HIGH ALL THE TIME:
GORKIN ROCKETS PAST SURFING’S BEST AVIATORS AT THE QUIKSILVER SMAS AIRSHOW

Everything seemed to be getting better in 2002, as the Right Coast gained not one, but two Airshow events helping compose the Surfing Magazine Airshow Series (SMAS). It made sense, seeing as the East is the undisputed birthplace of aviation—not only because the Wright brothers made their first flight in Kitty Hawk, NC, on December 17th, 1903, but also in the realm of high-performance waveriding. Beginning with Matt Kechele and John Holeman’s pioneer leaps in the ‘80s, Florida surfers have been carrying on the skywalking legacy ever since. In fact, it can be argued that the Sunshine State has produced the most innovative aerialists in the world. Think about it in terms of “first surfer ever to do the...” Alek Parker, backflip; Phillip Waters, alley-oop varial; CJ, superman; Aaron Cormican, Gorkin flip and the sex change... And don’t even get us started on what Slater’s come up with over the years. But with not a single Eastside contest scheduled for the ‘03 SMAS tour, a lot of this coast’s pilots are left grounded. However, one of our own—New Smyrna Beach’s Aaron Cormican—made it clear he wasn’t going to lay down for the western-dominated series. The Right Coast’s most celebrated booster landed his first SMAS victory at the Quiksilver Airshow, held May 22nd-25th at Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica. The win lifted him to second in the ratings, a mere 30 points behind frontrunner Zach Keenan. We caught up with Gorkin in California to talk about his win, the future of above-the-lip surfing, and what else he has stored in his fuselage.

By Matt Pruett

ESM: You’re getting pretty used to these victory showers now.
AC: Yeah, I’m kinda charging the Airshows now. That’s why I’m out here. I’m gonna do this one in Newport tomorrow. See how it goes.

ESM: This is your first SMAS win. With your solid reputation for aerial artistry, this has been a long time coming.
AC: I’ve been doing them for four years now. I made a couple finals last year—got a second and a third—but couldn’t quite break the barrier. I’ve been frothing to get one.

ESM: You had some unbelievably tough competition down there in Costa Rica. Who looked to be the man to beat throughout the week?
AC: I didn’t surf with too many of the guys who were in the contest. Everyone was kinda on their own trip. (Geoff) Brack was looking solid, though. I was freesurfing with him every day because we were shooting for my buddies’ new video, Snapt. It’s made by Logan Dulien and Chad Towersey. It’s gonna be insane. Garson’s got a sick section. They’ve got Hobgood, myself, and some mental shit of Parko and Irons. The footage is all exclusive, so it should be pretty rad.

ESM: Anyone in particular surprise you in the comp?
AC: To tell you the truth, I was psyched on Robbie Blevins. He was ripping the whole time. He works at the Garson’s camp, so we got to see him freesurf a lot. Blevins didn’t have any cash for the entry fees, so a couple of the boys pitched in—five bucks here, ten there—and got it going for him. Then he made the final and got third, which was even better. He was doing all kinds of sick airs. There were other guys punting, but Blevins and Brack were really getting me pumped.

ESM: How conducive were the conditions for airs?
AC: It was pretty small Hermosa. There wasn’t much swell until the last day. The place is tricky. At high tide, there were no sections. It was just kinda lapping up on the beach. At lower tides you could get a couple, though. And for the final, there were full ramps coming in. Guys were just busting everywhere. I’ve only been in two or three finals, but that was definitely the sickest one, not just because I won, but because every guy in the heat was hucking all over the place.

ESM: How do you adjust your equipment for competing in an Airshow as opposed to something you’d ride in say a Foster’s WQS on the Outer Banks?
AC: They’re pretty much the same. I like to ride my standard shortboard. I think surfboards made specifically for airs are kinda cheap.

ESM: So you don’t agree with the experimental “waveskates” guys are riding now?
AC: Well, they’re so little and they just hop out of the water and spin so easily. I mean, anyone can bust on those things. Those little discs force you to have a different approach. Don’t get me wrong, because the things guys are doing on them are sick, but I like to make my surfing go one way. I don’t want to lose that speed or my focus on stylish, powerful surfing. So I stick with my shortboard.

ESM: What looks to be the trick everyone’s attempting these days?
AC: It’s getting pretty technical; it’s more about board changes, body changes, and varials—more towards the skate style. That’s what’s going on at the Airshows. But I just wanna go bigger and try different grabs. That’s what I’m working on—doing big lien 360’s and slob 360’s, maybe some Superman variations. There’s standard shit I try like the sex change and the alley-oop varial, but primarily I want to go bigger, higher, and blast off bigger sections—just clean big hucks with rotations and different grabs that look cool—maybe even throw two gnarly grabs into one. I like the roast beef and the stalefish, but they’re complicated grabs, so they don’t look good unless they’re done really big. I hate those little ones, where guys barely grab. We call ‘em “wee mans” [laughs]. I think a 360 superman would be pretty sick—like go up and superman and as you’re going up in the air start rotating, then pull your board back under as you’re coming down backwards...

