A glimpse inside the mind of one of surfing’s greats.
SYDNEY, New South Wales/Australia (Friday, September 28, 2012) – Mick Fanning (AUS), 31, has two ASP World Titles under his belt and is currently eying a possibly third this year. If accomplished, it would put him into even more rarefied atmosphere within surfing’s layer cake than he currently resides. However, with four events remaining (one likely starting today), the fleet-footed Gold Coaster remains characteristically guarded when discussing how this year will play out. STAB Magazine was able to pry into the steel trap mind of Fanning long enough to gain some interesting insights into the man. This…is their story…
Stab: When was the last time you had a sleepless night thinking about a heat or an opponent? Mick: Sometimes you have them, sometimes you don’t. It’s not so much about an opponent, but more about conditions. That’s what I’ve been concentrating on this year – making sure I know what the conditions are gonna be like and making sure I’m ready for whatever we get.
What, like lying in bed on Namotu listening to the swell start to jack? Nah, the worst one was Tahiti, when we had that whole week of… I was first heat every day, and you’re trying to figure out if it’s going to be barrels or turns, showing up each morning with a few different boards. That was definitely the trickiest. (It obviously worked: Mick won the event).
What will you eat for breakfast on the morning of the event? I’ve just been doing some cereal and fruit, or maybe a smoothie. Nothing crazy. I’ve gotten rid of all the bacon and eggs. They’re just for special occasions now.
Do you think having a child would be distracting from a world title? I guess you’d have to ask Joel that one. For him, he’s got such good support in Monica, she’s a good mum and on contest days, she pretty much takes over. But I think sometimes he…
