think
I’m a lot smarter now in contests, but I don’t think I’ll ever really
be satisfied with my surfing.
ESM: What spots on the tour do you feel most suit your surfing?
Dam: I tried to figure that out last year. It was funny because
those events that I thought I would do the worst in, I did the best
in, and the events I thought I’d do really good in, I ended up not doing
so good.
ESM: Like Jeffreys Bay?
Dam: Yeah, that was one of those contests where I was like, “Just
don’t get 17th.” I ended up getting a fifth. Then I went to Tahiti,
where I was stoked and thinking, “This is my spot.” I ended up getting
33rd. That was pretty heavy, but I think it made me grow as a surfer,
competition-wise. It wasn’t the biggest or best waves in Tahiti, so
I had to be a lot smarter.
ESM: How are you going to approach your first man-on-man with
your brother?
Dam: I’ll probably go more all out and try bigger things—just
look for a little more. But he’s just another competitor when I’m out
in the water. Yeah, he’s my brother, but he’s also just another competitor
getting a score, and I have to get a better score.
ESM: Is there any cohesion among the East Coast guys that drives
all of you to lead the U.S. charge, seeing as the Californians aren’t
quite doing it?
Dam: Nahhh, it’s never really mattered for me at least. East
Coast, West Coast, it doesn’t make a difference. We’re all wanting to
do good for America. We never really think about that East Coast vs.
West Coast thing. It’s just a question that you guys at the mags like
to ask, but we don’t really notice.
ESM: When in your life do you feel most happy? Is it in the heat
of competition, away on some exotic boat trip, or just kicking it at
home?
Dam: I always remember surfing at home most of all. Those memories,
driving up to new Smyrna, driving down south, I dig those. That kind
of stuff makes me feel like a grom, and I like that feeling.
ESM: What do you do to get away from it all?
Dam: I like to fish to get away from it all. I also like to play
tennis because it’s good exercise. A lot of times when I’m at home,
I think I do some of my worst surfing, but it doesn’t matter because
I don’t really care what the other person thinks when I’m at home. But
when I’m on the road I do care. When I really want to get away, though,
I’ll go fishing and do stuff I know I suck at.
ESM: Suck at fishing? Aw, c’mon Dam, we hear you’re a serious
angler...
Dam: [Laughs] Well, lately I have been... especially when I come
home, and there are no waves.
ESM: You recently bought a house in Satellite Beach with your
brother. It must be nice to have a piece of the rock so early, huh?
Dam: Yeah, I don’t really know what the future holds. But for
now, no matter where I’m at, I’m always going to come back to Florida
for some part of the year. This is where it all began. This is what
life is all about: family and friends. It’s not some big glamorous party.
I always come back to Florida to get that reality check.
 ESM:
Seeing that your equipment is similar to CJ’s, do you two ever trade
off boards?
Dam: Yeah, they’re usually about the same. Bill Johnson is shaping
all of them. We usually don’t share small-wave boards, but if we’re
in big waves, and CJ’s board works really good, we usually share that
one because we don’t have that often [one magic board that works for
both]. When you travel throughout the year, you always get a couple
boards from other people, just to see what they have to offer and what’s
going on.
ESM: Everyday, surfing gets more and more lumped in with flaky
sports like rollerblading. As extreme sports pushers consume the airwaves,
what do you think might happen to surfing’s unique character in the
process?
Dam: Kids who are only thinking about the money involved with
the sport are hurting themselves. They shouldn’t focus on money because
they’ve got the rest of their lives to worry about that. Having crazy
expectations doesn’t really make sense to me. If it ended tomorrow,
I’d still be happy, and there’s nothing I would change.
ESM: And what about tomorrow? A position in the surf industry
maybe...
Dam: Of course, I love surfing so much. I’m always gonna see
myself doing something related to surfing.
ESM: Anybody you’re looking forward to drawing this year? Maybe
King Kelly?
Dam: I wouldn’t mind surfing against my brother, but I’m not
really aspiring to draw Kelly, ‘cause he’s a freak. If I beat him I’d
be stoked, but it’s not like I seek him out.
ESM: What is the hardest thing about traveling around the world
and competing against surfing’s greatest athletes?
Dam: There’s the obvious things like losing close contact with
your family and the people you grow up with—not getting to touch on
things that really make you feel good because you have to go and travel
all year. People are the ultimate—the ultimate happiness. I’m not looking
for surfing to be my ultimate happiness or my key to joy. Yeah, it has
opened doors, but people are what really matter in the end. But at the
same time, I love surfing so much that I never thought of it as a negative,
and so it’s never really bothered me. Because I’d feel like I’d be selfish
to say, “Ughhh, this is what I have to give up…blah, blah, blah.” Because
I really don’t have to give anything up. Surfing has done a lot for
me, and I feel overjoyed to be able to do what I do.
ESM: Right now in your career, what would you say is your crowning
achievement?
Dam: I don’t think I’ve really done much at this point. I still
feel like I have something to prove in surfing. I’m not satisfied yet.
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