I get the chills when watching footage of Timmy’s knee injury he sustained while surfing the O’Neill Cold Water Classic in Santa Cruz last October. He was perched at ninth place on the ‘CT ratings and it looked like we were going to have three Cali surfers finish in the top 16 of the World Tour for the first time in an eternity. But all that changed on a heaving closeout floater attempt. He still managed a top sixteen finish in ’06, only missing the Pipe Masters. Now, after eight months of rehabilitation and Physical therapy, Timmy is back in the water and has more determination than ever.
So what’s going on man?
Not much, I’m getting ready to go on a surf trip. I’m trying to get motivated into surfing bigger and better waves. Get the feeling back again and stuff. It’s been fun around here but I gotta step it up a bit if I want to compete at a higher level. I just need to get in the water as much as I can.
How long were you out for?
I hurt myself in October and didn’t get back in the water till June. I was out a full eight months.
What steps have you taken for rehabilitation?
I have been surfing SO much lately. Just that and training. Not so much physical therapy anymore. My knee is pretty much back to where it was before the injury, it’s strong. I’m trying to strengthen my other weaknesses through Yoga and Pilates and other stuff. I’ve been going to this place that trains athletes called Athleticism. They help you with your overall coordination through jumping and agility exercises. Its super fun and something I’ve never done before and I enjoy it so much. I can see the results in my surfing really quick and it’s partly the reason that I’m surfing again in the first place.
That’s sounds like a routine every surfer should do anyway, not just to rehab an injury.
Yeah, I just feel better now. If I go without doing it for a few days I kinda freak out and feel like I gotta get back in there. I didn’t realize how under-prepared you can be. I’m trying to over-prepare now and it’s working for me. I’m treating it like how a real athlete would train and stuff. I tried hard and did really well last year and finished eleventh without surfing in the last contest. I think I can do better than that and the only way to get better is by eliminating your weaknesses through training and surfing.
Did you jump right back on to your shortboard when you started surfing again?
No. It’s only been two and a half weeks since I’ve been shortboarding again. My first session back I was doing good airs and I felt really confident.
So you’ll be back on tour in ’08? You get an injury wildcard don’t you?
Yeah. Well, I have to apply for my status first. But I’ve talked to all the right people at ASP and they said to just get better and don’t worry about losing my spot, so I’m super stoked about that ‘cuz sometimes you don’t get a second chance. It’s gonna be a difficult year for sure though. Since I’m a wildcard, I’ll have to surf against the top placing guys from this years standings. It will be hard, but it’s more fun when there’s a challenge right?
Yeah, it gives you something to shoot for.
I know. It’s kind of given me the motivation to get pumped up and get psyched ‘ya know? I did good last year and I’m not going to complain about it. I’m way more focused now. It will be my third year on tour and I feel like I know all the reefs a little better. I want to have a more consistent year and bring home a win.
You are one of only four guys from our zone on the ‘CT right now. Do you feel like you are representing the West Coast and California when you are out on tour?
Well, yeah, kind of. All of us on tour that are from California are good friends. We actually don’t get to see each other that often at home. So when we see each other on tour we are stoked when one of us does well, and there is always someone there to help out if you do bad. Yeah, we are all there for each other. Over seventy percent of the tour is Australian and Brazilian surfers, so we get the odd Aussie or Brazilian hanging out with us too, it’s all good. It’s pretty cool to see all the mix of surfing and where everybody comes from and stuff. But, yeah, most of the Americans and Hawaiians stick together.
Even though you live in Huntington, your girl lives in Santa Cruz. You must surf a lot up there, huh?
Yeah, it’s cool. I get along with everybody up there and I like it a lot. O’Neill is based up there too, so that’s convenient. Her family lives on the East Side so I get to surf all those spots around there. Every once in a while I venture out to the West Side and surf The Lane and some other spots. And sometimes I go a little further towards San Francisco. It’s cool because I can surf all the beachbreaks down here, and then surf points and reefs up there and get a little mix of everything. Both places feel like home now and I’m pretty stoked.
Which surfers have been the biggest influences towards your surfing?
I would have to say Tom Curren and Chris Ward. I’ve always liked Archy too. He’s insane. He pretty much started radical surfing, and we ride for the same shaper. When he rode for O’Neill a while back we got to hang out. I was stoked because we got to surf together almost every day. I got to go to Hawaii with him and learn where to sit at Off-The-Wall and stuff.
You got some bombs out there that last winter you surfed it. Is that your favorite wave over there?
Yeah, I like Off-The-Wall. I like Backdoor and Pipeline too, but their kinda too crazy for me. I look at a peak there and sometimes don’t know which way to go. It’s so crowded there and it feels like I’m never in the right spot. I like OTW because it’s un-crowded and seems a little more dangerous. Backdoor is shallower, but OTW comes from deeper water and kind of slabs more on the reef, and then lets you do a maneuver at the end of the wave. It’s definitely my favorite wave on the North Shore.
You have been getting boards from Timmy Patterson for a while now. It appears to be working out well for you.
I’ve been with Patterson for years now. He is a great shaper and is close to me in HB. With guys like Pat-O, Losness, Archy, and Parsons on his team, he can shape any kind of board for big or small waves. Andy gets boards from him too. It’s cool that we live close to each other because we can try different shapes out and go back to his place and work on things right then and there. I qualified on his boards and have ridden his boards at every event since.
Did you get your TL2 Pro Model yet? I know they just hit the market while you were injured.
I just got my new TL2 and I haven’t ridden it yet! I gave it to Pat to surf it on a Surftech Mentawai’s trip and he said it worked incredible and that he was amped on it. Pat is a really picky board guy, so if he liked it must be insane.
This is our travel issue. I figure you have probably been all over our West Coast on surf trips. Are there any that stick out in your mind?
Yeah, I always have a good time in Mainland Mex, and I’ve had a couple of really good experiences in the Pacific Northwest. I was actually partying in Vegas after coming back from Brazil, and my friend from Nor Cal called me up and said, “What are you doin’? Get your tow board and get over here!” So I left my friends in Vegas and scored the biggest waves of my life at XXXXX’s. I had never surfed up there, and never surfed a tow board before that, so it was definitely cool, and definitely a humbling experience. It was big, creepy, and fun at the same time.
So what’s the rest of the year looking like for ‘ya?
I definitely want to surf a few ‘QS contests this year before I get back on tour. It looks like my first contest back will be the Cold Water Classic where I got hurt last year. From there I might do the Pipeline Masters event and the whole Triple Crown. It just depends how I feel. I need to get myself into some bigger waves before I go, and feel it out ‘ya know? Take a few wipeouts and get used to the water over there again. I’m gonna have to take wipeouts over there anyway, so I might as well see if I’m ready. I want to heal up and never think about my injury again.
That’s a good outlook to have.
Well, I’m trying to always stay positive and stuff. It’s funny ‘cuz now I have a little gangster walk in my stride because of the injury.
You got your lean on?
Yeah, I’ll be rolling up to the contests pissed off with a gangster walk so everybody better watch out! (Laughs)
(Laughs) Aawww yeah! Well, good luck at all the comps, man. We’ll be pulling for ‘ya.
Thanks for the support.