The Rise of Bede Durbidge
The meteoric rise of Bede Durbidge into surfing’s elite class is another in the long list of story-lines that makes this generation of surfers as exciting as ever to follow. The 2007 Pipeline Masters and Triple Crown winner has ridden a wave of momentum into the ‘08 Dream Tour and now after the Aussie-stops, finds himself in front of everyone not named Kelly Slater.
His defeat at the hands of the 8x world-champ at Bells left me wondering how he would respond after losing such a big event in the dramatic fashion that he did. After reading his blow-by-blow post about his finals match-up with Kelly I wonder no more. Bede has the attitude and the out-look of a champion, and there is no doubt that the ‘White Fijian’ is on his way to greatness.
Instead of taking this as a crushing loss and second-guessing himself, Bede appears to be taking his runner-up finish at Bell’s as a learning experience, and this will only continue to make him a force on tour.
A champion doesn’t just sit there and helplessly let the clock wind down. He or she tries to make something happen to force the issue. That’s what Kelly did – and that’s why he is undisputedly the greatest competition surfer we’ve ever seen. I can’t say that I would have done the same if the roles had been reversed because I wasn’t put into that sort of decision -making mode. But I tell you what, it’s something I will think about now if I’m ever in a similar situation.
If you haven’t had the chance to watch many of Bede’s heats, I recommend making a point to do so. His combination of fluidity, power, and style make him as dangerous of a match-up as any on tour. Bede Durbidge is on his way to greatness, and the surfing world is starting to take notice.
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Posted by Shaun on Thursday, April 3rd, 2008 in Surfing.
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April 3rd, 2008 at 5:56 pm
I think that Mada found one heck of a good surfer and they scored big with Bede. He is blowing up and you can see he will be a top 5 surfer in no time.
April 12th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
I was blown away Bede, the first time I saw him surf in the 2007 Snapper Rocks. Extremely powerful and beautifully classic style. For example, Bede has been outsurfing Parko on pure ability. Bede is one of the Pro Tour’s elite, with Mick, Parko, Kelly, Andy & Bruce, Taj and Bobby Martinez. Bede is the surfer we are barracking for in 2008. All of the above are amazing surfers. Plus Dane Reynolds, whose surfing is amazing.
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