Sally Fitzgibbons keen for advice from Mick Fanning and Joel Parkinson
NEW location, new challenge but Sally Fitzgibbons will go beyond just her own meticulous preparation when it comes to taking on South Africa’s Jeffreys Bay from next week.
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NEW location, new challenge but Sally Fitzgibbons will go beyond just her own meticulous preparation when it comes to taking on South Africa’s Jeffreys Bay from next week.
It’s the first time the women’s tour will be held at the famous barrelling break and Fitzgibbons has no qualms turning to fellow Aussies Mick Fanning and Joel Parkinson for some tips on how to take it on.
Both men have enjoyed success at J-Bay, Fanning winning there four times (2002, ’06, ’14 and ’16, plus making the shark-interrupted final in 2015) and Parkinson twice (1999 and 2009).
Fitzgibbons said she’d be crazy not to pick their brains if it could give her an edge on her opponents.
“For sure. It’s been amazing to have the likes of Mick, now that he’s retired, he’s someone who’s always has given time and encouragement to myself and just being a bit of a sounding board if you do have questions,” she said.
“It would be crazy not to use any of their advice. Same with Parko, him still being on tour and we’re both on the JS (Industries, surfboards) team. In terms of equipment and what I’m looking for, he’s pretty much like the yogi in there at JS.
“I’ll get a few tips and tricks.”
Fitzgibbons is currently eighth on the World Tour rankings, third placings being her best finishes in 2018 at the Roxy Pro on the Gold Coast and more recently the Corona Pro at Keramas in Bali.
But even with the tough competition, she’s loving her time on the women’s tour more than ever.
With a packed schedule that included her first ride at the Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch a couple of weeks ago, she said there’s no time for rest between events these days.
Instead, Fitzgibbons spends her time banking experience to have a bag a tricks to draw on at new breaks, like the two events in Bali just gone and the upcoming J-Bay.
“A lot of it comes down to preparing, maybe off previous trips or trips around here in Australia and then you kind of bank that knowledge and then you have to pull it back out when it’s needed most,” she said.
“Your heat hinges on making this one barrel and you’re thinking if I can just sneak under it or sneak past the foam wall and then it happens. For that to happen and then the crowd goes wild and it just feeds to that feeling that you can’t really, for myself, replicate in anything else I do.
“I just love my time in the jersey.”
Surfers now not only have the Tour to worry about, but also the fast-approaching Olympics.
The top two surfers at the end of the 2019 Tour will qualify for Tokyo, laying down an epic battle between three of the world’s best female surfers in Fitzgibbons, Stephanie Gilmore and Tyler Wright to represent Australia.
Fitzgibbons, who has just partnered with Under Armour and is “going to work on some pretty exciting stuff” with them, said the addition of the Olympics meant there wasn’t a better time to be a surfer.
And the professionalism of the women’s tour now meant an athlete needed every edge to compete — in equipment, training and recovery.
“The culture on the women’s World Tour, I think it’s so healthy,” she said.
“Everyone on tour, we just talk about surfing. It’s almost like it’s reborn again where it’s purely about the performance and trying to, not only chase the World Title, but there’s people who are in 17th or wildcards that can win events.
“You’re just on your toes all the time trying to work out, how do I get each single heat win.
“Because the talent is across the board, it comes down to decision making so you really do have to go to the experience every time to learn your lessons.
“I reckon it’s an amazing time to be part of women’s surfing.”