ESM: Uh, yeah. Piece of cake... On that note, how far away are we from the kickflip? Who will be the first to nail it?
AC: I don’t know. I’m not into that shit. The board isn’t meant to do a fucking kickflip. I mean, it would be sick to see someone do it, but I’m not gonna try it myself. Maybe Mike Morrissey or Fletcher will do it. I’ve seen Eric Sorenson fully land one on his board but fall. It’s gonna be someone with a skate influence, though. Who knows? It could just be some random who pulls it and freaks everyone out.

ESM: All the SMAS players have their M.O.—Gavin Sutherland’s backside three, Randy “Goose” Welch’s disaster, Crimo’s varial, etc. Yours has got to be the frontside air-reverse, as you have about a 90-percent success ratio. Does your staple move ever feel stale?
AC: That’s pretty stock now, yeah? I don’t know, I feel that’s like a safety air, just one to get an easy score. In the final, I did a double-grab at the beginning of the heat, then a single-grab three, then a pretty solid stock. So I think the stock air is what helped me win, because they count your top two airs.

ESM: Outside of the Airshow circuit, what contests will you be focusing on this year? Obviously you’ll show up in North Carolina to defend your Foster’s Outer Banks Pro crown.
AC: Yeah, I gotta go up for that one. I’m just gonna do the Airshows and maybe a couple QS’s. I’m mostly working on filming this year and next year for Snapt 2. Then I’m gonna come out with a video myself.

ESM: Really? Tell us about that.
AC: We’re stumped on the title; we’ve got a couple names running through our heads right now, but it’s gonna be a profile video on Gorkin. It’ll have some surfing, some stuff about my life as a grom, what I’m into now—just show people what it’s like to cruise around with me: going to some contests and Airshows, going fishing, hanging in Smyrna. And we want to get the gnarly clips so kids are psyched. Logan and Chad are helping with that, too. My buddy Johnny Perkins, who I film with a lot, came up with the idea. If Ratboy can have a movie, then I can have one, too.

ESM: That makes sense; after all, you’re the East Coast’s Ratboy.
AC: [Quickly interjects] I don’t want to be! I wanna be gnarlier, get really barreled, and show people I can rip, too... and not just at airs.

ESM: Any other special projects planned?
AC: Actually, we’re gonna do something with the NBK (acronym for New Byrna Konnection); try and get a leash and pad company going with that. It’s gonna be called New Board Konnection, ‘cause you always need a pad and leash when you get that new board!

ESM: With all their tats, piercings, and tweaky styles, the Airshow brigade are like surfing’s version of the Toxic Avengers. They have a sort of anarchic solidarity that separates them from how pro surfers are generally perceived. What’s it like competing and hanging with that bunch?
AC: It’s like a big group of friends, and when you show up in a heat, everyone’s psyched and amping each other up. People look at Crimo and Matteson like, “Ooh, those guys are hardcore, creepy fuckers.” But they’re actually the coolest guys you can meet. They’re not a bunch of fucking clowns worried about slurping off somebody to get their shots and paychecks, combing their hair before they paddle out. They’re just out there doing what they want to do for fun and hopefully make a check at the contest.

ESM: You pocketed $4000 for first-place. How did you spend the money?
AC: I actually didn’t get too gnarly. I was gonna buy a boat when I got home, and then I found out I had to pay off a loan towards my house, which is right across the street from the river. I’m totally into fishing. It’s so fun going out and cruising in a canoe or a little johnboat and hitting these back canals where nobody’s at. Hook up some reds and trout.

ESM: Your aerial game has made your name household right up there with Friends and soy moo. Do you feel your current position as a surf star obligates you to keep pushing the envelope?
AC: Fuck, I don’t think I’m a surf star. I know I’ve probably got a couple kids who are psyched on the Gorkin, but I’m still the same cruiser. But at the same time, I’m the guy to beat when they start getting older, so I gotta keep stepping it up. These kids start turning 16 or 17, and they feel like they’re ready to take you out. I know that’s how I felt when I was coming up. When I turned 18, I was like, “Fuck, I want to get these guys in a heat. They’re getting old now.”

ESM: How do you feel about surfing possibly being included in this year’s X Games? Our sport’s evolving aerial dimension kinda drives that “extreme” point home.
AC: It would be sick to get surfing in the X Games, ‘cause it’s pretty extreme for a sport. Huntington might not be the best spot to do it [laughs], but that would be a good start as far as getting a crowd and sparking an interest in what we do.

ESM: You silenced a lot of critics when you smoked the WQS-seasoned competition at October’s Outer Banks Pro. Do you think this win might re-institute you as an air guy?
AC: Y’know, everybody kinda already looks at me like an air guy, so I think it’s gonna be something people will look at like, “Wow, finally. It’s about time he put it together.” But it doesn’t matter. They can say whatever they want. As long as I get paid.