Nat Young (USA), 22, will make his ASP WCT debut at the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast.
SAN CLEMENTE, California/USA (Tuesday, February 26, 2013) -Nat Young (USA), 22, will be the only California rookie on the 2013 ASP WCT and one of just three from the Golden State to represent the ASP Top 34. With the season opening Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast just days away from commencement Young is prepping for his official debut among the ASP Top 34 and SURFER Magazine caught up with the Santa Cruz standout to talk about what got him to where he is today, and what his expectations are this season. This… is his story…
Nat Young:
Yesterday: Santa Cruz is a pretty tight-knit community. Pretty much all of the guys in town who surf know each other, even though everyone is spread out through the Westside, the Eastside, and Midtown. When I was riding for O’Neill, Kieran Horn was the team manager and he was probably my biggest influence growing up. We traveled a lot together and he kind of showed me the ropes. It was awesome growing up around here because my mom was friends with some of the best local surfers, so I’ve known a lot of them since before I even got in the water. That made getting into surfing really easy. I can tell that it’s not like that for everyone, because it can be difficult to just paddle out to a spot in Santa Cruz and get good waves if you don’t know any of the guys in the lineup. Over the years I’ve probably put in most of my time at the Lane. It’s basically our go-to spot on the Westside because it’s such a great wave and its pretty much breaking everyday. More than any other wave, the Lane has probably really shaped my surfing over the years.
Today: I’m really excited about getting started on the World Tour. I’m still not sure what to expect—it almost doesn’t even seem real. I’m sure it will finally sink in once I get to Snapper. People talk about regular footers having an advantage on the Tour, but as a goofyfooter who has surfed rights my whole life, I don’t think it’s a disadvantage at all. I feel really comfortable on my backhand.
For the full interview with Nat log on to SURFER Mag.
