World Surf League: Jacob Willcox’s decade long-road to rookie season on the tour
From Perth to the Gold Coast to the WSL Championship Tour – Jacob Willcox has waited a long time to compete against the world’s best.
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Excitement, pride, anticipation – Jacob Willcox has felt all the emotions ahead of his breakout rookie season on the World Surf League Championship Tour – except nerves – they won’t come until he pulls on his rashie at the Pipe.
The 26-year-old West Australian has waited 10 years for his chance to compete against the world’s best.
He missed out on qualifying by one spot for the past three years before finally pulling together the season Willcox and surfing experts knew he could.
“I don’t feel nervous now,” Willcox said, talking two days before his first heat on tour.
“I’m not going to lie. I’m going to feel nervous on the day for sure. Which is a pretty normal feeling to have, especially when you care about something, so there is always going to be a little bit of nerves.
“But it’s just understanding how to manage them and make sure the head noise doesn’t get the better of you.”
Willcox’s trick to dealing with nerves is to just remember all the hard work he has put in.
“Then I just really like to know what I’m getting myself into in the water, getting an understanding of the waves, understanding what’s happening in the ocean and making sure I have a strong connection with the ocean… everything comes off the back of that,” he said.
Willcox said he wasn’t sure the moment would ever come and contemplated packing away his surfboard more than once during his decade-long slog on the Challenger Series.
“No matter what you do, whether you are a reporter, an accountant, or whatever you do you always have doubts within yourself,” Willcox said.
“I love doing it so it’s worth pushing through those doubts and just having a go at it.”
A turning point for Willcox’s career was making the tough decision to move across the country from Western Australia to the Gold Coast, two years ago.
“Moving away from home has been hard, it’s a sacrifice but home is always going to be there,” Willcox said.
“There are a lot of good things for me on the Gold Coast that have made me a better surfer.
“It’s a great hub for surfing and Surfing Australia’s on the Gold Coast and you’ve got access to coaching and physical training, it was a no brainer for me to go over there.
“It’s taken me to the next level. I’m a surfer and I’d do anything to make myself better.”
At the first round, the Pipe Pro, at Banzai Pipeline in Oahu, Hawaii, Willcox will be up against Brazilians Miguel Pupo (#27) and Italo Ferreira (#13).
“It’s the best surfers in the world, everyone on this tour can surf and every heat is going to be hard,” he said.
Willcox just plans to take it one heat at a time, and hopefully make the mid-season cut.
“My main goal though is more of a personal one and it is to just not let myself down throughout the year,” Willcox said.
“Just be there for myself and put in the world and when things get hard to really push through that and make good decisions.”
Watch all the action on Kayo from 4.30am on Tuesday, January 30.
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Originally published as World Surf League: Jacob Willcox’s decade long-road to rookie season on the tour
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